Naked ’76 by Kevin Brooks

Abstract

Reviewed by: Naked ’76 by Kevin Brooks Karen Coats Brooks, Kevin Naked ’76. Carolrhoda Lab, 2016 416p ISBN 978-1-5124-0418-0 $18.99 R Gr. 9-12 Lili is a confused girl from North London in the summer of 1975. Enter Curtis Ray, a mesmerizing boy whom all the girls in her school dream about. When he happens upon Lili practicing for her grade eight piano exam and asks her to join his band, Naked, as bass player, she accepts, even though the music they play—fast, loud, and dirty—is new to her. Over the course of the next year, Lili is immersed in the emergent punk scene as Curtis orchestrates their rise alongside such bands as [End Page 10] the Sex Pistols, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and The Clash. Curtis also becomes her boyfriend, and while his increasing drug use worries her, she can’t help but admire the way he holds an audience. She’s also intrigued by new bandmember William, whose even temper, strange disappearances, and genuine feel for music puzzle and fascinate her. Though Lili’s retrospective description, of the early dynamics of punk rock is somewhat distanced, it’s an interesting picture of the scene’s rebellious aesthetic. It is William’s involvement with the IRA that moves the locus of interest from a period description of a music scene to a suspenseful plot of terrorist activity that bleeds its way from Belfast to London. This will therefore hold appeal not just for fans of alternative music but also those interested in social history that is sadly resonant with contemporary tensions. Copyright © 2016 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois