Today’s elixir is about time travel, and I think Alice’s rabbit will appreciate it since he’s always so upset about being late.
Our next stop on the Young Adult Reading Wonderland Journey is with the YA Historical. As a category, historical stories are near and dear to my heart because I’m enamored with history. My middle grade reading journey was steeped in a love for this kind of story. Books within the historical category are set within the framework of a time in history, and a fictionalized story is fleshed out within those constructs. Today’s book, The Vinyl Underground by Rob Rufus is a gorgeous example of the YA Historical but with a modern historical edge because it’s post World War II and set during the Vietnam War in 1968.
Ronnie Bingham’s brother has been killed in the Vietnam War; a conflict he was drafted into only a year prior. Steeped in his own grief as well as his own fears as he approaches aging into the draft in a few months, Ronnie feels stuck and powerless. When his best friend Milo introduces him to a new student, Hana, they discover their mutual love for music isn’t the only thing they have in common, but also an abhorrence for the war. Their club the Vinyl Underground is born and becomes the safety net they all need. In the confusion of the approaching draft, the systemic racism in their high school and community, and the difficulties of facing heavy feelings that threaten to drown him, Ronnie has to figure out what he believes and what he’s willing to do to take a stand.
The Vinyl Underground by Rob Rufus is a brand new book released by Flux Books at the beginning of March just as the chaos of stay-at-home orders took precedence and pulled this wonderful book into its current to get lost in the mire of the log jam of other kinds of information. I’d like to be a small voice to change that since this story deserves a much larger voice. Timely in its content despite the 1968 designation, themes of social justice, finding a way to take a stand, and using one’s voice to make change are paramount to the story. But like all YA - and one of the reasons I love this genre - the story finds a way to give us hope. Mr. Rufus, who so graciously agreed to this interview, has written one another book, a memoir called Die Young With Me, and The Vinyl Underground is his first book of fiction.
CLW: First, I really loved The Vinyl Underground, your debut novel which dropped March 10. A big facet of this historical novel set during 1968 is the music. Would you elaborate on what inspired the choices of the songs in the story?
RR: Thank you, so glad you dug the book! I’m a big music fan and record collector, so I was excited to center a story around the 1960’s because that’s the greatest era of music, in my opinion. Some of the songs were used simply because they set the tone of a scene or character. Others, like Eve of Destruction or Gates of Eden, I used to serve as a bridge between the insanity and uncertainty of the 1960s and the present. I threw in the MC5 to symbolize how music, as well as attitudes, were growing more extreme.
CLW: I’m an English teacher, and I’m always telling my students, “Setting matters!” So, why choose Vietnam as a backdrop versus another possible historical setting?
RR: Selfishly, I chose it because my dad is a Vietnam Vet. He never talked to me about the war growing up, so all my life I’ve immersed myself in the culture, music, history, and literature as a way to connect with that part of his life. During the 2016 election I saw so many parallels to the 1960s, but so little of the fight. Young people who didn’t even go vote were posting and marching about the election after the fact. It really broke my heart. Boo’s sound like cheers to the people who are already living in the ivory tower. Late reaction is inaction. I hope readers take that message to heart even if it makes them uncomfortable.
CLW: One of my favorite characters is Hana and her unapologetic stance on issues of social justice. What made her even more dimensional is the way you juxtaposed the idea of racial injustice with the injustice of sexism. What inspired this choice?
RR: Hana was inspired by a very real person who is every bit as badass and unapologetic. She’s an English teacher as well, and hearing about the way the political climate was affecting her minority students was very jarring. Adults will rail on the bully pulpit without realizing the street-level impact of their thoughtless words. I think a lot of kids were going through the same thing in 1968.
CLW: You are also a musician (right?). What lessons from your work as a musician played into your work as an author?
RR: The most valuable thing being a musician taught me about writing is that “it sucks until it doesn’t.” Learning an instrument, like learning to write, sucks! It’s exhausting. It’s just miserable work. But if you stick with it, there will come a day when you find your rhythm. And when you do, the whole world opens up to you.
CLW: The Vinyl Underground is your first fiction novel, but not your first book. You’ve also written a memoir called Die Young With Me. Was the process different to see these books completed?
RR: The process was way different. Die Young With Me was the story of me getting into punk rock and spending my teenage years battling cancer. It felt like a miracle when it got published and won awards. The Vinyl Underground was easier to write but harder to get published. Partly because of the subject matter, partly because many editors said kids don’t care about the 1960s. It was disheartening, because with Vinyl Underground I set out to prove myself as a writer and not just someone who got a memoir published because they’d lived through a bunch of traumatic experiences. But it is what it is, and that’s the nature of the business. I’m very proud of both books and humbled than anyone takes the time to check out anything I do.
CLW: What is a fun tidbit about The Vinyl Underground that would surprise readers?
RR: I got the idea for the book when I found a love letter tucked in a used LP I randomly bought. The letter was 40 years old between two high school sweethearts! I thought it was such a beautiful thing to pair a message with a song.
CLW: What is your favorite genre to read, and do you have a recommendation for readers?
RR: One of my favorite genres is pulp crime, because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It is offensive, funny, ridiculous, and incredibly entertaining. I tell that to people all the time, and they roll their eyes. But if you can accept it for what it is, you can be exposed to a lot of great writing. James Ellroy is the living master of the genre, but he isn’t suitable for young viewers. Insert every trigger-warning imaginable here.
CLW: What was the last book you read you found magical?
RR: The book I’m currently reading is magical as hell. It’s called The Lost Book of Adana Moreau, by Michael Zapata. It’s beautiful writing and a beautiful story that spans decades, borders, and dimensions. It’s an incredibly thought provoking read.
CLW: Which specific authors or specific books - YA and otherwise - have inspired your own author’s journey?
RR: Lots of authors inspired my understanding of form, breaking the rules, and writing honestly. But the book that inspired me to start writing was Born on the Fourth of July, by Ron Kovic. It’s the memoir of a soldier who was shot and paralyzed, and ultimately became a leading voice of the anti-war movement. I’d never read anything like it. I still haven’t. It was raw power.
CLW: The theme is YA Fiction. What makes your top-five list in no particular order?
RR: I honestly don’t read enough of it to make any recommendations. So maybe we should skip this one, ha-ha.
CLW: What are you working on now?
RR: My agent Shannon is currently shopping around my third book right now. I am currently working on a television pilot, which has been interesting!
CLW: Where can readers find you?
RR: Well, I was supposed to be on tour through May but that’s been rescheduled due to the pandemic. So, as long as I’m quarantined they can find me either inside my house listening to music or walking the streets with my dog Baby Biscuit. Hopefully they’ll find me back on the road sooner than later!
Interested in finding out more about Rob Rufus and The Vinyl Underground? You can find him on Instagram at @rob_rufus, on Twitter @rob_rufus , and his website is www.robrufus.net