Stop and get an autographed copy at one of Deanna's
upcoming book signings.
Here's what others are saying about
Confessions
of a Not-So-Good Catholic Girl:
Deanna has "produced a series of crisp, witty, honest essays . .
. an accomplished essayist." - Cool
Cleveland
Reading Deanna Adams' "Confession of a Not-So-Good Catholic Girl"
is more fun than smoking rope with the Pope" - Michael Heaton, Minister
of Culture, Cleveland Plain Dealer
"An interesting, entertaining book" - Jim
McIntyre, WDOK's Morning "Infoman"
"Adams can be funny. She can be poignant. She can be brutally honest. . . .
It's a woman's story. It's a bike-ridin', Rolling Stones-lovin', motherhood
story. And it might be your story too." -The News-Herald.
coolcleveland.com
(
Click on Cover for Contents
)
Confessions of a Not-So-Good
Catholic Girl is a collection of true tales about growing up a baby
boomer in the Midwest. These coming-of-age stories, wide ranging in subject matter, are
slices of life, experiences most of us share:
internal
conflicts, personal relationships, life-altering moments—whether you grew
up Catholic or not. Weave in historic events and pop culture trends and you
have a book of nostalgic adventures that will evoke your own life
memories—with laughter, warmth, and fond reflection.
Some
Excerpts . . .
From
Boy Trouble:
The romance began in the principal’s office (where
a girl is sure to meet the bad boy of her dreams). He was bold and brash—a
lightning-strike version of a sleek Italian rebel with a full head of dark
wavy hair, bulging brown eyes, and an attitude that would make John Gotti
swell with pride. My mother hated Anthony straight up. Reason number one to
call him mine.
From
Suffering For My Art: When someone says, “Don’t take it
personally,” you are bound to take it personally. Because it is. When they
make it clear they don’t want you anymore, you’re right back on the school
playground, the last one picked for the game. You are the unwanted morsel
of candy—bit into, spat out, and left abandoned among the empty crumpled
wrappers in the 16-oz. box of chocolates. You are the wad of repugnant
chewed-up Juicy Fruit stuck underneath the school desk, or church pew. You
are the unsolicited piece of junk mail that is so unwelcome people angrily
rip you up into microscopic pieces before tossing you in the garbage - then
complete the act by dumping stale coffee grounds on top of you like a
ceremonial burial.
No matter how
much you ache to leave a job, or a marriage, you want to be the one who
leaves. Not the one who is left.
From
Confessions of a Not-So-Good Catholic
Girl: “Bless me, Father, for
I have sinned. It’s been, uh . . .
um . . . I think . . . no . . . I guess . . . well, maybe . . . uh,
probably about . . . four months? .
. . since my last confession.”
I’ve always
found this holy practice bizarre. There you are, kneeling in a pitch-black
closet, confessing all your ungodly behavior to an authoritative voice that
will judge you without even knowing that you’re really not all that bad a
person. This, after actually having waited in line
to totally rat yourself out. This, after having memorized your sins because
you can’t bring the long list into the confessional since it’s too damned
(oops, sorry God, I’ll add that to the list) dark in there. Still, you’re
supposed to keep track of each and every trespass because the numbers are
important to measure out the penance. You are then forced to underplay your
crimes—slyly altering possible mortal sins to venial—because you don’t want
this Man of God thinking poorly of you. You then ask for forgiveness and
hope The Voice bestows a light sentence. (You’ve already increased those
odds by going to Father A, the kind one, rather than Father B, who’d make
his own mother say the entire rosary. Twice. And with feeling.)
What It All
Means: I believe life is a test,
the multiple choice kind. Like when Dorothy and the Scarecrow in
The
Wizard of Oz must decide which direction to take at the
four-way crossroad. The fearful ones choose to turn around and go back. The
doubtful ones choose not to choose and stay stuck in neutral. The brave
ones make a decision and venture on. Perhaps we’re given these tests to see
what we do with our dilemmas. How we handle our relationships with the
people in our lives. We’re not supposed to have all the answers. It’s the
process, the journey, as they say, that provides the best memories—and some
of the best stories. . . .
And precisely what
you’ll find in this new book by Deanna Adams.
To order: Call toll free
1-800-247-6553
Book Description
"Rock 'n' Roll and the Cleveland
Connection" is the first in-depth look at the people, venues, and
artists that made Cleveland the "Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the
World."
Author Deanna Adams conducted personal interviews with more
than 300 musicians, managers, deejays, promoters, record executives,
and club owners - all pioneers of this new musical movement - to compile
these chapters in musical history.
From the Publisher
Deanna Adams spent hundreds of hours researching recollections of the
musicians, deejays, journalists, and fans who made
up the Cleveland rock scene from the 1950s to the 1990s. The Kent State
University Press is pleased to be the publisher of this excellent book.
From the Inside Flap
It’s no wonder Cleveland is home to the internationally famous Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame—Cleveland disk jockey Alan Freed coined the phrase for
this new musical phenomenon nearly 50 years ago; Casey Kasem fine-tuned his
long-running broadcasting career in Cleveland; and Cleveland witnessed the
rise of such widely recognized groups as the James Gang, the Outsiders,
Damnation of Adam Blessing, and the Raspberries. Nearby Canton gave us the
O’Jays, and Akron spawned Devo and Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders. And
the rock concert was practically invented in Cleveland in 1952, when Alan
Freed convened the first Moondog Coronation Ball. By the 1970s Cleveland
had become a proving ground for superstars in the making. "Rock ’n’
Roll and the Cleveland Connection" is the first in-depth look at the
people, venues, and artists that made Cleveland the "Rock ’n’ Roll
Capital of the World."
About the Author
Deanna Adams is a life-long resident of Cleveland who grew up with rock
music. She is a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in Northern
Ohio Live, Ohio Magazine, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and other
publications.
Some Comments about this Book:
"This is the Rosetta Stone for those who care about
music and Cleveland. Fans and novices alike will love reading this book and
keeping it for future reference."- Terry Stewart President and CEO,
Rock and Roll hall of Fame and Museum
"Deanna Adams has written an exhaustive, impressive
and highly entertaining piece of pop culture history that puts Cleveland
right where it belongs: at the heart of rock 'n' roll."- Michael
Heaton "Minister of Culture" Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Deanna Adams has done her homework! She has written
THE informative and entertaining journey through Cleveland's own Rock 'n'
Roll history. A great read for any rock fan."- Michael Anthony
Bass player for Van Halen
"Chock-full of details and interesting stories, it
reflects the rich and colorful history that has always been the genesis of
Cleveland's rock 'n' roll scene. While the Rock Hall offers the sights and
sounds of music history, Ms. Adams's book provides the road map and written
documentation of Cleveland's rock history (including what was happening in
rock culture throughout the nation) in an accurate and entertaining
portrayal." - Walt Tiburski Vice President/General Manager Infinity
Broadcasting Company