The Flow Chronicles

Initially, The Flow Chronicles didn't seem like it could inspire me to do anything, but now I feel like wearing baggy pants and freestyling just for the hell of it. The author is really multi-dimensional, making me feel at ease and uncomfortable at the same time. It's about growing up and standing up, with Hermitt's first move to Seattle at only eighteen. "Interview with an actual, authentic lesbian" showed a different side of this brash, unapologetic woman. She made tactless a desirable trait, and self-discovery less painful. The grammatical errors seemed intentional, the fake letters had me giggling and Hermitt's realistic representation of adventures at a liberal arts school were endearing.

With more underground perspectives and queer culture than you can shake a stick at, Hermitt never misses a beat with this coming-of-age punk ethics crash course. She's yet more proof that stoner/hippies are probably the greatest people you'll ever meet. Not that I met her, but she's able to have a presence on paper that most authors would give their right hand for. You have to admire a girl who says that Apricot beer tastes like pussy, even though she's never tasted it. This book has more energy and generates more laughs than most of your friends in real life.

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