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Beautiful Music
Beautiful Music | Michael Zadoorian
13 posts | 4 read | 21 to read
"Set in early 1970s Detroit, a racially divided city still reeling from its violent riot of 1967, this novel is the story of a high school boy's transformation through music."--Publishers Weekly Spring 2018 Adult Announcements, Literary Fiction"How do we find soul-saving comfort in moments when deep personal loneliness coincides with a world gone increasingly mad? This question is at the heart of Beautiful Music, Michael Zadoorian's funny and melancholic novel that navigates the haunted history of the Rust Belt. Zadoorian shows how music has kept the region's heart beating--especially Detroit's--even in the most crushing and confusing of times."--Dean Bakopoulos, author of Summerlong"Michael Zadoorian has captured an era when Detroit simmered with anger and fear while it simultaneously reverberated with the joyous noise of rock and roll. Beautiful Music eloquently evokes the beauty, confusion, and power of that late 1960s/early 1970s milieu."--Don Was, Grammy Award-winning producer, president of Blue Note Records, cofounder of the band Was (Not Was)"The story of Beautiful Music is painted with rich, exquisite detail and all the painful hyperawareness of growing up in a culture of mixed signals, confusion, and loss. Salvation comes through music. A miraculous safe place in which to belong."--Nancy Wilson, singer/guitarist, Heart"Like Nick Hornby or the great Nick Tosches, Michael Zadoorian is the rare novelist whose prose crackles with the energy of the best rock 'n' roll. Beautiful Music is a beautiful bildungsroman that does the sounds and spirit of his beloved Detroit proud."--Jim DeRogatis, author of Let It Blurt: The Life and Times of Lester Bangs"Don't let anyone tell you that a novel can't have a soundtrack. Beautiful Music adds another chapter to Detroit's rock and roll mythology, every scene shaking with bass, drums, guitar riffs, and driving vocals. But beneath it all, Zadoorian expertly portrays a quiet boy who's navigating heartache at home, bullies at school, and racial tension in the air--a boy trusting in music to tell him that both he and his city will be okay in the end."--Adam Schuitema, author of The Things We Do That Make No Sense"Beautiful Music thrums like a guitar riff and rattles like a bass drum. This soulful, funny, transporting, and often electrifying novel will resonate with anyone who's found their true passion--or is still on the hunt. It's not just a great Detroit story and a great American story; it's also a story about what it means to be human. I loved this book! In the words of Bob Seger, all I could do was turn the page."--Davy Rothbart, author of My Heart Is an IdiotSet in early 1970s Detroit, a racially divided city still reeling from its violent riot of 1967, Beautiful Music is the story of one young man's transformation through music. Danny Yzemski is a husky, pop radio-loving loner balancing a dysfunctional home life with the sudden harsh realities of freshman year at a high school marked by racial turbulence.But after tragedy strikes the family, Danny's mother becomes increasingly erratic and angry about the seismic cultural shifts unfolding in her city and the world. As she tries to hold it together with the help of Librium, highballs, and breakfast cereal, Danny finds his own reason to carry on: rock 'n' roll. In particular, the drum and guitar-heavy songs of local legends like the MC5 and Iggy Pop. In the vein of Nick Hornby and Tobias Wolff, yet with a style very much Zadoorian's own, Beautiful Music is a touching story about the power of music and its ability to save one's soul.
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Lauren.Archer
Beautiful Music | Michael Zadoorian
Pickpick

This was such a great coming of age story set in 1970‘s Detroit. The music referenced in this book is perfect for telling the story.

72 likes5 stack adds
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Lauren.Archer
Beautiful Music | Michael Zadoorian
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This sounds really interesting.

RebelReader I enjoyed The Leisure Seeker so I‘ve stacked this one! 👍🏻 6y
85 likes4 stack adds1 comment
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SqueakyChu
Beautiful Music | Michael Zadoorian
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“It‘s not just about the words. It‘s about how #music takes us out of ourselves, how it relieves our pains, lets loose something in our hearts, makes us feel better in ways we never knew we could.”

Yes!!

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SqueakyChu
Beautiful Music | Michael Zadoorian
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“Everyone was so afraid black people were going to move into our neighborhood. That was the worst thing that could happen. Now black people are moving into our neighborhood, and it doesn‘t seem to be making a difference. Except for all the white people moving away.”

This part of the book is about #1970s #Detroit, but it was just like that where I grew up in #1960s #Baltimore. ☹️

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SqueakyChu
Beautiful Music | Michael Zadoorian
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“Yet you also have to know that you only get so many listenings to a song before the love of it, the joy of it, the specialness of it, starts to trickle away.”

Not really. Some songs keep their specialness and staying power forever.

Swe_Eva Sometimes quite the opposite, in fact. 6y
13 likes1 comment
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SqueakyChu
Beautiful Music | Michael Zadoorian
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I came outside to enjoy this funny book and have a beer. Now the book became sad all of a sudden. Bummer! 😟

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SqueakyChu
Beautiful Music | Michael Zadoorian
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I‘m really enjoying this book so far. It was tough to be a “husky” school kid back in the #60s and #70s. However, this book is funny, and I‘m totally liking the mention of many pop hits from back in “those days”. Anyone recognize the background of my picture? 😀

Lynnsoprano This was on the LibraryThing early reviewer list, wasn‘t it? I thought it looked really intriguing. I‘m still waiting for my book from the March list😕 6y
SqueakyChu @Lynnsoprano This was the one book I chose from #EarlyReviewer on #LibraryThing, and I won it. I really wanted it because I‘ve enjoyed the other three works I‘ve read by this author. I knew of him back in the days after he only had published his first book, Second Hand. I‘m glad he‘s doing so well. 6y
bnp Love your photo with the colorful background 6y
SqueakyChu @bnp Any guesses what the background is? 😃 (edited) 6y
14 likes4 comments
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SqueakyChu
Beautiful Music | Michael Zadoorian
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“I don‘t believe that humans are actually meant to swim. If we were, we would have been born with gills instead of lungs.”

Haha! Deductive logic at its best?

Petroglyph So short-sighted, lol. What about dolphins? Frogs? Seals? Plenty of non-fish swimmers 6y
SqueakyChu @Petroglyph There goes his argument. LOL! 6y
8 likes2 comments
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SqueakyChu
Beautiful Music | Michael Zadoorian
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I finally got to start reading Michael Zadoorian‘s new book. I love that it started with memories of radio music from back in #1969. Zadoorian is so great with memories of the past. I think I‘ll like this journey back in time. 😊💕

11 likes1 stack add
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SqueakyChu
Beautiful Music | Michael Zadoorian
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Hurray! My book from #LibraryThing #EarlyReviewer arrived today, although I‘m not quite ready to read it. I‘m pretty sure I‘m going to like it because I‘ve read three other books by Michael Zadoorian, and I enjoyed each one.

RaimeyGallant Questions: Does the early reviewer program give out only hard copies? Is there a way to preview the first chapter before throwing my name in the hat? I'm not sure I want to commit to reading arcs if I can't see a few pages first... 6y
bnp #RaimeyGallant the ER program gives out some titles as hard copy & some electronic- the monthly lists tell you which. I don't think they give previews, but it's been awhile since I've participated. 6y
SqueakyChu @RaimeyGallant You can get ebooks of some books, if you want. I only like to get hard copies. You can‘t preview them, but you can select one or two books which you think you are pretty sure to like. I usually only select one book a month. Sometimes I get it; sometimes not. I‘ve gotten some rather nice books with only a rare klunker. Try it once. You only have to read it and write a review of at least 25 words and post your review on LT. (edited) 6y
RaimeyGallant @SqueakyChu @bnp Thanks so much! 6y
SqueakyChu @RaimeyGallant I hope you decide to participate in Early Reviewer. I find it fun...plus I love getting a #FreeBook in the mail. 😃 (edited) 6y
13 likes1 stack add5 comments
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SqueakyChu
Beautiful Music | Michael Zadoorian
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I‘m so excited! I just won Beautiful Music on the #EarlyReviewer program on #LibraryThing. This is the only one of Michael Zadoorian‘s books I haven‘t read yet. I was thrilled for this author when his novel The Leisure Seekers became the basis for the movie of the same name starring Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren. I hope to see the movie although I already know the story.

Ardachy Congratulations 🍾 6y
SqueakyChu @Ardachy Thanks! 6y
arubabookwoman I loved The Leisure Seeker. I didn‘t know it was made into a movie. I‘ll look for it. 6y
SqueakyChu @arubabookwoman I‘m curious how you‘ll like the book. I read The Leisure Seeker after an author chat with Michael Zadoorian on #LibraryThing, long before either of us had any idea that The Leisure Seeker would be a movie some day. That was in 2009. Wow! 😃 https://www.librarything.com/topic/64939 (edited) 6y
18 likes1 stack add5 comments
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BookNAround
Beautiful Music | Michael Zadoorian
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About to start this one. I have high hopes since I thoroughly enjoyed his The Leisure Seeker.

SqueakyChu I‘m very excited that I just won this book from the #EarlyReviewer program on #LibraryThing. I‘ve read all three of Michael Zadoorian‘s previous books and enjoyed them all. I hope this book is just as good. I even told the author on his Facebook page that I won a copy of his newest book! 😃 (edited) 6y
52 likes1 comment
review
FountainBookstore
Beautiful Music | Michael Zadoorian
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Pickpick

Beautiful Music, set in 1970s Detroit is just what the title states. A young Danny Yzemski is growing up chunky kid with a love of pop radio and an turbulent home life. He starts his freshman year in a new school being confronted by racial tension issues previously he only experienced through the news and his mother's snide comments. Like beautiful music, this book is permeated with the power to make you sad, lift you up, and carry you home.

32 likes6 stack adds