Praise for Kick It Till It Breaks

Amazon reader reviews:

Just finished reading Ira Robbins' wonderful novel Kick It Till It Breaks, which captures the essences of the 1960s' counter-culture with unflinching honesty and a cast of colorful characters that wanders from San Francisco to Memphis to swinging London. At the center of the story is Ydinia Ochreman, who embodies the spirit of the decade in so many ways: free spirited, passionate, yet unable to actually reach the goals she's set for herself - much like the various political groups that populate the novel, all of which seem to be working at cross-purposes, with little in common except a desire to change the system. The characters come to life as they struggle in vain to change a world they barely understand; Robbins paints the settings in vivid detail, adding layers of historical references to real-life events (like the 1968 Democratic National Convention) and institutions (Ramparts magazine, anyone?). Kick It Till It Breaks is funny, insightful, bitter and, ultimately, unafraid to face the dark truth about that fabled decade.

Ira Robbins has been one of my favorite music journalists for decades, an insightful, enthusiastic, and talented man. But that did not prepare me for his first venture into fiction, Kick It Till It Breaks. His ability to create characters you care about even when they're behaving like cretins, his ability to put you into a scene with cinematic clarity, his appreciation of the absurdities of life, his command of the delicious nuances of the written word, all make his first novel a work of thought-provoking power while being a vastly entertaining read.

The great Ira Robbins and his first novel!! A winner!!