The pulsing rhythm of punk rock blasts through Erik Talkin’s new novel, Private School Punk. Set in a British boy’s school not unlike the one the Foodbank CEO attended in his youth, Private School Punk is the story of a gifted 17-year-old classical cellist who gets in touch with his rowdy side when he meets Johnny Rotten and is inspired to start his own punk band.
The fun premise gets an even more energetic spark, as Talkin’s book comes off the page as a full-on multimedia experience, punctuated by more than 150 punk-style illustrations, a full cast audiobook with 28 voice actors from 10 different countries, and even its own soundtrack album featuring 14 original songs by the fictitious band in the story and others.
Putting all this together would be an accomplishment for any writer, but particularly for one with such a demanding day job running a nonprofit that provides food and nutrition education for one in three people in Santa Barbara County.