Featured Official Review: Band in the Wind by William John Rostron

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joshfee77
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Featured Official Review: Band in the Wind by William John Rostron

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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Band in the Wind" by William John Rostron.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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"'Those were the best days of my life.' They really were. And just like the words in the Bryan Adams song 'The Summer of '69,' I did buy my first six-string at a five-and-dime, and I did play it until my fingers bled. And we did have a band, and we did try real hard...However, that's where my story diverges from the song...Unlike the characters in the song, my Jimmy didn't quit, and my Joey didn't get married. In my life, they died. In fact, except for me, they all died. And I have never told the story before."

This is the compelling introduction to the novel Band in the Wind by William John Rostron, a tale surrounding the recovered journal of Johnny Cippitelli ("Johnny Cipp"), one of five young members of Those Born Free, a band out of Cambria Heights in Queens, New York. Cipp's journal, discovered after being washed up on a beach in 1990, details the story of the band he played in with four other young musicians in the late 1960s. With Jimmy McAvoy ("Jimmy Mac") on drums and vocals, Giovanni DeAngelis ("Gio") on rhythm guitar and vocals, Rocco Brackowski ("Bracko") on lead guitar and vocals, Joseph Tinley, Junior ("Tinman") on keyboard, and Johnny on bass, they possessed the talent, the will, and the work ethic to go far. Cambria Heights was rife with gangs, violence, and racism. A tough place to grow up, the boys saw music as their only way out to a better life and were willing to give it everything to get there. Alas, they never made it...

Rostron featured entries from Johnny's journal, which were conversational and candid. I really felt like I was journeying through life with a young Johnny as he and his friends formed their band and dealt with the issues in their lives. I felt the emotional connection Johnny had to the music, particularly when someone put their heart and soul into playing a particular song. Each journal entry started with a song title from that era, which tied in thematically with that part of the story. Soon, I found myself swept up in the excitement as these young men found each other and their musical dreams started to come together.

The book also included historical background about Cambria Heights in Queens, New York, where Johnny and his friends grew up. I got a real sense of the issues of their adolescence, such as teen gangs and the racial division of the time. Blacks and whites lived in separate neighbourhoods and the penalties for encroaching into the other's territory were often severe. Some of the gang violence and the beatings administered to those of a different skin colour were horrific.

Johnny Cipp's journal included some great foreshadowing of the tragedy to come while giving no spoilers about what it might be. This hook, which made me select this book in the first place, kept me reading all the way through the story. Though morbid, I just had to know what happened to these talented musicians to end their lives so young. In the end, as I suspected, Band in the Wind was an incredibly hard and gut-wrenching story to read, moving and powerful. I found the ending sad and emotionally draining, which I believe is the greatest mark of success for a story like this. Bringing your readers to the brink of tears is a true test of great character development, and Rostron succeeded admirably. Knowing these boys as well as I did by the end, I found it really tough to read about their deaths.

As for negatives, there were some typographical errors in the text, mainly missing or incorrect punctuation. There were also occasional incorrect words used, such as "discrete" for "discreet" and "passed" for "past." However, most of these errors were in the journal entries of Johnny Cipp, a young man who had not graduated high school. For this reason, I feel they were realistic and justified. Therefore, I am happy to rate Band in the Wind 4 out of 4 stars. It was a powerful and tragic story with fantastic character development and strong emotional involvement for the reader. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys coming-of-age stories about young people following their dreams against the odds, but I believe music lovers will get a little something extra out of it, as I did.

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Moderator's Note: This review has been updated by the reviewer.
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Band in the Wind
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View the author's website at https://williamjohnrostron.com.

Band in the Wind is available from IngramSpark in both hardcover and paperback. Wholesale discounts are available for bookstores and web dealers of 35% to 40%.
Band in the Wind Hardcover - ISBN 9781732746824
Band in the Wind Softcover - ISBN 9781732746831

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kandscreeley
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Post by kandscreeley »

If the opening sentences that you give are anything like the rest of the story, I definitely want to read this one. I'm intrigued already. I am a music lover, and this sounds like something I would enjoy (though I don't often read books like this). Thanks so much for the review!
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Post by Brendan Donaghy »

As introductions go, that's a fairly powerful one! It's got me interested and I want to read more. Thanks for a terrific review and for flagging up this book.
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Post by Jaime Lync »

kandscreeley wrote: 31 May 2019, 08:34 If the opening sentences that you give are anything like the rest of the story, I definitely want to read this one. I'm intrigued already. I am a music lover, and this sounds like something I would enjoy (though I don't often read books like this). Thanks so much for the review!


I have to agree with Kandscreeley, don't usually read this type of book but as a music lover I want to read this. Thanks for sharing.
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Post by kdstrack »

The journal entries sound intriguing. Even though you know how these lives are going to end, the author has written a compelling story about their lives. Your description of this book has won me over. Great writing, Josh! Thanks for this excellent recommendation!
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Post by Wyland »

It's good to read on the off-stage stories of an old band that was a hit in its heyday. In the end only nostalgic feelings remain. Thanks for the review.
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Post by joshfee77 »

kandscreeley wrote: 31 May 2019, 08:34 If the opening sentences that you give are anything like the rest of the story, I definitely want to read this one. I'm intrigued already. I am a music lover, and this sounds like something I would enjoy (though I don't often read books like this). Thanks so much for the review!
Those opening sentences hooked me to pick this book in the first place. The rest of the book was also really interesting and kept me reading. Thanks!
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Post by joshfee77 »

Brendan Donaghy wrote: 31 May 2019, 13:24 As introductions go, that's a fairly powerful one! It's got me interested and I want to read more. Thanks for a terrific review and for flagging up this book.
Yeah, if you like music and live bands, there's plenty in this book for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks for your comments!
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Post by joshfee77 »

Jaime Lync wrote: 31 May 2019, 17:06
kandscreeley wrote: 31 May 2019, 08:34 If the opening sentences that you give are anything like the rest of the story, I definitely want to read this one. I'm intrigued already. I am a music lover, and this sounds like something I would enjoy (though I don't often read books like this). Thanks so much for the review!


I have to agree with Kandscreeley, don't usually read this type of book but as a music lover I want to read this. Thanks for sharing.
Funnily enough, I don't read many books like this either! But that blurb definitely grabbed my attention. A great read. Thanks.
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Post by joshfee77 »

kdstrack wrote: 01 Jun 2019, 11:05 The journal entries sound intriguing. Even though you know how these lives are going to end, the author has written a compelling story about their lives. Your description of this book has won me over. Great writing, Josh! Thanks for this excellent recommendation!
Thanks very much! This book is almost that perfect blend of music, nostalgia, a coming-of-age story...and tragedy! It really does have a bit of everything. Highly entertaining.
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joshfee77
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Post by joshfee77 »

Wyland wrote: 03 Jun 2019, 06:28 It's good to read on the off-stage stories of an old band that was a hit in its heyday. In the end only nostalgic feelings remain. Thanks for the review.
Yeah, pretty sad in the end for Johnny, the one surviving band member. An emotional story for sure. Thanks.
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Post by Arshiakhan »

A good book with really an outstanding theme of how people struggle to achieve their goals..Usually tragic ending are not welcomed by majority but feels realistic..
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Post by Lei1315 »

A very good way to open up the story is an eye catching introduction, and that's exactly what made me very interested to read this book. For someone who loves music (even if music dont seems to love me) this is a good read indeed. It might be a cliché but the suspense of what's gonna happen next made this a page turner. Articulately well done, hats off to the writer.
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Post by Jennerbugz »

I was hooked with in the first few sentences. I love Jimmy Mac and can't wait to read this novel. Very excited!!
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Post by Fsanchez76 »

Starting with that quote from the book was a perfect attention grabber. Then continuing to give a thorough and great review makes me want to read it, so I will be adding it to my "to be read" list. Thank you!
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