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NEO-ZINE (PA, USA)
This is a memoir novel about the life of Peter Kalafatis who left home at 13 years old to live in the streets. Peter was involved in the punk/ hardcore street gang scene, and has the scars to prove it. Peter and his brother were involved in violence and drug use throughout the time that they spent living in the squats, and later in their parent's basement. He even helped to start one of the largest suburban street gangs (Strong Island Boys.) Involvement in gun fights, having been stabbed, and getting a girl pregnant are some things that lead Peter to try to improve his lot by going to college. He is now a grown man with a wife and a child (who lives at the grandparent's home.) His brother, Archie was not so lucky. Archie died from the same hard life of drugs and violence that Peter was trying to put behind him. This causes our author to wax ragingly philosophical about the cause of his brother's death. Most of these explainations end at one place...The rich people of the world are responsible for the pain, suffering, and death of the working class and poor. One of the statements that impressed me the most was "If responsibility is a consequence of a deliberate and conscious action, then the ones who have all of the choices and the knowledge to choose correctly are not only responsible for their actions, but also the actions of the ones affected most by their choices." This book is easy to read, and even the more philosophical parts are simple enough for the basic reading skills. There is some abrupt language and some graphic violence, so this isn't for the young bible school kids. It also takes more thatn a few anti-capitalist turns, so this isn't for the blindly patriotic either. For those who feel that they havn't had enough good choices in life, this should be a booming affirmation. For those who came up in the punk rock/ hardcore squat scene, this should be a sad trip down memory lane. For those who like a tear jerker or a revenge novel, this has all of the best elements of both. You can cry and get mad reading this book. I didn't agree with everyting in these pages, but the author was able to put me in his place, and at least make me understand why he came to these conclusions. I won't tell you how, but Pete does get his revenge.
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