Crying in H Mart is fantastic! It's a bit less about the music aspect of Michelle Zauner's life and a bit more about her familial relationships, but it such an excellent read. My entire family loved it--from my teen daughter, to my husband, to my mom ...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just Kids is too grown for a tween.

She didn't say "tween" she said "teen," and the book the kid is reading now is Dave Grohl's memoir. The Nirvana, Foo Fighters, jammed-with-Iggy-Pop Grohl. Which OP seems to not mind. So Just Kids should be fine. And she's a brilliant writer, which Dave Grohl is not.

I have read both and Dave Grohl’s is much more appropriate for a kid than Just Kids. Yes, Grohl jammed with all those people, but he is really pretty clean and made it through because he didn’t do drugs like all those guys. He talks about his sadness at losing friends to drugs, has a good family, etc. I would not say he glamorizes drug use at all. He really has a love for music and has managed to avoid many usual side effects of musical genius and stardom.

Thank you so much for these suggestions! Some I wouldn’t have thought of but are great ideas—e.g., the Questlove one.

Questlove - Music is History. Gets really in the weeds on music that meant something to him. I didn’t always know everyone or every song, but it was interesting. I looked up a bunch of things as I read.

Anonymous wrote:So many of them have memoirs now…I’ve heard Springsteen’s is terrific, not sure a teen would be into though!

Who does he like?

Springsteen’s is amazing. He also discusses how he would fire any band member caught using drugs after seeing what happened to Janis Joplin and some of the other greats. He’s passionate about music and disdains the party lifestyle. No stories of the E Street Band destroying hotel rooms. He also treats his ex-wife with respect and blames himself for the dissolution of his first marriage. He and Patti had a somewhat amoral start (since he was married at the time), but 30 years and 3 kids later, it’s hard to care.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just Kids is too grown for a tween.

She didn't say "tween" she said "teen," and the book the kid is reading now is Dave Grohl's memoir. The Nirvana, Foo Fighters, jammed-with-Iggy-Pop Grohl. Which OP seems to not mind. So Just Kids should be fine. And she's a brilliant writer, which Dave Grohl is not.

Actually OP said tween in the title and young teen in the post.

David Byrne : On Music

Wish I could get my kid to read a memoir!

Flea has a newish memoir out

So many of them have memoirs now…I’ve heard Springsteen’s is terrific, not sure a teen would be into though!

Who does he like?

Anonymous wrote:Just Kids is too grown for a tween.

She didn't say "tween" she said "teen," and the book the kid is reading now is Dave Grohl's memoir. The Nirvana, Foo Fighters, jammed-with-Iggy-Pop Grohl. Which OP seems to not mind. So Just Kids should be fine. And she's a brilliant writer, which Dave Grohl is not.

Just Kids is too grown for a tween.

Patti Smith's Just Kids. It's brilliant. Plenty of drugs though.

Alicia Key's memoir

Does anyone have a recommendation for a young teen who loves music and is currently reading (and loving) Dave Grohl’s the Storyteller? A lot of memoirs have too many adult themes, but would love something focused on music, music making, history. I think just kids is a little heavy on drug use but maybe Barbra? Any other ideas?