Take a self-absorbed lead singer and guitarist, his twin moody bassist brother and an angry girl rocker. Mix in a geeky drummer, a talentless pretty face, and a deaf band manager, and what you get is Antony John's Five Flavors of Dumb, set in the Seattle suburbs.
Angry over trying to drag freshman brother Finn away from schmoozing with the high school band Dumb, 18-year-old Piper snaps, rapidly signing--and Finn dutifully translating--that Dumb is a bunch of amateurs. (Their impromptu and fiery performance on the school's front steps the day before proves it.) So, narcissistic Josh challenges her: Get the band a paying gig in a month, and they'll split the money four ways. Since Piper's parents raided her college fund to buy cochlear implants for her baby sister, it's a deal. Piper gets to work pushing the band to write their own material, make the most of their prized sessions with legendary producer Baz Firkin, and get them in front of the media.
But what she's also trying to prove is that just because she's deaf, that doesn't mean she doesn't deserve to be taken seriously. Anyone who has been in a band, knows someone in a band or obsesses over the details of their favorite rock group will understand the hope and frustration as Dumb struggles to find its place in the Seattle rock scene. You'll laugh, you'll gasp, you'll do a few face-palms. I highly recommend this book.
Debra B., CC Library
Angry over trying to drag freshman brother Finn away from schmoozing with the high school band Dumb, 18-year-old Piper snaps, rapidly signing--and Finn dutifully translating--that Dumb is a bunch of amateurs. (Their impromptu and fiery performance on the school's front steps the day before proves it.) So, narcissistic Josh challenges her: Get the band a paying gig in a month, and they'll split the money four ways. Since Piper's parents raided her college fund to buy cochlear implants for her baby sister, it's a deal. Piper gets to work pushing the band to write their own material, make the most of their prized sessions with legendary producer Baz Firkin, and get them in front of the media.
But what she's also trying to prove is that just because she's deaf, that doesn't mean she doesn't deserve to be taken seriously. Anyone who has been in a band, knows someone in a band or obsesses over the details of their favorite rock group will understand the hope and frustration as Dumb struggles to find its place in the Seattle rock scene. You'll laugh, you'll gasp, you'll do a few face-palms. I highly recommend this book.
Debra B., CC Library
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