We’ve found it. The perfect YA coming-of-age story for THP readers. Taking place at a wayward radio station, Libba Bray’s Radio Free Texas is a must-read for all music lovers. Our main character Bowie is an outsider at his small Texas school in the 80s. When a crush on a girl and community service at the local radio station push him out of his comfort zone, he finds himself wishing for more. Throughout the book, Bowie pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable and tests his own limits. He figures out what he wants and who he wants it with, all while curating his own personal soundtrack.
If you love coming-of-age stories, small-town romances, found family, and music, keep reading. We’ll tell you exactly why we loved Radio Free Texas.
Book Overview: Radio Free Texas
Content warnings: swearing, sex, drug use, alcohol consumption, references to suicide and mental health issues
Summary: Bowie (pronounced “boo-eee”) is a little bit lost in his small Texas town. As he starts his senior year, the only thing he’s pretty sure of is that he has a crush on Comet Jensen, a girl who’s such a firecracker that she actually sets a firecracker off on the first day of school. Since Comet’s one wrong move away from getting expelled, Bowie steps in and takes the blame for the firecracker stunt. His punishment? Community service at a local radio station run by an anti-social, anti-establishment anti-hero named Marlon. Suddenly Bowie finds he not only has something to do, but he also has something to say. And, possibly, a future with Comet.
Found Family
We find Bowie at the beginning of the story with his small group of friends. Although they stick close together, Bowie watches as his friends begin to branch out. He wonders if he is being left behind, and fears that he is watching his youth slip by. And as he looks around his small Texas town, where no one ever seems to leave, he decides that he wants more.
First, he meets Marlon. Although concerned adults warn Bowie of KYEW-FM’s leader Marlon’s instability, he insists on completing his community service at the station. Marlon charms him with stories of his own youth and the rock stars he met. With Marlon as his mentor, Bowie begins to find his voice.
However, when Marlon’s instability becomes a threat to the station’s future, Bowie recruits an unlikely team of classmates to help save it. The result is a ragtag team of teenagers who come to understand themselves, and each other, through music.
Music
Not only is music a major part of the story, but you can follow along with the characters’ musical discoveries. At the beginning of each chapter is a song that may have a greater significance to the story. Songs like Television’s ‘Guiding Light’ or David Bowie’s ‘Life On Mars’ showcase the characters’ relationships with each other, as well as important discoveries about themselves. And the characters experience music only in a way that the truly passionate can. They turn off the lights, let the music wash over them, and let it consume them.
Bowie starts documenting his senior year via cassette tape. What starts as an awkward, unsure teenager with a hopeless crush morphs into a protagonist with a passion for rock and roll, the confidence to subvert the paradigm, and a group of friends who understand the power of music just like him. As he says, “When I don’t know what to say, there’s usually a song that does.” As he finds his voice, he confronts questions of masculinity, intimacy, and the inevitability of change.
Coming-Of-Age
Like most high schoolers, everything feels life-or-death for Bowie. He grapples with big decisions like college and relationships, and changes his mind constantly. The group of kids feel real in the messiness and impulsivity of their decisions. As they hurtle towards their future, the story is funny, touching, and hopeful.
Radio Free Texas by Libba Bray tells a unique story about the power of youth and sets it to a soundtrack of 80s rock hits and unheard gems.
Radio Free Texas by Libba Bray comes out October 6th, and you can order a copy here!
To talk more about Libba Bray, Radio Free Texas, or any of your favorite books, find us at @thehoneypop on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
