Kenny Noble Cortes had a long, storied career in radio – disc jockey, reporter, and publicity hound. But that’s all the past now. Cortes is now looking back at his career, his family, and his mistakes (personal and professional) in Culture Jock. Written to memorialize the good times and the bad, Cortes is honest about his shortcomings while sharing the greatest joys of his life thus far.
I give Culture Jock 3 out of 5 stars. This memoir was difficult for me to read and feel like the book, and Cortes in general, could benefit from an editor. This book felt disjointed with so many quips and short stories that didn’t seem to fit the overall narrative. I also found the use of “LOL” or “haha” at least once in every chapter unprofessional and distracting. Further, Cortes’ struggle with alcoholism is discussed as though it is something managed well throughout the book, only to discover in the final pages that it is just the opposite. This book feels like an ego play and an attempt to stay relevant when his career has ended. No longer the center of attention, he is looking for a way to relive his glory days. Cortes also utilizes mental health diseases and joke labels for his own shortcomings – something that not only does not feel like a genuine ownership of the challenge, but of coopting the issue, which makes it hard for those actually suffering to be taken seriously. It is a callous and reckless action.
I would discourage readers who have struggled with alcoholism from reading this book. I would also discourage those who find it difficult to read about infidelity and abuse of power in the church – these topics are covered in terms of his marriage and his wife’s relationship with their minister. Overall, I would recommend this book for readers who are familiar with Cortes from his time on the air and are at least 16 years old.
I was provided a copy of Culture Jock early this year by the publisher and PR team in hopes of a review (no promise to review was given). I am never one to turn down a free book, but had put off reading this one after reading just the first few pages. I honestly looked up at my husband after finishing the first section and said “what did I just read?!” This book is scattered and you are left never knowing where the next story will end and if it even fits. More than once, I finished a vignette that took up a page or two only to discover it had no impact in the overall story nor a place in the current chapter’s objective. All of these could have been resolved with better editing, so I can’t fault Cortes completely. Cortes mentions writing a second book towards the end of Culture Jock. I would discourage publishers from taking that on without a more professional editing team involved. Had I not wanted to review it for the blog, I would have put this down after just the first section and added it to the very short list of books I did not finish.
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
- Current audio book: Wildflower Falls, Denise Hunter
- Book I’m most looking forward to: The Rules of Magic, Alice Hoffman
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