Small Town Punk

by John Sheppard

Book Overview

"Small Town Punk is full of raw feeling and taut smart prose. John Sheppard gets that Reagan-era rage and humor just right. This novel is an ode to those kids at the dead-end jobs who knew that the Morning in America was really dusk at best, but had each other, a little weed, some beer, and gas.--Sam Lipsyte

Trapped in dreary Sarasota, Florida in the early 1980s--during Reagan's "Morning in America,"--going to high school with junior...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0977197255
• ISBN13: 9780977197255
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Ig Publishing
• Length: 188 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.6" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

it was so great

I may not know much of anything but I do know this was one of the best books i have ever read. His odd life kept you wanting to read more and more. You found yourself becoming sad when it was getting near the end. This book is not a pick-me-up kinda thing but you will surely love it.

punker than toast!

i really really loved this book! i read it in less than 24hours and then i read it again! it really captures the life of a punk in an extremely interesting light. i found myself laughing and nodding in agreement time after time.......and is it just me, or does every small hick town have punks working in the pizza place?!?...well at least thats the way it is in california. the only complaints i have , is it seems that the author was running short on time and abbruptly ended the book without really any events leading up to it.....it just sort of stopped....and it kind of lacked a plot too......but it was entertaining none the less.i strongly recommend this book to ANYONE!.....especially if youre into punk!

Worth all the five star reviews

I'm simply astounded that John L. Sheppard isn't famous. Small Town Punk highlights Sheppard's enormous talents for character development and true-to-life dialouge, and his biting sense of humor. Those reviews comparing this work to Catcher in the Rye aren't over-stating Sheppard's talent. I hope he keeps writing. This is a page-turner you don't have to feel guilty about.

I thought about things when reading this

First of all, I read this book in two days, laughing out loud in various coffee shops, while I should have been at work. I guess the fact that I was blowing off work instantly meant that I was meant to relate to Buzz, the main character. Sheppard's writing is cynical and hilarious, giving the reader many classic lines that you end up wondering where they came from. For example, "This barber had a pinched-up face, like someone had taped a dog turd under his nose 20 years ago and he'd never removed it, except to maybe freshen it with a new dog turd." or about Tolkien, "He writes ponderous escapist bulls**t that bears no resemblance of real life. Evil is too evil to be actually evil. And good is impossibly good. And it's written like a high school history textbook, so that the d**ks that read it can pat themselves on the back for being smart." It's the sort of real life humor written in a real life way that I enjoy. (Not all the humor is scatological, this is just an example of how lines explode out of nowhere). Also Sheppard's use of dialog is realistic and amazing. It is as if you are at the Pizza Hut, where the characters work (or in their car), listening, laughing, and cracking open a beer with them. The character's are entertaining screw ups, especially Buzz's friends, yet Buzz's character, even though a screw up, is saved by the sweet relationship he has with his sister.Now the thoughts... I thought of Holden Caulfield when reading this. I thought of Bright Lights, Big City (the book) while reading this. I thought of my college and High School days while reading this. I thought of Jesus' Son (the book or movie) while reading this. I thought of Hunter S. Thompson while reading this. I thought that this book would make a tremendous movie (please don't cast Matt Damon or Leonardo D.). I thought of a lot of people that would enjoy this book a lot and that I could turn people onto an author that they'd prob. never heard of. I DO give Small Town Punk a strong recommendation, especially for slackers, 80's punks, clubbers etc.Important to note: This is not a book about PUNK ROCK. The strength of the book is the relationships between friends and their situations, as well as family relations and dysfunction.

Working for The Hut

Did every town have a punk rock Pizza Hut? I know mine did, and when I read John Sheppard's book, I realized it wasn't an anomaly. This tale of a Reaganism-infected Florida and the lack of a punk scene features a band of outcasts that anyone with some Black Flag or Dead Kennedys in their record collection could identify with. But the book isn't really a punk rock anthem as much as it is a tale of small town boredom and the desire to get the hell out and do something other than mow lawns and play football and go to church. There's a lot of great humor in the situations these characters go through, but the authentic details of this era sold me on the story. This is a great book to read if you're an old-school punk, a recovered small-town escapee, or just anyone who appreciates a great story.