Combat Love

by Alisyn Camerota

CNN Anchor Alisyn Camerota’s memoir Combat Love is her story of growing up longing for stability and attachment as the foundation of her family crumbled. Set on the Jersey Shore in the free-range 1980s, Camerota finds the belonging she craves courtesy of a local punk rock band named Shrapnel and their diehard fans. Combat Love chronicles her near-misses and misadventures at clubs like CBGB and Max’s Kansas City, coupled with the sex, drugs, and punk rock of 1980s New Jersey. By the time she leaves home at sixteen, it feels like home had left her long ago. 

Combat Love is also the story of two women, mother and daughter, trying to forge their own paths and independence, and find their own happiness, success and wholeness. Camerota’s story searches for the linebetween shelter and risk, nurture and neglect, parenting and personal freedom. What are we willing to sacrifice for self-actualization and happiness? What if the answer is your mother, or your daughter? 

The two-time Emmy-award-winning Camerota retraces her steps down an often gritty path toward her dream of becoming a journalist. At times heartbreaking and pulse-pounding, Combat Love is an inspiration for anyone who’s ever searched for that elusive place called home.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

274 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2024

About the author

Alisyn Camerota is a journalist and cohost of CNN’s morning show New Day. Prior to joining CNN, Camerota was cohost of FOX News Channel’s morning show FOX + Friends Weekend. She has been a national correspondent for NBC’s morning magazine show Real Life and the crime show America’s Most Wanted. She has also worked as a reporter at several local stations, including WHDH in Boston, WLNE in Providence, and WTTG in Washington, D.C. She lives in the New York area with her husband and three children.

Reviews

[MM Suarez · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It’s strange how many years after an explosion, we still carry pieces of shrapnel under our skin."

Indeed we do! I loved this memoir, it was not at all what I expected in a good way. I was completely engaged by the authors candid, no holds barred, often funny recounting of her story of growing up in an unstable home with emotionally distant parents, who eventually split up and go separate ways starting her on an unbelievable journey.
Growing up around the same time, her music playlist was definitely a walk down memory lane, I am not from Jersey but she made me feel like I have been there.

[Drew Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Home - Monmouth County, New Jersey.

Was amazing to hear about Uncle Dave and stories about Shrewsbury that 30 years later sound a bit like ours

[Barbara Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an honest and gritty memoir of true resilience. Nostalgic in so many ways and really tugged on the heartstrings. Kudos to Alisyn and all that she has overcome and accomplished with grace.

[Nancy Kho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed Camerota's trip down memory lane to the punk scene in '80s New Jersey/NYC - the combination of an adolescent's vulnerability, memorable if flawed cast of family and friends, and family secrets combine into an addictive page-turner. Who expected that the composed, clever CNN anchor had a backstory like this? Actually, after reading it...it all adds up to someone who excels at thinking on her feet. Perfect for reading down the shore!

[Mary Kruft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good memoir read by the author. So many great NJ 80’s references, but the true focus of the story is the author’s gritty resilience & relationship challenges, mostly due to her parents issues. Very authentic & honest; also appreciated the Roger Ailes stories.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever fell in love with a rock 'n roll band when you were a teenager, this is the memoir for you. Alisyn Camerota's book is a story of punk rock and the feral, uninhibited music scene in 1970s/1980s Central New Jersey. As a 9th-grader, she falls in love with a local band named Shrapnel who opens for The Ramones. (One of their songs gives this memoir its name.) Unlike most 9th-graders (especially in the present day), her household rules are mostly non-existent. She travels into NYC to legendary venues like CBGB's to see her favorite bands and gets into various trouble along the way. Her excellent, almost photographic memory is what really makes this book sparkle.

Alisyn's writing style is honest and engaging; she doesn't shy away from the reality of difficult situations growing up with a dysfunctional family. She also shows both sides of the sex-drugs-&-rock -'n-roll lifestyle - both the triumphant highs and devastating lows.

I saw Alisyn interviewed about this book on a weekend talk show and I am SO GLAD I read this incredible story.

5 stars.

Shrapnel's song "Combat Love" is now on Spotify!!

[Jocelyn Rineer]

In keeping with not writing reviews on memoirs, I mean how do you rate someone’s story? I listened to this one 🎧. I always love when the person reads their own story. This was really good. I grew up in NJ and was in my teens & twenties in the 80’s. I grew up in a small town in the northern part of NJ. We often drove to the bars in the summer to hear the bands. So many great memories of shore life. NJ has its own ways & is certainly an experience but one I am grateful for. Thank you to Alisyn Camerota for sharing her story. She didn’t have it easy but just like a Jersey girl she kept getting pulled back. I like her as a CNN anchor & appreciate her even more after reading this. It explains her grit & determination and her insight and passion with the stories she brings to life. It was well worth the listen.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was drawn to this memoir because the author and I, though two years apart, grew up in the same New Jersey town, attended the same high school, and both left after our sophomore year. Her recollections of absentee parents, a reckless and independent youth, and repeatedly putting herself in danger rang true based on my own experience.

That said, the genre of memoirs centered around troubled childhoods and dysfunctional families—think Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, or Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs—is already densely populated. Compared to those standout works, Camerota’s writing is more basic and linear, and she frequently lapses into self-congratulation for her precocious vocabulary and intellect.

It was a decent read, but ultimately disappointing.

[Marilyn Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy memoirs. They almost always prove to ultimately be about famous people who prove to be human and broken just like us and all the ordinary people we know. This put Alisyn Comarado in a new light for me. She overcame so many obstacles to get where she is. She lead crazy tumultuous teen years and it took her until her thirties to realize what she needed.

[Lauren Parnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alisyn’s memoir was as entertaining as it was a story of perseverance and making something of yourself without a solid family structure. She is scrappy and I enjoyed hearing her stories of surviving as a teenager without a consistent home.

[Laurie H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this memoir. Growing up around the same time and in similar scenes, I really connected with it, appreciated her honesty, vulnerability, and ambition despite being on her own in so many ways. Well done!

[Galia Gichon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Alisyn Camerota voice and firsthand experience was a rich story that I couldn’t put down.

[Margaret Preis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the 80's vibe.

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Deborah M Chlubicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Well written and entertaining account of NJ teenage years and coming of age through constant obstacles. Funny and poignant, highly recommend

[Stacey Lechner · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Karen Hurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great memoir!

[Jackie Flooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Hard won survival” . I truly enjoyed this memoir so much. This really exceeded my expectations. Very honest, funny, and well written.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this memoir…made me feel nostalgic for a past that wasn’t mine.

[Esther Dushinsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Sarah]

DNF - Lost interest

[Ashley Connolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved her energy and intelligence as the interviewer at the Aspen Literary Festival, and her memoir was equally engaging and inspiring

[EM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio
3.5
Amazing energy and interesting stories
But it got a little long winded with similar stories over and over in high school