That's how I felt, DC. As I posted a few weeks ago, it was written in a really strange style; almost a rant. I certainly could've done without all of the '60s, hipster, beatnik lingo. If you don't already know the basics of the story, then you're much better off with "Joey." And for a more journalistic approach, Selwyn Raab's "Five Families" covers more in ten pages than Folsom's entire book. But there was just something about the book as a whole that I enjoyed. It was very cinematic. I kept seeing the book as a film.