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None of This Rocks: A Memoir
Lead guitarist and cofounder of Fall Out Boy shares personal stories from his youth and his experiences of modern rock and roll stardom in this memoir filled with wit and wisdom.
Trohman cofounded Fall Out Boy with Pete Wentz in the early aughts, and he’s been the sticky element of the metaphorical glue-like substance holding the band together ever since, over the course of a couple decades that have included massive success, occasional backlashes, and one infamous four-year hiatus. Trohman was, and remains, the emotive communicator of the the one who made sure they practiced, who copied and distributed the flyers, and who took the wheel throughout many of the early tours. As soon as he was old enough to drive, that is—because he was all of 15 years old when they started out. That’s part of the story Trohman tells in this memoir, which provides an indispensable inside perspective on the history of Fall Out Boy for their legions of fans. But Trohman has a great deal more to convey, thanks to his storytelling chops, his unmistakable voice, and his unmitigated sense of humor in the face of the tragic and the absurd.
None of This Rocks chronicles a turbulent life that has informed Trohman’s music and his worldview. His mother suffered from mental illness and multiple brain tumors that eventually killed her. His father struggled with that tragedy, but was ultimately a supportive force in Trohman’s life who fostered his thirst for knowledge. Trohman faced antisemitism in small-town Ohio, and he witnessed all levels of misogyny, racism, and violence amid the straight edge hardcore punk scene in Chicago. Then came Fall Out Boy. From the guitarist’s very first glimpses of their popular ascension, to working with his heroes like Anthrax’s Scott Ian, to writing for television with comedian Brian Posehn, Trohman takes readers backstage, into the studio, and onto his couch. He shares his struggles with depression and substance abuse in a brutally honest and personal tone that readers will appreciate. Not much of this rocks, perhaps, but it all adds up to a fascinating music memoir unlike any you’ve ever read.
Trohman cofounded Fall Out Boy with Pete Wentz in the early aughts, and he’s been the sticky element of the metaphorical glue-like substance holding the band together ever since, over the course of a couple decades that have included massive success, occasional backlashes, and one infamous four-year hiatus. Trohman was, and remains, the emotive communicator of the the one who made sure they practiced, who copied and distributed the flyers, and who took the wheel throughout many of the early tours. As soon as he was old enough to drive, that is—because he was all of 15 years old when they started out. That’s part of the story Trohman tells in this memoir, which provides an indispensable inside perspective on the history of Fall Out Boy for their legions of fans. But Trohman has a great deal more to convey, thanks to his storytelling chops, his unmistakable voice, and his unmitigated sense of humor in the face of the tragic and the absurd.
None of This Rocks chronicles a turbulent life that has informed Trohman’s music and his worldview. His mother suffered from mental illness and multiple brain tumors that eventually killed her. His father struggled with that tragedy, but was ultimately a supportive force in Trohman’s life who fostered his thirst for knowledge. Trohman faced antisemitism in small-town Ohio, and he witnessed all levels of misogyny, racism, and violence amid the straight edge hardcore punk scene in Chicago. Then came Fall Out Boy. From the guitarist’s very first glimpses of their popular ascension, to working with his heroes like Anthrax’s Scott Ian, to writing for television with comedian Brian Posehn, Trohman takes readers backstage, into the studio, and onto his couch. He shares his struggles with depression and substance abuse in a brutally honest and personal tone that readers will appreciate. Not much of this rocks, perhaps, but it all adds up to a fascinating music memoir unlike any you’ve ever read.
241 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 13, 2022
202 people are currently reading
4657 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 418 reviews
September 18, 2022
it’s the summer of 2011; cass gets an ipod touch and she’s like “yo, i want to know about music.” and fall out boy’s like “yo, we know about music.”
“that’s impossible! do you wanna spend the next decade-plus being my favorite band and shaping my life and personality in ways that cannot be quantified?”
and fall out boy’s like “yeah... that’s cool.”
i have loved this band and this man for half of my life at this point. i went into this book not knowing what to expect, and i’m so happy to say that joe knocked it out of the park with this memoir. if you’re not a fan of the band, there’s so much more to his story than the music. he writes about his fraught relationship with his mentally ill mother, the bullying and anti-semitism he experienced growing up in the midwest, his struggles with depression and addiction, and the joys of parenthood in that snarky and sarcastic but somehow sincere tone that is synonymous with fall out boy.
and if you, like me, have been irreversibly mentally and emotionally impacted by american rock band fall out boy, you will love this. i learned so much about joe and the respect and admiration i already had for him increased to levels i didn’t know possible. i loved getting his perspective on the craziness of creating and touring for their pre-hiatus records, as well as the hiatus itself. but joe gives us more insight than ever into post-hiatus fall out boy and the struggles they’ve faced. based on joe’s descriptions at the end of the book, i’m even more excited for fall out boy’s next chapter! just want those lil dudes to be happy making music together.
5/5 stars for the simple fact that he referred to patrick as both a “hairy, elven man” and a “pale, fuzzy guy” on the same page
“that’s impossible! do you wanna spend the next decade-plus being my favorite band and shaping my life and personality in ways that cannot be quantified?”
and fall out boy’s like “yeah... that’s cool.”
i have loved this band and this man for half of my life at this point. i went into this book not knowing what to expect, and i’m so happy to say that joe knocked it out of the park with this memoir. if you’re not a fan of the band, there’s so much more to his story than the music. he writes about his fraught relationship with his mentally ill mother, the bullying and anti-semitism he experienced growing up in the midwest, his struggles with depression and addiction, and the joys of parenthood in that snarky and sarcastic but somehow sincere tone that is synonymous with fall out boy.
and if you, like me, have been irreversibly mentally and emotionally impacted by american rock band fall out boy, you will love this. i learned so much about joe and the respect and admiration i already had for him increased to levels i didn’t know possible. i loved getting his perspective on the craziness of creating and touring for their pre-hiatus records, as well as the hiatus itself. but joe gives us more insight than ever into post-hiatus fall out boy and the struggles they’ve faced. based on joe’s descriptions at the end of the book, i’m even more excited for fall out boy’s next chapter! just want those lil dudes to be happy making music together.
5/5 stars for the simple fact that he referred to patrick as both a “hairy, elven man” and a “pale, fuzzy guy” on the same page
October 31, 2022
Hmmm… I was expecting to really like this. Fall Out Boy is one of my favorite bands of all time, I have a Fall Out Boy tattoo, I used to follow them on tour, and have met Joe and the rest of the guys many times.
I found this pretty boring. It seemed like every time Joe was gearing up to tell and interesting story, he would just skip over it and say, “Well that was a crazy time!!”. Everything I wanted to know was skipped over. The band forming, details about recording and touring, the hiatus, his mom dying, more about his wife, all seemed quickly glossed over or not mentioned at all! Why did a chapter about Warped tour come before a chapter chronicling the history of the band?
This book really needed an editor - chapters get redundant and repeat things that were already said previously. I’m glad I read this but often felt that something was missing.
I found this pretty boring. It seemed like every time Joe was gearing up to tell and interesting story, he would just skip over it and say, “Well that was a crazy time!!”. Everything I wanted to know was skipped over. The band forming, details about recording and touring, the hiatus, his mom dying, more about his wife, all seemed quickly glossed over or not mentioned at all! Why did a chapter about Warped tour come before a chapter chronicling the history of the band?
This book really needed an editor - chapters get redundant and repeat things that were already said previously. I’m glad I read this but often felt that something was missing.
Read
August 2, 2023it’s the summer of 2007. young cel turns on the radio and she’s like “yo. i’m wanna know about music.”
and fall out boy’s like “yo. i know more about music.”
“that’s impossible! do you wanna be my favorite band who i will proceed to make my entire personality and then essentially mold me into person i am today just so i can spend a whole night running up and down the street screaming when you come off hiatus in 2013?”
and fall out boy is like “yeah that’s cool”
and then cel meets joe trohman and he is one of the kindest humans she’s ever met.
(patrick is playing drums for some fucking reason)
and fall out boy’s like “yo. i know more about music.”
“that’s impossible! do you wanna be my favorite band who i will proceed to make my entire personality and then essentially mold me into person i am today just so i can spend a whole night running up and down the street screaming when you come off hiatus in 2013?”
and fall out boy is like “yeah that’s cool”
and then cel meets joe trohman and he is one of the kindest humans she’s ever met.
(patrick is playing drums for some fucking reason)
September 28, 2022
this was deeply my most anticipated read of the year and after closing it 30 seconds ago. i can say that i was right and i also recommend it to everyone.
joe trohman has been one of my favorite musicians since i was a kid. i always appreciated his instantly recognizable playing style and his infrequent but poignant interview responses. but more than that i really connected to the authenticity he brought in every level. it’s tangible. i remember when he wrote the tribute to eddie van halen, which i think i read was the partial inspiration for this book, i was floored by how emotionally driven it was and how it was powered by memory.
this memoir is full of that raw authenticity. throughout, joe is so self aware and honest that i felt like he knew what i was thinking before i thought it. answered questions before i had them and told the truth before i had to ask. that honesty really connected the larger themes he drew out, the emotional turmoil, the constant inner warfare.
my personal favorite theme was the idea of time. as a twentysomething who spends a lot of moments these days reflecting on time and namely the passage of it. i found this book to answer these very worries i have. this memoir has an honest look at how doom-inducing it is and offers a few remedies from his experience.
i didn’t mean to write this much but i do mean it all. joe if u ever see this, have you considered writing about the history of the 90s-00s chicago hardcore scene. i think those chapters were super cool.
joe trohman has been one of my favorite musicians since i was a kid. i always appreciated his instantly recognizable playing style and his infrequent but poignant interview responses. but more than that i really connected to the authenticity he brought in every level. it’s tangible. i remember when he wrote the tribute to eddie van halen, which i think i read was the partial inspiration for this book, i was floored by how emotionally driven it was and how it was powered by memory.
this memoir is full of that raw authenticity. throughout, joe is so self aware and honest that i felt like he knew what i was thinking before i thought it. answered questions before i had them and told the truth before i had to ask. that honesty really connected the larger themes he drew out, the emotional turmoil, the constant inner warfare.
my personal favorite theme was the idea of time. as a twentysomething who spends a lot of moments these days reflecting on time and namely the passage of it. i found this book to answer these very worries i have. this memoir has an honest look at how doom-inducing it is and offers a few remedies from his experience.
i didn’t mean to write this much but i do mean it all. joe if u ever see this, have you considered writing about the history of the 90s-00s chicago hardcore scene. i think those chapters were super cool.
February 17, 2023
I haven’t finished this book yet as I am contemplating moving on and not finishing it at all. That being said, I was extremely disappointed in this book.
I read Pete Wentz’s Gray several years ago. If you are looking for a Fall Out Boy book, read that instead. If you want to read a book about a bad mom, read Jeanette McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom Died.
Given that the front of this book references Joe’s role in the band, I would’ve thought that played a bigger part in the book. It seems like every time you’re on the cusp of reading a great Fall Out Boy story or really any interesting life experience, Joe takes a hard left, makes a fart joke, and rambles on about moving cities, bad car brakes, etc…. Some parts are genuinely funny and did get a laugh out of me, but that’s not what I was looking for when I picked up None of this Rocks. I wanted more story and less crude analogies. There is so little meat to this book.
I read Pete Wentz’s Gray several years ago. If you are looking for a Fall Out Boy book, read that instead. If you want to read a book about a bad mom, read Jeanette McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom Died.
Given that the front of this book references Joe’s role in the band, I would’ve thought that played a bigger part in the book. It seems like every time you’re on the cusp of reading a great Fall Out Boy story or really any interesting life experience, Joe takes a hard left, makes a fart joke, and rambles on about moving cities, bad car brakes, etc…. Some parts are genuinely funny and did get a laugh out of me, but that’s not what I was looking for when I picked up None of this Rocks. I wanted more story and less crude analogies. There is so little meat to this book.
December 27, 2022
I’ve been a FOB for 15+ years and I found little to enjoy here. He seems like a chill dude with some self awareness as of late but I just don’t know why he thought this was necessary.
Read
October 27, 202210000% use the audiobook for this one if you can bc his narration held a lot of the book together for me + he's really good at weaving together genuinely serious lines of thought and questioning with um. millennial humour . which is why i said ^ audio (typically dont rate memoirs but this sits at a 4.5/5 for sure)
November 19, 2023
*reread* My love for this man can not be overstated. I want to kiss him on the forehead, put him in my pocket, and protect him from the outside world. If I say "not all men" I am referring to Joe Trohman and Joe Trohman alone.
A must-read after the concert :') I literally laughed out loud and also cried real tears during this. He's my fav forever <3
A must-read after the concert :') I literally laughed out loud and also cried real tears during this. He's my fav forever <3
Want to read
November 20, 2022un memoir sur FOB et j'étais pas au courant?????
January 29, 2023
I think it’s fair to say that almost everyone who read None of This Rocks did so because they’re a huge fan of Fall Out Boy. Trohman didn’t go into much detail about his time with the band, giving only cursory glances through anecdotes: how and where he met the band members; his experiences with writing lyrics; what being on tour was like. He spent a great deal of it discussing his mental health and relationship with his mother.
I really wish that he had focused on that more instead of trying to shoehorn in Fall Out Boy; it felt like he only included little tidbits to keep the ravaging (and I do mean ravaging ... Fall Out Boy fans are not it—that’s coming from someone who is, by all means, obsessed with the band) fans happy. Trohman also felt resistant, as if he were unwilling to go into too much detail. He doesn’t sound as if he’s accepted the things that have happened to him, mentioning them briefly then quickly playing them for laughs before someone else can. It was hard to read, mostly because I think he’s still really struggling with it.
The book could’ve also used another pass by the editor. The chapters weren’t really chronological, and the sections within each chapter jumped around so quickly that I was getting dizzy. He would talk about his upbringing in Florida, the next paragraph would describe being a teenager in Ohio, and then he’d be off about his parents’ education. It wasn’t really stream-of-consciousness as much as it was rambling thoughts that he wanted to get onto the page.
Overall, None of This Rocks was a unique look at pop punk’s favorite guitarist (okay, maybe he’s tied with Ray Toro), but it wasn’t as engaging or in-depth as memoirs typically are. I think it was an exercise in catharsis, which may or may not make for excellent reading material.
I really wish that he had focused on that more instead of trying to shoehorn in Fall Out Boy; it felt like he only included little tidbits to keep the ravaging (and I do mean ravaging ... Fall Out Boy fans are not it—that’s coming from someone who is, by all means, obsessed with the band) fans happy. Trohman also felt resistant, as if he were unwilling to go into too much detail. He doesn’t sound as if he’s accepted the things that have happened to him, mentioning them briefly then quickly playing them for laughs before someone else can. It was hard to read, mostly because I think he’s still really struggling with it.
The book could’ve also used another pass by the editor. The chapters weren’t really chronological, and the sections within each chapter jumped around so quickly that I was getting dizzy. He would talk about his upbringing in Florida, the next paragraph would describe being a teenager in Ohio, and then he’d be off about his parents’ education. It wasn’t really stream-of-consciousness as much as it was rambling thoughts that he wanted to get onto the page.
Overall, None of This Rocks was a unique look at pop punk’s favorite guitarist (okay, maybe he’s tied with Ray Toro), but it wasn’t as engaging or in-depth as memoirs typically are. I think it was an exercise in catharsis, which may or may not make for excellent reading material.
April 17, 2023
everyone who didn’t like this book for the way it was written, was reading it for the wrong reasons. joe covers so many important topics of mental health and first hand experience within the early 2000s music industry. this book is very chuck palahniuk character coded.
October 10, 2024
I really enjoyed this book. I immediately was struck by Joe's humor which was quirky, often crude, and, even more often, long-winded; I thought to myself "some people will find this annoying" (judging by some reviews, I wasn't wrong), but I think I have a different annoyance threshold than many. I loved the Corona commercial "fretful fever dream". I laughed out loud when he said, after 3 pages of nonsensical rambling, "Anyway, this is how my mind works." Because that's kinda how my mind works too. Joe said "...allow me to peel back the Vidalia onion that is my deep-seated psychological neurosis... This will take an unfortunate amount of time". I appreciate the candor.
Some people complained that he jumps around too much and that, chronologically, he's all over the place. I did find myself thinking "Oooh, I wanna hear more about THAT" and then he'd change subject. But almost every time he did that, he came back to it in another chapter and I was satisfied. The only aspect of his life I felt he could've touched on more is his wife (more about who she is and what she's like), but I also recognize that she may be a private person or wasn't too keen on being a focal point of his book (just a guess). I've read other memoirs that also jumped around a lot (Viola Davis' memoir had me feeling confused and a little lost in the timeline), but I don't completely write them off for that reason. I still am getting a vulnerable, deeply personal story and am super appreciative.
Many people also seemed disappointed that he didn't write more about Fall Out Boy. I'm a huge FOB fan, but I recognize that this is Joe's book about HIS life. This isn't a book about the history of FOB. I did not expect it to be mainly about the band. I loved learning more about Joe! And he talked plenty about the band. I appreciated when he acknowledged the changing sounds and styles of FOB. He said "If we made From Under the Cork Tree eight times in a row, we'd be servicing a small percentage of people who cannot move on, which would be depressing. Thankfully, most people do move on. That is life, whether you like it or not". Well said, Joe.
Some people complained that he jumps around too much and that, chronologically, he's all over the place. I did find myself thinking "Oooh, I wanna hear more about THAT" and then he'd change subject. But almost every time he did that, he came back to it in another chapter and I was satisfied. The only aspect of his life I felt he could've touched on more is his wife (more about who she is and what she's like), but I also recognize that she may be a private person or wasn't too keen on being a focal point of his book (just a guess). I've read other memoirs that also jumped around a lot (Viola Davis' memoir had me feeling confused and a little lost in the timeline), but I don't completely write them off for that reason. I still am getting a vulnerable, deeply personal story and am super appreciative.
Many people also seemed disappointed that he didn't write more about Fall Out Boy. I'm a huge FOB fan, but I recognize that this is Joe's book about HIS life. This isn't a book about the history of FOB. I did not expect it to be mainly about the band. I loved learning more about Joe! And he talked plenty about the band. I appreciated when he acknowledged the changing sounds and styles of FOB. He said "If we made From Under the Cork Tree eight times in a row, we'd be servicing a small percentage of people who cannot move on, which would be depressing. Thankfully, most people do move on. That is life, whether you like it or not". Well said, Joe.
May 3, 2023
Look I feel bad giving this so low a score bc Joe has obviously done a lot of therapeutic work on himself and is willing to get vulnerable—and those brief moments—discussing his imposter syndrome, his relationship with his mother, his substance abuse are the most striking moments in the book but those moments get swerved away from mostly in favor of really awkward stale and sometimes crude for no reason jokes. This humor isn’t served any better by hearing this as an audiobook. It still feels clunky. Also this needed MUCH better editing—structurally it’s a mess so it never lets the reader build any dramatic tension or follow a journey. There’s also stories like a childhood shoplifting story or a ramble about corona commercials that don’t do anything for the narrative. There’s an interest in engaging with his Jewish identity but yet he pushes that away with jokes and saying he’s not a religious person. The problem is it’s obvious he’d like to be an essayist and get to muse upon a variety of subjects but he’s not a strong enough writer for that and readers have come for a “celebrity memoir.” I love Fall Out Boy so I came as an interested reader and found the small moments where he discussed his time in the band fascinating but there’s a lot skated over in terms of engaging with confronting fast fame there’s a big jump between being a scrappy touring band and oops now we’re huge and then it got too much and we went on hiatus. I wonder what this book could have been with a stronger editor who could help Joe really understand what he wanted to say with this book and why he was writing this book.
January 21, 2023
Fall Out Boy is probably one of my favorite bands, and it's interesting to see what was happening on the other side we couldn't see. I appreciate Trohman's candidness about his mental health, but at the same time a lot of his humor came off as very Random, which made it difficult to be more invested in his story. I also want to note a disclaimer that the n-word is used once in like a historical context (not just him randomly using it) but he does read it in the audiobook, which I found kind of jarring and I'm sure would be a much worse experience for Black fans. It really wasn't necessary and kind of contributed to my whole feeling that I like what he was going for, but this was too messy and unedited for me.
August 15, 2022
It’s okay. I didn’t find the long-winded prose as funny as Ryan thinks it is; it just made it annoying and kinda felt like an attempt to meet a word count. As everyone else has mentioned, there’s no rhyme or reasons as to where we ever are within the timeline. We flip flop from era to era for no reason.
April 8, 2024
i was so excited when i heard joe was writing a book because i have an encyclopedic knowledge of fall out boy that has haunted my friends and family for over a decade at this point. even though it took me about a year and a half to finally get to this book, i loved it so so much. joe has such a fun and goofy writing style that i really enjoyed and made the whole thing feel sort of like a conversation with a friend. i loved reading his perspective on the band and getting a look into his personal life as well.
very interesting to read him allude to so much for stardust now that the album has been out for over a year at the time of me reading this. i’m so happy he’s so proud of it and got to do TWO unbelievable tours for it (so far). joe trohman you son of a bitch you did it!! we did it joe!!
very interesting to read him allude to so much for stardust now that the album has been out for over a year at the time of me reading this. i’m so happy he’s so proud of it and got to do TWO unbelievable tours for it (so far). joe trohman you son of a bitch you did it!! we did it joe!!
June 1, 2025
interesting dude, but not many FOB revelations & some of the jokes made me think this was written in 2011
Read
March 3, 2025“But it’s that exchange of energy, that life-affirming social experiment of playing live for a crowd, giving your all while they give the same back — what a wonderful thing”
April 28, 2023
I enjoyed this. I like Fall Out Boy. I like to read about other people's lives. Joe gets "real" in this book, exposing his foibles and mental health issues. I wish him the best of luck.
September 5, 2022
Fall Out Boy was a very essential band to me growing up so I was very interested to check out this memoir. Joe Trohman covers his life from childhood to adulthood while documenting the rise of Fall Out Boy from DIY shows to full stadium tours. I really connected with his mentions of his upbringing in the North Shore suburbs and Chicago’s hardcore and punk scenes. Admittedly, I found his sense of humor rather corny throughout the book but it does read like having a conversation with him which many diehard fans would love to do.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette for the e-ARC!
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette for the e-ARC!
October 1, 2022
Okay, listen.
I'm a little biased when it comes to Fall Out Boy.
I saw them on tour with their Infinity on High album when I was 12, and again on their American Beauty/American Psycho tour when I was 19, and again this past May at 26. They're literally my favorite band of all time and my little emo heart skips a beat every time I hear their music.
Joe Trohman markets himself as "the other guy" in Fall Out Boy. There's Patrick, Pete, Andy, and the other one. But I am hardly joking when I say I spent my teen years obsessing over Joe's curly ass hair (literally my weakness).
Joe talks about his childhood, his time with the band, and even discovering himself through other artistic venues. He talks about life on the road, and life as a parent. He even lets us in on his all too relatable struggles with mental health and addiction.
The story itself is a little scattered but it felt like a conversation between friends where one just goes off on a tangent and the other just follows along. It was honest and relatable, even if he is a rockstar. It was incredibly interesting to read about their work on FOB albums. I've always considered myself a die hard fan and was shocked to hear that some of my favorite albums are the ones other fans considered flops. Folie is still in my top 3 favorite albums and I can't believe other people might not like it. Joe even talks about their debut EP/album, An Evening Out with Your Girlfriend and how it should never be spoken of again. But honestly, it's still strong. I listened to their E N T I R E discography while reading the book and honestly, it was so enjoyable.
More musician memoirs at A Reader's Diary!
I'm a little biased when it comes to Fall Out Boy.
I saw them on tour with their Infinity on High album when I was 12, and again on their American Beauty/American Psycho tour when I was 19, and again this past May at 26. They're literally my favorite band of all time and my little emo heart skips a beat every time I hear their music.
Joe Trohman markets himself as "the other guy" in Fall Out Boy. There's Patrick, Pete, Andy, and the other one. But I am hardly joking when I say I spent my teen years obsessing over Joe's curly ass hair (literally my weakness).
Joe talks about his childhood, his time with the band, and even discovering himself through other artistic venues. He talks about life on the road, and life as a parent. He even lets us in on his all too relatable struggles with mental health and addiction.
The story itself is a little scattered but it felt like a conversation between friends where one just goes off on a tangent and the other just follows along. It was honest and relatable, even if he is a rockstar. It was incredibly interesting to read about their work on FOB albums. I've always considered myself a die hard fan and was shocked to hear that some of my favorite albums are the ones other fans considered flops. Folie is still in my top 3 favorite albums and I can't believe other people might not like it. Joe even talks about their debut EP/album, An Evening Out with Your Girlfriend and how it should never be spoken of again. But honestly, it's still strong. I listened to their E N T I R E discography while reading the book and honestly, it was so enjoyable.
More musician memoirs at A Reader's Diary!
August 3, 2023
look. this wasn't well written, and it seemed to stop short every single time it started to get into a genuinely interesting story about joe's life. but did i eat up every single bit and have a fantastic time with the whole thing? absolutely i did. this is exactly what i needed to pick up in the afterglow of seeing fall out boy for the first time in ten years. love you joe trohman, you will always be famous.
April 2, 2024
3.5 - quite honestly, this book wasn’t really what I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. I enjoyed all the different aspects of his life that Joe went into, not focusing solely on music, but other things that greatly impacted him like his chronic back pain, and these shared details were a pleasant surprise. Of course, as a Fall Out Boy fan I also greatly enjoyed the behind the scenes glimpse that we got into the making of the band itself, but also some of their most iconic albums. I think it just goes to show how art is made and altered in low points in people’s lives. My only main critique is that I thought the organization of the book was a bit odd. It starts off talking about Joe’s childhood, which makes sense, but then we kept jumping around or would talk about the same time but from a different perspective, and sometimes the actual timeline of when events were happening was confusing. Nevertheless, if you’re a Fall Out Boy fan, you’ll definitely appreciate this book both for helping you to better understand Joe as a musician and person as well as the insight it brings into Fall Out Boy’s career.
May 11, 2023
Unsurprisingly, I'm giving a book written by one of my musical heroes 5 stars!
I have been a massive fall out boy fan for as long as I can remember. Growing up with their music has shaped so much about me, and I honestly wouldn't be who I am today without their music.
This books conversational writing style made me feel like I was talking to a friend. It is open, honest, funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. Joe discusses his difficult relationship with his mentally ill mother, growing up in an anti-semetic Ohio, and his journey into the hard-core punk music scene in Chicago. He also talks openly about his struggles with depression, addiction and imposter syndrome.
Thank you Joe for this incredibly real insight into your world!
Also, folie is (and always will be) my favourite album ❤️
I have been a massive fall out boy fan for as long as I can remember. Growing up with their music has shaped so much about me, and I honestly wouldn't be who I am today without their music.
This books conversational writing style made me feel like I was talking to a friend. It is open, honest, funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. Joe discusses his difficult relationship with his mentally ill mother, growing up in an anti-semetic Ohio, and his journey into the hard-core punk music scene in Chicago. He also talks openly about his struggles with depression, addiction and imposter syndrome.
Thank you Joe for this incredibly real insight into your world!
Also, folie is (and always will be) my favourite album ❤️
August 15, 2024
Overall an average book, which I think Joe would agree with and be okay about based on how he talks about himself in this book. I loved learning more about my favorite band and Joe! His telling of his own arch in life was real and relatable. I loved learning how his arch coincided with the arch of Fall Out Boy and how he learned to have his own voice in the band.
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July 23, 2023Joseph Trohman you deserve all the hugs in the world
September 27, 2022
SCREAMING. CRYINF. FUCK
(will post a real review later)
(will post a real review later)
January 2, 2023
Back in the day, three bands formed the 2000s emo trinity. As a teen girl, I had to pick which one to pledge my allegiance to. Obviously, I picked My Chemical Romance. Panic! At The Disco came in second (I like my bands with a big flair for the theatrical), which left Fall Out Boy to be in last place for my trinity rankings. I liked Fall Out Boy plenty- Grand Theft Autumn is still my jam to this day- but I didn't dedicate hours of my time to learning every single detail about them like I did for MCR.
When this book came out, I knew I had to read it as a longtime fan of the scene. However, as Joe often jokes in the book, a lot of people don't really know who he is until he mentions he's in Fall Out Boy, and I was definitely one of those people who only knew the names Pete and Patrick and couldn't tell you about anyone else in the band.
I was pleasantly surprised by Joe's memoir, especially by the first half of the book. Joe discusses his struggles with depression and anxiety with honesty and humor, detailing his troubled relationship with his mother as well as the bullying and racism he experienced growing up as a Jewish individual. We learn about how he found the gift of music and helped form Fall Out Boy, all while he was merely a teenager. We also get some really nice words about My Chemical Romance, his wife and daughters, and others who have helped him along the way.
It's not a perfect memoir by any means- the writing meanders a lot towards the latter half of the book, there were some editing errors, and Joe has a gross sense of humor that gets old- but I appreciate the honesty and candidness. I learned a lot about someone I never really thought about before, even though he's made music that I've loved.
When this book came out, I knew I had to read it as a longtime fan of the scene. However, as Joe often jokes in the book, a lot of people don't really know who he is until he mentions he's in Fall Out Boy, and I was definitely one of those people who only knew the names Pete and Patrick and couldn't tell you about anyone else in the band.
I was pleasantly surprised by Joe's memoir, especially by the first half of the book. Joe discusses his struggles with depression and anxiety with honesty and humor, detailing his troubled relationship with his mother as well as the bullying and racism he experienced growing up as a Jewish individual. We learn about how he found the gift of music and helped form Fall Out Boy, all while he was merely a teenager. We also get some really nice words about My Chemical Romance, his wife and daughters, and others who have helped him along the way.
It's not a perfect memoir by any means- the writing meanders a lot towards the latter half of the book, there were some editing errors, and Joe has a gross sense of humor that gets old- but I appreciate the honesty and candidness. I learned a lot about someone I never really thought about before, even though he's made music that I've loved.
January 2, 2024
An interesting portrayal of what it’s like to be the least famous and most mentally unwell member of a popular band… the man just wants his riffs to be appreciated, godamnit. Thought he could have expanded a tad on the process of coming off a years long opioid addiction, made it seem strangely easy but maybe it was (thanks, Scott Ian). Some weird little jokes in there that didn’t land for me, but overall a fun read, well done Joe. Skipped the chapter where he waxed lyrical about guitars because I’m not a gear girly.
March 26, 2025
A must-read for any FOB fan. This book made me laugh out loud and also made me quite sad and then later made me feel the warm fuzzies. Joe’s unique, offbeat, stream-of-consciousness style of writing makes this book feel very authentic.
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