Stories with a Soundtrack

Just as many movies have music soundtracks, more and more young adult authors are focusing on musicians and include music references that inform the plot and the setting of their books. Whether the author is referencing real life musicians, sharing lyrics for the book's musicians, or giving the reader insights into the music industry in general, the reader learns a lot about a variety of music genres while enjoying the story that unfolds. I am recommending four such novels this month.  Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson explores hip-hop in the era of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G.  Spin by Colleen Nelson focuses on an aspiring female DJ, whose estranged mom is an international star.  Love Songs and Other Lies by Jessica Pennington is about a band "Your Future Ex" which competes in a reality TV show Battle of the Bands. Finally, Impossible Music by Sean Williams introduces a young heavy metal musician, who tries to redefine himself and his music after having a stroke which causes cortical deafness. 

Let Me Hear a Rhyme  focuses on rap music and explores the impact the publication of Biggie Small's music after his death had on the music business. After their best friend Steph is murdered, Quadir and Jarrell, two teens in the 1998 Bedford-Styvesant neighborhood in NYC (where Biggie lived and died) discover his music hidden under his bed and decide to make him a rap star beyond the grave.  With the help of Jasmine, Steph's younger sister, they promote his music under the name "The Architect" and attract the attention of a powerful music label rep.  As Steph's music becomes more and more popular, the three teens struggle to keep his death a secret, as well as find out who murdered him.  The story is told in first-person from the alternating perspectives of the three protagonists and includes flashbacks to life before Steph's death.  Lyrics from Steph's songs, as well as Jasmine's own burgeoning talent, make this a lyrical read, filled with tension and mystery.  The story is very personal to the author who grew up in Bed/Sty in the 90s. She call the book "a love letter to hip-hop, to Brooklyn and my childhood..."

Spin introduces Dizzy Doucette, an aspiring DJ, who lives with her father and older brother above their used record story, The Vinyl Trap.  Her father once toured with her mother, Georgia Waters, an internationally known singer, who left the family to pursue a music career. Dizzy, who is learning to spin records from her brother's best friend, is gaining a reputation as a real talent and wonders if her mother will hear about her.  Then signs advertising a Georgia Waters performance in town appear, intriguing Dizzy.  Will her mom want to see her? Can she help Dizzy's career? When her relationship to Georgia becomes public knowledge, Dizzy's life spins out of control.  The story is told from various family members' points of view.  Although the story involves the music industry, it is ultimately a story about family.  The author prefaces the story with a letter to the reader about her research on DJing and the music she discovered in the process.

In Love Songs and Other Lies, Vee, a talented song writer and musician, goes on a reality TV show competition tour with her best friend Logan's band, "Your Future Ex."  Formerly their manager and primary songwriter, she is excited to exercise her skills in public relations, until she discovers Cameron, her ex-boyfriend, has joined their band.  Their breakup issues are unresolved; she can't quite forgive him for not telling her about a horrible accident he was involved in a year before they met.  Told in alternating points of view, the story switches between the present and two years prior when she and Cam were a duo on and off stage.  As Cam tries to win her back, the reality show producers are thrilled with the sexy subplot to the Battle of the Bands competition and spin it as a love triangle between Vee, Cam and Logan.  Vee, who is a reluctant performer, gains confidence as the band begins to include Cam and Vee duets in some of their performances.  The novel is filled with poetic band lyrics, romance and intrigue, as the reader wonders what led to Vee and Cam's breakup and ultimately roots for their reunion, as well a victory for the band. The story feels like an inside look at reality TV and how the contestants are manipulated to create drama for audience buy-in.

Impossible Music focuses on Simon, an Australian teen who suffers a stroke and wakes up with cortical deafness.  He refuses to believe his dreams of a career in music are dead.  Formerly a heavy metal guitarist in a band with his best friends, he begins to explore a new kind of "impossible music" based on the relationship between sound and silence. He creates a performance series to alter the way the audience experiences music and at the same time uses it as an audition for a music composition program at the university.  As he struggles to deal with his diagnosis, he connects with George, a girl in his Auslan (Australian sign language) classes, who is deaf due to extreme tinnitus.  As Simon moves from anger and despair to reinvention, he is supported by George and his friends and family.  This is a thought-provoking examination of sudden hearing loss and how a young musician navigates what it means for his future.  Although the author is not deaf, he, too, was interested in majoring in musical composition. He references many real life musicians and lists albums that inspired him, including Arcadian Rhythms by Brendon Moeller and Skeleton Keys by Steve Roach, in his end notes.