"Joe Meno writes with the energy, honesty, and emotional impact of the best punk rock. From the opening sentence to the very last word, Hairstyles of the Damned held me in his grip." --Jim DeRogatis, pop music critic, Chicago Sun-Times
"Hairstyles of the Damned captures both the sweetness and sting of adolescence with unflinching honesty. B+" --Entertainment Weekly
"In his new novel, Hairstyles of the Damned, the third from the North Side playwright and fiction writer Ð [Meno] writes in the most authentic young voice since J.D. Salinger's Holden Caulfield. --Daily Southtown
"Judging by his latest novel, Meno, 30, is a romantic at heart. Not the greeting card kind, or the Harlequin paperback version, but the type who thinks, deep down, that things matter, that art can change lives......The story deals with racism and class divisions and punks and jocks and metal heads and divorce and dopers and violence and how to dye your hair paink and lousy teachers and friendship and sex and learning to be yourself and love." --Courier News
"Meno's third novel is a funny, hard-rocking first-person tale of teenage angst and discovery. Meno revels in the massive confusion and helpless bravado of adolescence as he portrays misfit teens dismayed by adult misery, weirded out by their suddenly alien bodies, and angry over racism and class prejudice." --Booklist
"Meno's language, as the story unfolds, is rhythmic and honest, expressing things proper English never could. And you've got to hand it to the author who pulled off a very good trick: The book is punk rock.....it embodies the idea of punk -- it's pissed off at authority, it won't groom itself properly, and it irritates. Yet its rebellious spirit is inspiring and right on the mark." --San Francisco Weekly
"This book is hella good. Joe Meno is the new insightful voice for the punk community. He manages to sink into the teenage-outcast experience, challenge segregation, and provide step-by-step instructions on dyeing hair pink in this realistic account of finding your identity. After reading Hairstyles of the Damned, IÕm glad IÕm not in high schoolÊanymore." --Amy Schroeder, Venus magazine
"Hairstyles of the Damned is observational comedy of the best kind, each glittering small detail offering up a wave of memories for anyone alive in the latter part of the previous century. Did you imagine you had forgotten the smell of arcades, the allure of muscle cars, the dress codes and emotional rebellions, the cringing horror of adolescence? Beware: Joe Meno can make you remember." --Bee Lavender, HipMama magazine
"Joe Meno knows Chicago's south side the way Jane Goodall knew chimps and apesÑwhich is to say, he really knows it. He also knows about the early Õ90s, punk rock, and awkward adolescence. Best of all, he knows the value of entertainment. Hairstyles of the Damned is proof positive." --John McNally, author of The Book of Ralph