this book perfectly captures the plight of the middle age disillusioned husband and father. with humor. women should probably avoid this. ( )

Book Review
Fight Song by Joshua Mohr
Soft Skull Press, 2013

Satire is one of those things that is insanely difficult to do. Not only does the author have to make the reader laugh, they also have to leave readers with something more than just the fast chuckle or lingering giggle. A strong satire will take down our cultural mores, poke holes in what we believe to be right, and provide a sense of satisfaction at the end of the work.

Fight Song does all this in a nearly flawless manner. The main character's plight could degenerate into something macabre or even just depressing. But in Mohr's hands, the story ramps ever upward into stronger absurdity and greater fun.

Not to be missed!

For a different type of work that will make you laugh out loud while tackling today's cultural mores and the fallout of them, try [b:Writing While Female or Black or Gay: Diverse Voices in Publishing|31457785|Writing While Female or Black or Gay Diverse Voices in Publishing|Laine Cunningham|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1472356053s/31457785.jpg|47033395].

5 stars! ( )

This is one unique book, I'll say that..... Part 'The Office', part 'Office Space', part 'Wide World of Sports'- I could go on. Any novel that has characters like the magician-marriage counselor with a drinking problem and a vindictive streak, a takeout-window employee at a Mexican restaurant who delivers phone sex (excuse me, intercom sex) along with the tacos, a swimmer who is after the world mark for dog-paddling, and a schlub who is at the center of it all, is good with me!

First of all, I love Mr. Mohr's writing. His dialogue is real and funny where it needs to be, and the plot in this case is pretty hilarious, when you get right down to it. This is first rate, well-written fun with a message or two embedded within ! ( )

Rating: 3.75* of five

The Book Description: When his bicycle is intentionally run off the road by a neighbor's SUV, something snaps in Bob Coffen. Modern suburban life has been getting him down and this is the last straw. To avoid following in his own father’s missteps, Bob is suddenly desperate to reconnect with his wife and his distant, distracted children. And he's looking for any guidance he can get.

Bob Coffen soon learns that the wisest words come from the most unexpected places, from characters that are always more than what they appear to be: a magician/marriage counselor, a fast-food drive-thru attendant/phone-sex operator, and a janitor/guitarist of a French KISS cover band. Can these disparate voices inspire Bob to fight for his family? To fight for his place in the world?

A call-to-arms for those who have ever felt beaten down by life, Fight Song is a quest for happiness in a world in which we are increasingly losing control. It is the exciting new novel by one of the most surprising and original writers of his generation.

My Review: Have you ever wondered what would've happened if Updike and Cheever had mated while watching a Rock-and-Doris comedy on an acid trip, produced a son, and infused him with García Márquez's sense of the absurd? No? Don't bother, his name's Joshua Mohr and he'll table-dance for you at the bargain price of $16 (less if you don't mind doing business with soulless dream-killing conglomerates).

I hated Rabbit Angstrom because I felt too close to being him. I envied Falconer because I wanted to be more like him. Bob Coffen, in this book? I'd've pantsed him at every opportunity. Treated him as his noxiously virile, annoyingly macho neighbor Schumann treats him. Can't help it, doughy indeterminate blobs make me itchy under the balls and I need to victimize them. I'm a guy, sue me.

So why would I read a book told from his PoV, and give it more than a single grudging star? Well, back up there at the top of my review, I mentioned García Márquez. There's magic in here that I can't resist, there's an absurd brio to Bob's cluelessness and amorphousness, that calls to a corner of my sense of humor. It's the same corner where my ill-tempered glee at the plights of the characters in The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie lives. In fact, this is much like a Buñuel script made for HBO. Softer edges, more marshmallowy feel-goodness, but just as many quirked eyebrows and cut eyes. Bjorn the illusionist/marriage counselor is proof enough of that, but add in Bjorn's penchant for, well, punitive mesmerism (poor Schumann!) and his multiply unfaithful pansexual wife....

Okay, all that sounds like a rave. Why not four stars? Because I detest Bob's bologna-on-Wonder-bread acceptance of his grim ball-busting wife's Rightness and her power to determine what it is he should be. I am no supporter of heterosexual marriage, not a shock to regular readers. It's a giant mistake to pin your hopes for happiness on a being of a different species from your own. But to supinely accept her authority, as he does from beginning to end, goes against every single fiber in my being, whether in fiction or in fact. There goes a half-star. Another half-star for the workplace scenes, which I found tedious in the extreme and so far as I could tell made no difference to the plot. The last quarter comes off because the ending, while amusing, while magical, did nothing to resolve the basic conflict of Bob versus "Robert," the created, foisted-on-him identities from work or wife.

Those are my issues, then, one strictly personal and two rooted in the author's choices within the text. But on balance, unless there is some gigantic rock of resistance in you to the underdog-finds-happiness story, this telling of it will repay your eyeblinks. ( )

I’m part of TNBBC’s Fight Song Blog Tour, and the other day, I was lucky enough to have Joshua Mohr on my blog talking about his quest for happiness and how it’s related to his amazing novel, Fight Song.

Fight Song chronicles a period in Bob Coffen’s when he is run down, with a job he despises, kids who would rather use technology than speak to him, and a wife, Jane, who is distancing herself. Bob finds some unexpected advice in strange places, such as with his overly aggressive and living-in-his-football-past neighbor, a janitor from work who is the lead singer in a unique Kiss band, and a fast food employee who makes extra cash as phone sex operator through the drive thru intercom.

Bob Coffen essentially goes on a quest to achieve happiness in his life. Some of the things I will take from Fight Song and Bob’s journey are:

Find a reason to try and keep trying – Bob needed to find a reason for his wife to continue to want to be in the marriage with him. I learned from this (and other scenarios in the novel) that no matter what it is that you want, keep trying! Whether this means with relationships, your career, teaching your dog that new trick, whatever it is, find that reason to try and keep trying!
Take the power back – Don’t let others control your life. Hate your job? DO something about it! Marriage not doing well? DO something! Don’t just wait until your life, job, marriage falls apart. Take action into your own hands and live your life. You’ll have to read to find out if Bob does something about his job, the one that he severely dislikes.
Give the small stuff a break – You know when someone says that annoying comment? Ignore it, or change it to a positive. In one scene, the Kiss singer Ace is talking to the son of the woman he loves, and oh does that kid give him attitude! But Ace twists it around to be a positive, and I probably should do more of that!
Enjoy the moment – Bob is so worried about enjoying the moment that he doesn’t, like when he takes his kids to the aquarium and he is so annoyed that his daughter is recording it on her iPad. Eventually, he relaxes. And that’s what it’s about. Let people enjoy the moment and you can enjoy your moment as well.
My quest for happiness?

Well, I taught elementary school for five years and while I love teaching, there were aspects of being a teacher that I wasn’t a huge fan of.

My husband and I were also lucky enough to receive an opportunity to travel with his company around the same time I was wondering what to do next.

Book blogging had always been a thought way in the back of my mind, but my mom and a few friends kept telling me to cut it out and DO it already!

So I did.

I started my book blog in July and feel like I’m doing a pretty good job. But the most important thing is that I love it! I love reading and talking about books, and this is a fantastic way to do something I love.

Am I at a perfect place of happiness in all aspects of my life? No, but life is a quest for happiness, and if I can take some of those things that Bob learned and incorporate them into my life, then I think I’m on a positive path to happiness.

Don’t forget to check out the other stops on the blog tour!

What’s your quest for happiness look like?

Thanks for reading,

Rebecca @ Love at First Book ( )