Dirty Loud Crowded Book Review

Dirty Loud Crowded

The first note that needs to be made about Erika Ehren's book, Dirty Loud Crowded, is that the emotion found within the title alone resonates throughout the entire work- which is a feat on it's own. The second note that needs to be voiced- and perhaps the more important of the two- is that this is probably one of my top favorite reads currently. I'm talking, this is a good read-it-over-the-span-of-a-day-or-two kind of book. Again, another amazing thing, because I am unequivocally notorious for not being able to focus on anything for long, except maybe a good film. No…actually not even that. But this book..it had what it took to make me not only pay attention, but crave to know more. It made me smile, it made me nod in agreement, it made me conjure up images of the hilarious characters within its ‘brights lights, bigger city' NYC setting. Product was received for review purposes.

I don't want to give away too much of the story line- I suppose I'm not feeling spoiler-y today- but the gist of what you will find within the pages of this fun, past-paced book is the story of a year in the life of a 16-year-old boy who is uprooted from his Pennsylvania home on a family-oriented quest to the Big Apple. The author uses real New York City monuments, buildings, and landmarks to chronicle the main character's story, in a fashion that allows for a more personal encounter with the story. You really feel as if you are there and present, walking along with him.

What I personally found the most interesting about this book, and honestly the most brilliant, was the format it was written in. There is something about the whole diary/blog feel found here that makes you want more. It feels as if you are reading someone's most intimate thoughts, experiences, and emotions…which you basically are!  It becomes obvious that you begin to create empathetic feelings towards the main character, as the story unfurls as one depicting the encounters of “the new kid” in a new territory- and quite an intimidating one at that!

This story is not only hilarious, filled with mind-boggling/jaw-dropping encounters and odd characters, but allows you to grow with “Tenement Don” in a way that goes further than the date and time stamps on each page- it's much more emotional.

This is now a staple in my eReader that I sometimes flip through just for fun. Go get this book. You really just cannot beat an inexpensive eBook that refuses to disappoint. You can find this item on Smashwords.com for a mere $4!