Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway

Cherie Currie · Tony O'Neill

Mar 2010 · Harper Collins

About this ebook

In this candid autobiography, Cherie Currie—the original lead singer of ‘70s teenage all-girl rock band The Runaways—powerfully recounts her years in the band, her friendship with guitarist Joan Jett, and her struggle with drugs. An intense, behind-the-scenes look at rock music in the gritty, post-glam era, Neon Angel is a must-read for anyone whose heart beats to the rhythm of David Bowie, Suzi Quatro, Nick Gilder, and the Sex Pistols, and for every fan of the movie it inspired: The Runaways, starring Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart as Cherie Currie and Joan Jett.

Ratings and reviews

I was delighted to read this growing up. I was a middle schooler when I was in love with The Runaways movie. I learned about Neon Angels and read it throughout middle school on my Kindle. I'm 20 now and I'm buying this again for a reread. It taught me more about life than I intially realized and I'm excited to revisit the story of a rock 'n roll icon I still hold dear to my heart. It's been all these years and I still think back to the time I read and what I learned through her experiences. She really does have a brillant want of writing to make you feel like you're there with her, experiencing everything along with her.

Heartbreaking recollection of the terrible exploitation by Kim Fowley on the young girls who formed iconic band "the runaways". Cherie rose from the ashes of being raped in the worst possible ways (yes ways...more than once, both brutal and horrifying), and drug-play that coalesced into full blown crack addiction. She rose from the ashes in a headspinning tale of adventure and family drama i had a hard time putting down. If one can overlook the over-bubbly inbetweens, i recommend this read for music fans.

This is the kind of book that made me really think what was life like back in the 1970's - parties, drugs, sex, rock and roll, creepy guys, etc. I think that with most things in ones' life, you decide if you want to change. That's what I found the most courageous in Cherie Currie's book - courage to change what you can and the power to know when you can't change. You decide what is right and wrong in your life and you either die or go on living and re-inventing yourself through your talents - art, singing, acting, chain saw carver - and helping other kids who ended up in the same boat you were in. A terrific story that is still unfolding, Cherie Currie can do it all and live her life with no regrets.

About the author

Cherie Currie has been described as "the lost daughter of Iggy Pop and Brigitte Bardot." Shortly after the Runaways disbanded, the rock star landed a coveted role in the Jodie Foster movie Foxes, and later went on to appear in a number of other films. Currie is still performing, writing, and acting, and she continues to take on unorthodox endeavors. One of the most prominent chain-saw carvers in the world, she placed in two major competitions in 2005. She lives in California with her son, Jake. Tony O'Neill is the author of Digging the Vein and Down and Out on Murder Mile, and the coauthor of Neon Angel and the New York Times bestseller Hero of the Underground. He lives in New York with his wife and daughter.