Review by Booklist Review
Graffin is a rare breed, indeed. He is a longtime punk rocker with the group Bad Religion who happens to have a PhD in zoology and is currently teaching evolution at UCLA. With the assistance of cowriter Olson, Graffin attempts to draw parallels between punk rock and various other subjects, including naturalism, evolution, and faith. Throughout, the author recounts events and perspectives from his life in punk, but he fails at times to keep his reminiscing in check. The book often reads like an autobiography, interlaced with scientific and philosophical observations. He does offer several thought-provoking chapters on atheism (a label Graffin eschews), natural selection, and the afterlife. Still, some of Graffin's analogies may leave readers puzzled. In the chapter describing his particular brand of faith, Graffin compares the unspoken rules of mosh-pit conduct with evolutionary biology. With that in mind, the question is not whether punkers with an affinity for science will appreciate this book but whether anyone else will. Definitely a book that is as unique as its author.--Osburn, Wade Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
With the assistance of science journalist Olson (Mapping Human History: Discovering the Past Through Our Genes, 2002, etc.), Bad Religion leader Graffin presents a memoir of a life lived "at the intersection of evolutionary biology and punk rock."In 1980, at age 15, Graffin co-founded the seminal punk band and also became fascinated with the writings and ideas of evolution. Bad Religion still plays and records, and the author is an evolutionary biologist with a doctorate in zoology from Cornell University. For Graffin, the appeal of both worlds was that, at their best, they challenged authority, dogma and given truths and opened up space for the anarchic process of creativity. As a naturalist, the author states that "the physical universeisthe universe"there is nothing more. But that is more than enough for him, as having a role in the unfolding adventure of life on earthwhich includes both tragedy and deathsustains him. Life, he writes, is not simply an inexorable process of natural selection, in which the fittest survive and procreate, but an anarchic creative collision of biology and environment, chance and circumstance. Graffin and Olson explain this view of evolution in clear, accessible language. While avoiding easy analogies with evolution, a large part of the book is devoted to the evolution ofBad Religion, as its art and career careened in unpredictable directions. Along the way, Graffin provides a wonderful depiction of the early L.A. punk scene, a detailed account of his adventures doing field work in the remote Amazon region of Bolivia and an honest appraisal of his failure to successfully balance science, music and family. In the end, writes the author, it is the human trait of empathynot religion or any other authoritythat allows us to recognize our common humanity and to accept the uniqueness of each individual.Humble, challenging and inspiring.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
