Skin Deep: Tattoos, the Disappearing West, Very Bad Men, and My Deep Love for Them All

by Karol Griffin

Believing herself a daughter of the West, Karol Griffin took the myths of the place—and of the outlaw—on faith. When she walked into the Body Art Workshop in Laramie, Wyoming, she found what she was looking for: a culture on the fringe of polite society, complete with outlaw signature. Soon Karol was a full-time tattoo artist, an occasional outlaw, and a tattooed woman looking for love in all the wrong places. By the mid nineties, the West had been invaded by suburban culture; and tattoos had become a mass commodity of coolness, compelling Karol to go even farther to find the authentic outsiders she romanticized. She eventually hooked up with a real old-fashioned Wyoming outlaw, complete with felony convictions and outstanding warrants—which is how Karol wound up looking down the barrel of a gun held by a tattooed caricature of true love.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2003

Reviews

[Deana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. I picked it up wanting "something different" and not expecting much. I originally stopped in the non-fiction section for something regarding fashion, and spotted this. It caught my attention.

I don't have a tattoo. I never want a tattoo. But I'm curious. So I grabbed the book.

It was a really interesting read - the story of Karol's life as a tattoo artist... how she got started, how she learned, friendships made and destroyed along the way. Her broken relationship with a guy named Rick, and what happened to end it. Her failed marriage and attempt to be "normal". Her pregnancy by a "fake outlaw" and all the lessons learned along the way.

I really didn't expect much. After all, she's a tattoo artist with no college education. But she really does have a way with words, she's very insightful and I really felt like I knew her and the people in her life by the end of the book. I was impressed. It's surprisingly good.

[Taylour · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! If you like tattoo culture, the West, and really honest reading you are in for a treat! I could not get enough of this book!

[Aubrey Caudill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Very disappointed this was the only book she ever wrote.

[Ava Skylar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just randomly remembered in my freshman year of high school I found this book in a pile of free books and it was both insane and incredibly entertaining— there was no moral really just a slice of someone’s life and weirdly one of my favorite books I’ve ever read.

[Monica Penalba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as a whole, especially the way the author worked in the history of tattooing and the West. I liked hearing about the author (and Slade's) opinions of tattoos and why people get them, what they mean at the time and what they come to mean later. While I agree with Karol's comments to some people prior to getting their ink (ex. "don't get a cartoon character, you'll regret it later") I had a bit of a problem with the amused tone she used when telling of some of the off-hand, occasionally insulting comments other artists made while actively doing tattoo work. Sure, try and talk someone out of a bad idea, I'm all for that, but don't be disparaging when it's too late for them to change their mind. IMO, that's just being mean.

I found I could relate to Karol a bit, though she has taken things much more to the extreme than I. I have five tattoos (with plans to get more) and got my first one about 15 years ago. It wasn't as mainstream then so I admit I too have a bit of the same underlying resentment at how popular tattoos have become as Karol seems to have. I also have dated my share of "socially unacceptable" men, though never as extreme (or, thankfully, as dangerous) as the ones she has kept company with. I think the moral that her ex-boyfriend tells is very true ("you knew I was a snake when you picked me up") and is something more women should remember. "Bad boys" can certainly be a lot of fun and get your adrenaline pumping, but the truly bad ones are just that -- bad. I certainly hope that she has stayed away from that type of guy since writing this book, especially since she has a child to be concerned about now.

Arizona isn't quite as much "the West" as Wyoming, but it is definitely different from living back East or out in California. The desert is its own world and I liked reading about Karol's love for her own little world.

All in all, a decent read. Enough history to be interesting but not a dry history lesson, enough personal experience to be unique but not something others cannot relate to on some level or another. (And I, too, laughed at the "nonconformist" tattoo story.)

[Ocean · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book really surpassed my expectations. a lot of meditations on the culture of tattooing and how a lot of white people who get tattoos as a "rite of passage" are actually ripping off a culture they know nothing about, which ties into non-westerners moving into karol's hometown of laramie, WY and making it into something it is not. also, somebody says that your third tattoo is your favorite, and that's definitely true for me.

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book when it was first released and this is the first time I have read it. While I am not a tattoo person, I really enjoyed hearing about Karol Griffin's life and experience as a tattoo artist. She writes in a talking style, as if she was sitting next to you at the bar. She's honest and funny too.

A must read if you are a tattooed person or enjoy the various shows on television!

My Rating: 4 stars

[Dale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although well written, the book has stretches where the story is simply not compelling. The author and her friends come across as self-important, self-identified "artistes," which prevents the audience from fully investing in their fates. The best parts of the book are the sections that explore the history of tattooing.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting memoir about what it means to belong to a place. The author is a tatoo artist in a small town in the west who is always exploring her infatuation with body art and the bad boys that it often adorns.

[Juliette · Rating 3 out of 5]

My friend Rachel gave this book to me for my birthday a few years ago. I read it really quickly~it was an interesting memoir by an interesting woman. I enjoyed reading about modern day life in Wyoming.

[Ally · Rating 1 out of 5]

only got to 2nd chapter. was looking for hot guys on motorbikes and wild stories but wasnt that at all. just tattoo stuff and not my thing.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am in love

[Ashley Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great written memoir of a young woman who is a tattoo artist and loves Wyoming. I highly recommend it.

[Just_jenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

mildly entertaining memoir of a woman turned tattoo artist.

[Amanda Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book and I loved her writing style!