(­ Click on Cover for Contents ­ )

Confessions of a Not-So-Good Catholic Girl is a collection of true tales about growing up a baby boomer in the Midwest. These coming-of-age stories, wide ranging in subject matter, are slices of life, experiences most of us share: internal conflicts, personal relationships, life-altering moments—whether you grew up Catholic or not. Weave in historic events and pop culture trends and you have a book of nostalgic adventures that will evoke your own life memories—with laughter, warmth, and fond reflection.  

 Some Excerpts . . .

From Boy Trouble: The romance began in the principal’s office (where a girl is sure to meet the bad boy of her dreams). He was bold and brash—a lightning-strike version of a sleek Italian rebel with a full head of dark wavy hair, bulging brown eyes, and an attitude that would make John Gotti swell with pride. My mother hated Anthony straight up. Reason number one to call him mine.

From Suffering For My Art: When someone says, “Don’t take it personally,” you are bound to take it personally. Because it is. When they make it clear they don’t want you anymore, you’re right back on the school playground, the last one picked for the game. You are the unwanted morsel of candy—bit into, spat out, and left abandoned among the empty crumpled wrappers in the 16-oz. box of chocolates. You are the wad of repugnant chewed-up Juicy Fruit stuck underneath the school desk, or church pew. You are the unsolicited piece of junk mail that is so unwelcome people angrily rip you up microscopic pieces before tossing you in the garbage - then complete the act by dumping stale coffee grounds on top of you like a ceremonial burial. 

No matter how much you ache to leave a job, or a marriage, you want to be the one who leaves. Not the one who is left. 

From Confessions of a Not-So-Good Catholic Girl: “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been, uh . . .  um . . . I think . . . no . . . I guess . . . well, maybe . . . uh, probably about . . . four months?  . . . since my last confession.”

I’ve always found this holy practice bizarre. There you are, kneeling in a pitch-black closet, confessing all your ungodly behavior to an authoritative voice that will judge you without even knowing that you’re really not all that bad a person. This, after actually having waited in line to totally rat yourself out. This, after having memorized your sins because you can’t bring the long list into the confessional since it’s too damned (oops, sorry God, I’ll add that to the list) dark in there. Still, you’re supposed to keep track of each and every trespass because the numbers are important to measure out the penance. You are then forced to underplay your crimes—slyly altering possible mortal sins to venial—because you don’t want this Man of God thinking poorly of you. You then ask for forgiveness and hope The Voice bestows a light sentence. (You’ve already increased those odds by going to Father A, the kind one, rather than Father B, who’d make his own mother say the entire rosary. Twice. And with feeling.)

What It All Means: I believe life is a test, the multiple choice kind. Like when Dorothy and the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz must decide which direction to take at the four-way crossroad. The fearful ones choose to turn around and go back. The doubtful ones choose not to choose and stay stuck in neutral. The brave ones make a decision and venture on. Perhaps we’re given these tests to see what we do with our dilemmas. How we handle our relationships with the people in our lives. We’re not supposed to have all the answers. It’s the process, the journey, as they say, that provides the best memories—and some of the best stories. . . .

And precisely what you’ll find in this new book by Deanna Adams.

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Book Description

From the Publisher
Deanna Adams spent hundreds of hours researching recollections of the musicians, deejays, journalists, and fans who made up the Cleveland rock scene from the 1950s to the 1990s. The Kent State University Press is pleased to be the publisher of this excellent book.

From the Inside Flap
It’s no wonder Cleveland is home to the internationally famous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—Cleveland disk jockey Alan Freed coined the phrase for this new musical phenomenon nearly 50 years ago; Casey Kasem fine-tuned his long-running broadcasting career in Cleveland; and Cleveland witnessed the rise of such widely recognized groups as the James Gang, the Outsiders, Damnation of Adam Blessing, and the Raspberries. Nearby Canton gave us the O’Jays, and Akron spawned Devo and Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders. And the rock concert was practically invented in Cleveland in 1952, when Alan Freed convened the first Moondog Coronation Ball. By the 1970s Cleveland had become a proving ground for superstars in the making. "Rock ’n’ Roll and the Cleveland Connection" is the first in-depth look at the people, venues, and artists that made Cleveland the "Rock ’n’ Roll Capital of the World."

About the Author
Deanna Adams is a life-long resident of Cleveland who grew up with rock music. She is a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in Northern Ohio Live, Ohio Magazine, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and other publications.

"Deanna Adams has written an exhaustive, impressive and highly entertaining piece of pop culture history that puts Cleveland right where it belongs: at the heart of rock 'n' roll."- Michael Heaton "Minister of Culture" Cleveland Plain Dealer 

"Deanna Adams has done her homework! She has written THE informative and entertaining journey through Cleveland's own Rock 'n' Roll history. A great read for any rock fan."- Michael Anthony Bass player for Van Halen