from Sara Mendes da Costa (Writer and voice over artist)
An exquisitely personal journey from neglected teen to esteemed drummer.
I simply loved this book and was captivated in a way I don’t remember experiencing before.
The book jacket will tell you the premise, but this book is so much more than that. It is an in-depth journey into the trials, tribulations and personal highs and lows of teenagers immersed in the seventies’ New York punk scene; somehow finding themselves living and breathing, playing and singing with their heroes and heroines, even becoming friends, confidants…lovers.
The reader is taken on an exciting yet very real journey, littered with ups and downs. Wide-eyed teens wrapped up in heady nights of drink, drugs, clubs, relationships, incredulity and pain on their way to the place so many of us want to be at that age – up on stage, in the spotlight, all eyes on us. Mixing with the stars, determined to become one of them…but what of the consequences?
Laura Davis-Chanin tells her bittersweet story, balancing her studies with her growing success as a drummer in the Student Teachers whilst traversing life’s turbulence as an regular teenager.
There was something so sweetly personal about this story, almost as if it were happening to me. I walked the walk with Laura, seeing through her eyes, feeling how I imagined she felt and experiencing her journey like it was firsthand. There was more than one occasion when I wanted to reach out an hug the teenage Laura, assuring her it would be OK…though I fear these would have been empty promises.
Laura’s journey to success was made extra special for me due to the fact that she hung out with some of the extremely well-known artists I coveted as a pre-teen. Music was my life back then, and to feel as though I were in the same room as some of my favourite bands, my idols, experiencing them real and raw, felt so close, like I could reach out and touch them. I had more than one sharp intake of breath.
The Girl in the Back stayed with me. It permeated my thoughts, particularly when I closed the book at night and spent a good while staring into the darkness mulling over the journey we’d shared and the emotions I felt. I’ve tried to find the words to explain why it affected me so much. Was it because of the closeness to some of my idols? The fact that Laura was a female drummer, a position in the band I consider quite the coolest there is; was it because she seemed to be so unsure and on the edge – somewhere I’ve found myself on countless occasions; was it because of the touching points between our lives, the peculiarly parallel paths…or perhaps it was due to the beautifully written words that captivated me throughout? I believe it was all these things and more. I feel each reader will have their own personal epiphanies.
The book seems so aptly named for this girl in the back, this girl on the edge, both of the band…and it seemed, life. I had a great sense that despite the obvious success and the enviable circles Laura mixed in, despite all that was going on around her; the teenage dream and coveted way of life, she was never quite sure of herself. Never wholly believing in her talent and never quite belonging, on the edge of her own story – a spectator looking in.
As a newbie biography reader, I imagine I’ve been spoiled now by this wonderful story and by Laura’s well-crafted writing talent. She has the great gift of being able to set the scene and perfectly depict the mood and emotions with one single sentence. I felt I was shadowing her throughout, acutely feeling my way along with her.
Impeccably sweet, uniquely brilliant and out of all the books I’ve read, likely in my life, this has touched me in a way no other book has.
Thankyou Laura. You have a genuine gift and you’ve lived quite a life!
