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    Beautiful Music
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    Beautiful Music
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    Beautiful Music
    Ebook332 pages5 hours

    Beautiful Music

    By Michael Zadoorian

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    "Danny Yzemski tunes out a dysfunctional family with Frank Zappa and Iggy Pop, shaking his countercultural fist at The Man in this eight-track flashback of a novel set in 1970s Detroit."
    --O, the Oprah Magazine, included in Summer Reading Picks/One of 'O's Top Books of Summer

    "Beautiful Music is a sweet and endearing coming-of-age tale measured in album tracks."
    --Wall Street Journal

    "For Danny, cracking the seal on a fresh piece of wax and dissecting cover art and liner notes are acts of nigh religious experience that unveil to him a community of fellow rockers across Detroit...It's in these small moments--a lonely boy experiencing premature nostalgia--that Zadoorian shines."
    --Washington Post

    Beautiful Music has been named a 2019 Michigan Notable Book

    Adult Fiction Winner for the 2018 Great Lakes Great Reads program

    One of McLean & Eakin's Favorite Michigan Books of 2018

    One of the Voice news Michigan Bestsellers for 2018 in Fiction

    "Garnering a litany of regional awards from the likes of Voice, McLean & Eakin, and the 2018 Great Lakes Great Reads program, Michael Zadoorian's senior novel Beautiful Music tells of one young Detroiter's transformation through music during a time of political turmoil. Laden with details of the city, the novel is uniquely Detroit. (Some of the bands the protagonist, Danny, listens to are local legends MC5 and Iggy Pop.)"
    --Detroit Metro Times, included in the Michigan summer 2019 reading list

    "His third novel--Beautiful Music, about a radio-loving teen's transformation through music during the early '70s in Detroit...[is] rich with Detroit details (Korvette's, Bill Bonds, Iggy Pop), [and] follows Danny through racial tensions at high school, his changing body and his imploding family life."
    --Detroit Free Press

    "[Zadoorian's] new novel speaks of death, race, music and youth in a voice that has been compared to Nick Hornby and Tobias Wolff. It is set in 1970's Detroit at the cusp of punk, and centers around high school loner and music fanatic Danny Yzemski. One to look forward to for fans of rock music and sad, funny writing."
    --Cleveland Plain Dealer

    "Zadoorian takes us back to Detroit in the 1970s, which was still throbbing from the 1967 rebellion, and was in the throes of the energy crisis and the sexual revolution. Protagonist Danny Yzemski finds that growing up in such times can be...complicated. But with a little help from Iggy Pop, the MC5, and Led Zeppelin, he finds just the boost he needs to survive--and even grow a bit."
    --Detroit Metro Times, included in Summer Reading roundup

    Set in early 1970s Detroit, a divided city still reeling from its violent race riot of 1967, Beautiful Music is the story of one young man's transformation through music. Danny Yzemski is a husky, pop radio–loving loner balancing a dysfunctional homelife with the sudden harsh realities of freshman year at a high school marked by racial turbulence.

    But after tragedy strikes the family, Danny's mother becomes increasingly erratic and angry about the seismic cultural shifts unfolding in her city and the world. As she tries to hold it together with the help of Librium, highballs, and breakfast cereal, Danny finds his own reason to carry on: rock and roll. In particular, the drum and guitar–heavy songs of local legends like the MC5 and Iggy Pop. In the vein of Nick Hornby and Tobias Wolff, yet with a style very much Zadoorian's own, Beautiful Music is a touching story about the power of music and its ability to save one's soul.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAkashic Books
    Release dateMay 1, 2018
    ISBN9781617756443
    Author

    Michael Zadoorian

    Michael Zadoorian is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Second Hand.

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    Reviews for Beautiful Music

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    • 4/5
      Beautiful Music was a wonderful look into growing up in 1970s Detroit. I especially loved the references to the music of the time. Danny is required to grow up fast and the author handles this coming of age skillfully. I thought the book was accurate and true to the time period. I loved this one much more than Leisure Seeker which I have also read. 4 stars.
    • 3/5
      If I could, I go with 3.5 Stars for this novel. I quite enjoyed the beginning of this book, but I found the middle to drag on a bit too much for my liking. There are many things that I liked about the writing, the music, and journey of Danny, so I would recommend the book, but it's not one I'd pick up again. I won this through a librarything giveaway, and these are my honest thoughts regarding this novel.
    • 5/5
      In 1969, Danny Yzemski spends most of his free time in the former coal storage bin in the basement, building model cars. He is already into music, as is his father, although their tastes run very differently. Danny likes rock, while his father likes “beautiful music”- modern songs covered by an orchestra. To better hear his Muzak, he buys a stereo unit for the basement den. Through the years, he teaches Danny to drive in his huge car, and they haunt the record stores together. Then his father suddenly dies, and life changes for him. His mother is alcoholic and mentally ill, and her sudden widowhood seems to precipitate a psychotic break. She drinks, smokes, and watches TV. That’s it. Everything else is Danny’s problem. He gets a job, drives without a license, learns about hard rock and deep cuts, and actually gets a friend. It’s a coming of age tale, from ages 10 to 16, told in first person, sometimes in letters to his dead father. Music is what gets him through a really tough adolescence. It brings him out of his loner shell, and gives him something to sooth his emotions. It says things he thinks, but better. Surprisingly, there is no girlfriend; most coming of age books have a girl/boy who really, really understands the subject like no one else. Danny stands on his own, with some help from his friend. It’s very well written; it brought back a lot of memories of my teen years and the music from it and how it felt to have a song say exactly how you feel. Five stars, for making a Dickensian adolescence seem perfectly believable.
    • 5/5
      Beautiful Music by Michael Zadoorian is a coming of age story that highlights a very specific period in American history. This novel will appeal to many readers of all ages but will have a special place for those of us who were around Danny's age at that time. I was the class of '76 so I relate to a lot of what he is experiencing and how he experiences it.This is the time period when FM radio started growing, through album rock stations in particular for the purpose of this book. AM becomes synonymous with lower quality sound and, in the opinions of those listening to album rock, lower quality music as well. Danny grows from AM, listening to pop and the easy listening sounds of the day (think instrumental versions of songs that either are or were recently charting), into FM, here shown as a deeper desire to understand the music and the artists as well as not just being happy with hearing the songs designated as singles. I was one of those who adopted FM early but I also resisted leaving pop behind completely because that was where you could hear a wider assortment. While Danny leaves a lot of the pop behind, the novel does not downplay the importance of pop and even Danny realizes that he still likes and appreciates much of that music, even if his passion becomes the music from the album stations.This is also the period when integration was occurring all over the country. I experienced these years in a variety of places, from DC to LA to north Louisiana. That was major culture shock going from LA to Louisiana in 1975. I was used to living and going to school with people of all races, ethnicities, and religions so going to a rural school in their first year of integration (what they called consolidation) was really strange. That particular year resembled what Danny experienced in his school, except on a much smaller scale. So Danny is also experiencing all of this.The Vietnam War was still going on, though winding down, which did indeed make many high school boys feel like they might have no choice what to do with their lives, unless you had money. All of these societal shifts play into Danny's coming of age. Add in a dysfunctional family (mildly at first, progressively deteriorating after a tragic event) and the fact Danny was one of the people who seemed to attract bullies at school and you begin to see what kind of minefield his life was.Music was initially one of the areas that comforted him and as time went on music was omnipresent in his life, songs playing in his head as he lived his daily life, the radio or records playing whenever possible. Much like Michael Herr's Dispatches exists between breathing in and breathing out, Beautiful Music exists between fade in and fade out. Those moments just before and just after a track on an album plays.I don't think you need to be of that moment in history to enjoy this novel, most of the events are universal to the extent that they are similar to what many people experience during high school. If you happen to remember that time well then I think you will enjoy this as both a coming of age novel and a nostalgic trip back to the days of album rock and AM pop stations. When you might hear Slow Ride followed by Hollywood Swinging on the radio and not think anything about it. The songs mentioned and hinted at are wonderful, even some deep cuts (though listeners of album stations weren't always aware of what was a deep cut since we often had no idea what was released as a single).Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
    • 5/5
      I love this book so much! This is the second Michael Zadoorian book for me, I have also read the Leisure Seeker. I have connected with both books so much. I want to read everything else the he has written.This is the story of Danny Yizerski,living In Detroit in 1970. He has finished elementary school and he has to start high school because of the lack of middle school in the area. I identified with his wanting to be invisible trying zig-zag through the hallways. Like him, I was overweight and bullied. The author enlightened me as to why the snowballs lobbed at me hurt so much. How diabolical to leave them out overnight to freeze! Danny and I were both bad swimmers, unlike him, I was not forced to take swimming during freshman year. Danny seemed to have a comfortable home life with his parents until something tragic happened to his father. He had to deal with a depressed alcoholic mother who was also a chain smoker. He put model kits together like my brother did when I was growing up and my son when he was the same age.Danny found his connection with music and later after his father died, it became a major part of his life. It gave him respite from his home life and later provided a way to have friends. I take my hat off to you, Michael Zadoorian, your book spoke to me and helped me feel better about those uncomfortable years of being Danny's age.
    • 5/5
      Beautiful Music is simply beautiful and Danny Yzemski is a character I will never forget. Danny "had me" when just a few pages in, he was in the Hindenburg and his dad was pushing buttons on the radio and Danny's thoughts were "The worst thing that can happen is that he just turns the radio off." The 70s were a unique time and Michael Zadoorian has provided a wonderful reminder for those who lived through it and a view into those times for those who came later. It's a unique and bittersweet book. Lovers of music, particularly 70's rock, will be or should be in heaven. Finally, the book's end gave me chills. Zadoorian knows how to finish a book about music and a youth whose life is governed and saved by it.
    • 4/5
      Early 1970's Detroit. A city experiencing a racial change in its landscape, and this is where Danny is growing up, amongst the music and a less than ideal home life. Close to his father, a father who loves music, Danny is excited when his dad brings home the family's first record player. Trips to buy albums with his dad, he experiences his first look at sound. Things will change quickly in his life, and so will his taste, though not his love for sound. Danny is our narrator, and in many ways he seems younger than his years. He is a different, quiet sort of boy, contemplative, and doesn't easily fit in. Some of his observations are sad, but some are downright hilarious. He is an endearing young man, and I wanted good things to happen for him. He has his music though, and this is his salvation. Leads him to his first friend, the first noable thing he does in school. The seventies were a great time in music, and it was easy for me to identify with boy to whom music was his safety zone and a way to escape.I too felt my teenage years were lived around various soundtracks. Can remember exactly where I was when I hear different songs from back in the day.Theie is both an ease and a energy to the way this author writes. He shows a great deal of empathy,not only with his characters but in the situations in which they find themselves. A racially changing city and it's challenges eventually directly affects Danny and his school. It was a wonderful, insightful story with some great music woven without.ARC from Akashic books.
    • 5/5
      Every once in awhile, a book comes along that makes you happy as you read it. This new novel by Michael Zadoorian was that book for me. It's a fantastical written coming of age story by the author of The Leisure Seeker but its also a book full of musical references and took my memory back to happy times in my youth when I listened to the same music. An added plus for me is that the book takes place in Detroit, where I grew up and there were numerous references to people and places that I have forgotten over the years. Even if you aren't from Detroit, this is still a fantastic book that needs to be added 'to your to be read' list.Beautiful Music is set in Detroit in the early 70s, several years after the Detroit riots as the city is trying to deal with racial unrest. Danny is just getting ready to start high school He is a loner, often picked on and hides in music to handle high school and his very dysfunctional family. After Danny's dad dies unexpectedly, his mom becomes hooked on alcohol and Valium and his family life is only held together because he takes care of his mom. When he is young, he starts out listening to pop music with lots of orchestra music with his dad. As he gets older, he discovers to rock and roll and the music is what he lives for. When he is buried in his music, he can forget the world around him. It also helps him make friends and grow into a normal high school student.This was a great look back at the day when radio and record albums were the only way to listen to music. DJs on the radio were superstars and everyone listened to what they had to say - they could make or break the popularity of an record album. This is a wonderful nostalgic coming of age story - with the help of lots of music and for readers of a certain age, it will bring back plenty of memories. I highly recommend this book to any age!Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed the hell outa this book! It's the second Zadoorian book I've read, but BEAUTIFUL MUSIC is worlds - generations - apart from the THE LEISURE SEEKER, which was about much older people, coping with aging and failing health. This time Zadoorian gives us a coming of age story set in 1970s Detroit. I knew right away that music would be important in young Danny Yzemski's story, but I expected more Motown. Not much of that here, but plenty of the stranger stuff that was found mostly on the newly emerging FM stations of the era, which Danny only gradually discovers, as he makes the switch from AM Top 40 pop stations like Windsor's CKLW.Despite some very tragic family circumstances, Danny, an only child, comes across as a very sweet kid, which doesn't make life any easier for him as he navigates the perilous halls of Redford High School. A clinically depressed, alcoholic mother makes things even harder. But a couple sympathetic teachers, music and one good friend help make things better. I'll be honest. I was a Top 40 fan at that stage of my life, but I'm about 15 years older than the author, so FM radio wasn't there when I was a kid, or teenager. But I could still empathize with the angst and torture of the teenage years, because Zadoorian gets all that right. And I recognized all the brand names and now-defunct department stores and other trivial details that made Danny's story and downtown Detroit so real. And I know how very important having even just one good friend is when you're that age. And yes, I did recognize most, if not all, of those songs and musical artists mentioned, though I was in my twenties already when they emerged. And I married a downriver girl, so I was a CKLW fan too, though I hail from northwest Michigan, and grew up on the late night sounds of WLS and WCFL out of Chicago, and Ernie's Record Mart out of Nashville.Bottom line? This is simply a damn good book. Michael Zadoorian has created some sympathetic and believable characters in Danny, his mother, and his best friend, John, as well as several very unlikable sorts in the people who torment Danny. Very readable, very enjoyable stuff. I read it in just a few sittings. Mr Z can tell a story, and one that will appeal not just to folks who came of age in the 70s either. It's a story for all ages, for high schoolers on up to geezers like me. Well done, Michael. I will recommend BEAUTIFUL MUSIC to anyone who enjoys a well told tale. - Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, REED CITY BOY
    • 4/5
      I received an advance copy of this book through the Early Reviewers program. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it quickly over the course of three nights. Mr. Zadoorian did an excellent job of overlaying the racial tensions prevalent in Detroit in the early 70's with the music scene of that same period. His portrayal of two loner/"loser" high school audiophiles was dead on. Though I was in high school about ten years after the action of this book, the conversations, inner dialogues, motivations, etc. seemed very familiar. I particularly enjoyed Mr. Z's commentary of the popular (critical and otherwise) albums of the day. I found myself calling out to Alexa to play albums mentioned in the book and dusted off my old LPs to listen to on the turntable. There is still nothing as satisfying as old vinyl, despite the convenience of digital music. Overall a great, quick, enjoyable read. A little trip down memory lane is good for us all.
    • 4/5
      This was quite a nice read even though I don't usually gravitate to reading books for or about teens. It was both funny and sad. I would no sooner laugh out loud at a funny line from this story than suddenly be hit by something quite devastating. Our protagonist Danny had a very close relationship with his dad, who at one point decided Danny should learn to drive although Danny had no intention of doing so at first. That sounded much like my older son and even my daughter years ago. Danny had a tentative relationship with his mom who was quite a heavy drinker. It made me sad to think that this young man, who struggled with so many things while growing up, had to be his mom's main support system for much of this book. Music was the thing, though. It was what helped Danny cope. The music was of a specific time and a place -- that of 1970s Detroit. Some of the artists were familiar to me from that era, but many were not because Danny's love was heavy metal while I myself preferred light rock and folk music. "It's not just about the words. It's about how music takes us out of ourselves, how it relieves our pains, lets loose something in our hearts, makes us feel better in ways we never knew we could."Segregation was the thing, too. I'd like to think that is behind us, but in my heart I know it's not. It made me think of years ago and now our present days. "Everyone was so afraid black people were going to move into our neighborhood. That was the worst thing that could happen. Now black people are moving into our neighborhood, and it doesn't seem to be making a difference. Except for all the white people moving away.I liked the book's ending which was a letter from Danny to his dad. It made me feel sad, but hopeful. Danny seemed like a real person by the end of the book, by which time I was wishing him well.
    • 4/5
      An incredibly readable, quick but still satisfying coming of age novel. Once you pick this one up you will not put it down until you have read it all in one sitting. Danny and his family are accessible characters. Their story may be set in a specific time and place (1970's Detroit) but the themes explored are universal. Danny resembles Holden Caulfield ever so slightly but Danny will manage to reinvent himself while facing anxiety. Danny is a heck of a lot funnier too when given the opportunity!There is a lot to love about this story and I only have one problem: it ended. I could have followed Danny all the way through high school into college (or broadcasting school!) and beyond.
    • 5/5
      Danny minds his own business, hanging out in his parents' basement building model cars and listening to his dad's "easy listening" records. As he enters high school at Redford High School (near Detroit) everything changes. Danny must man up in ways never anticipated. His life is sometimes difficult and racial tensions are high (Danny is white; most of his classmates are black) but Danny discovers real joy and escape in music. This novel reads like a memoir with a first-person narrative and wonderful details of life in Detroit in the 1970s. Bravo!