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Motorcycle Book Store > Motorcycle books beginning with N
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Never Mind The Track |
Author: Sy Nazif
Published: 2007-02-13 |
List price: $14.00
Our price: $14.00
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As of: January 09th, 2009 06:42:46 PM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 Nazif is the Kerouac of the 21st century!
Sy Nazif is an incredible writer, which he proves without a doubt in his debut book, "Never Mind the Track." I was hooked from the first page, and laughing out loud. During the eight chapters of the book, we really get to know Eddie as he grows into a man. I feel like I've been a voyeur riding on the back of his motorcycle as he cafe races with his brother Eric. I sit invisibly behind him and stifle a snicker as he lies his way into a job. Eddie's life is about living, and Nazif makes you "feel" Eddie.
He's the friend you envy for being able to do and say exactly what he wants when he wants. And what's more, he doesn't care what other people think. He tells his father what he's going to do, doesn't care that his father calls him a fool, and does it anyway. That's what I love and so many times wish I could be!
The book is brash, brazen, and ballsy, as Eddie says exactly what he thinks. On motorcycle helmet laws, he says, "Clearly, the only person who could get hurt by my not wearing a helmet is me. Now, people will make the argument about health insurance costs, nonsense like that. But for one thing, the law doesn't pay for or even require me to have health insurance. It forbids me from riding without a helmet, period... You can't legislate against stupidity, really. And should you, in a free country, be allowed to?"
Nazif is the Kerouac of the 21st century, and I cannot wait to read more from him!
Thoughtfully Drawn Tales of Life on the Edge
Never Mind the Track isn't so much a novel as a handful of linked short-stories in the vein of Hemingway's Nick Adams. And while the protagonist is not the kind of man you'd like to marry your daughter, he is a man with whom you for damn sure would enjoy sharing a drink. A modern-day adventure through the wilds of the Eastern seaboard, Never Mind the Track is smart, well-written and sexy. This is enthralling fiction. Recommended.
Nazif's Debut is Hilarious and Fun
Nazif's debut novel, Never Mind The Track, is written as eight self-contained stories, but the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Written in the first person, we first meet the novel's protagonist, Eddie, in sixth-grade English class. Eddie proceeds to share one of the "most embarrassing moments of [his] entire life." By the end of page three, the reader is hooked. Throughout, Eddie acts in ways that make the reader smile, laugh at loud, and at times want to scream at him through the pages. Nazif's writing is fun, daring, and wholly original. He tells a story with such ease that the reader truly feels like one of Eddie's pals by the end of the novel. The reader wants to shake this lost and misguided, yet somehow loveable character, show him where he is going wrong. But all the while, the reader knows that the kid would never listen. Never Mind The Track is, in a word, fun. It will remind you of people you grew up with, and make you wish that you had been a little more carefree and foolish in life, and thankful that you weren't.
Fantastic read!!
Reviewed by April Sullivan for Reader Views (6/06)
Sy Nazif, the author of "Never Mind the Track" is quick to point out that this book is not a memoir. But as all good writers know, the best material for a novel is real life. And Sy draws on his background as a mechanic, motorcycle thief, and assistant to a Hollywood literary agency to create this exciting book.
The main character, Eddie, is a tough kid from Pittsburgh, or at least he pretends to be. He is into muscle cars, heavy metal, and mostly motorcycles. If you don't know the difference between a Honda 350 and a DKW 250, get ready to be educated. Eddie and his brother Eric are into street bikes and café racing. Eddie's mantra during a daredevil street race is "I am afraid of nothing". This mantra carries him not only through the races, but through life as well. As he drops out of college, falls in love repeatedly, and lies his way into jobs Eddie may act tough, but we realize that he is really afraid of commitment, rejection, and stability.
The title of this book is inspired by a Hunter S. Thompson quote: "Never mind the track. The track is for punks. We are Road People. We are Café Racers." When I began reading this book, I didn't really understand what that meant. Now I get it, not only as a literal reference to motorcycle racing, but as an overall theme for the book. Eddie does not follow the standard life track of school, marriage, job. And when he tries, it doesn't work out. He resists the ordinary. He wants to be out on the open road, riding fast and dangerous.
This coming of age novel references the music and culture of the 80s and 90s. However, this book is for anyone who can recall the freedom and rebellion of youth. Nazif's brash writing kicks into gear on the first page and takes you on a wild helmet-free ride.
Sy Nazif's writing style is influenced by Hunter Thompson. Hunter Thompson is famous for his "gonzo journalism". This genre of writing blurs the line between fiction and non-fiction, author and subject. "Never Mind the Track" is written from Eddie's point of view. Sy not only gives Eddie first person narration, he gives him ownership of the book. Eddie is telling the story, jumping in with asides, and getting ahead of himself as he gets excited. This style is very effective for this book. The reader gets immediately drawn in. I didn't feel like I was reading a book. I felt like I was at a bar listening to an old friend catch me up on his life story.
"Never Mind the Track" is a fun read. It's a great way to take a break from reality and think about what would have happened if you had taken that dare, gotten off the path, or married that girl in Las Vegas (just for a few hundred pages). Then you can get back to that desk job and your secure life. But I bet you can't help but occasionally stop and wonder, what's that Eddie up to now?
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