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 enlarge | Author: Mickey Rapkin
Publisher: Gotham
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $0.31
You Save: $25.69 (99%)
New (52) Used (29) from $0.29
Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 20997
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 275
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 1.2
ISBN: 159240376X
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.506073
EAN: 9781592403769
ASIN: 159240376X
Publication Date: May 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Just OK July 21, 2008
It's just OK. The protagonists in this story are the songs performed by the groups. It would have been much better to have bundled this book with a CD with the songs that are referenced in the book. Some songs are on his web site, but that's cumbersome.
 not quite as good as I expected from the other reviews... June 29, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I sang in my college and graduate school a cappella groups, so I was very excited to hear about this book and eager to read it hoping to relive the many unique and hard-to-describe experiences and emotions that I experienced during my years in the two cappella groups. While I think Mr. Rapkin does a good job relating some of the novel situations and inside stories of some of the best groups in Collegiate a cappella, once I finished the book (and even several times while reading it), the stories and anecdotes never sufficiently grabbed my interest. At the heart of it, that may be the biggest hurdle to overcome in relating these experiences--what happens to the members of an a cappella group is fundamentally only really interesting for those same members. The events just aren't as entertaining in the narrative as they must have been for the subjects as they occurred. Furthermore, the characters featured in the book show themselves through numerous examples to be so self-absorbed and self-aggrandizing that once I finished it, the book seemed to me to be a squandered reading opportunity--I wish I had read something else.
From a former member of one of said a cappella groups... June 24, 2008
Disclaimer: I want to be up front in noting that I am a former member of one of the a cappella groups chronicled in Mickey's book, so I can't possibly claim objectivity. That said, I also know a great deal about the facts and stories contained within the book (at least as they relate to one of the groups).
Overall, I think the book does a good job of doing something that I've always found very, very difficult - trying to describe the experience of being in one of these groups to someone unfamiliar with the world of collegiate a cappella. The great challenge of trying to portray the strange, entertaining world of collegiate a cappella is that, as the book demonstrates, the experience of any one person or group can and does vary widely based on the character and personality of the group in question. That said, Rapkin does a nice job of giving us a window into the world of these 3 groups, with a tone that alternates between admiration, humor, and a bit of sarcasm.
This book cannot, and does not, cover the full range of issues and areas of collegiate a cappella. It certainly is not a comprehensive history of the topic, nor does it portray every side of every story with regard to the individuals mentioned in various chapters. But truth be told, that isn't the purpose of this book, nor should it be. This book is about telling a story that, until now, has largely gone untold - the story of a unique part of today's collegiate culture that prompts thousands of college students every year sign up for a cappella groups across the country. These groups are often the single most defining element of their members collegiate lives, and the types of memories they create (for better and worse) are well captured in Rapkin's book.
 couldn't stop reading June 11, 2008
i devoured this book in one day--today--and was alternately enthralled by the stories of the individual groups, fascinated by the facts i never knew, and laughing my head off at the author's sarcasm and wit.
i have been a big follower of collegiate a cappella for a few years now; both my older brother and i are in groups at our universities and my uncle was a part of Cornell's Hangovers. I have attended countless shows, both professional (Five O'Clock Shadow is my favorite group on the face of the earth) and collegiate, including the ICCA semifinals. needless to say, i thought i had a pretty good knowledge of the world of college a cappella. this book showed me i was wrong, and in the best way! It also made me interested in groups i'd never heard of, and i will most definately be on the lookout for some CDs...
I will also be recommending this to any and all a capella fans i know and just about anyone else who likes a good story.
Hilarious and Heartwarming June 5, 2008
Pitch Perfect keeps you hooked from the first page, when you are introduced to the three a
cappella groups Rapkin follows during the 2006-07 school year. The book alternates chapters, one devoted to each group, taking you through the triumphs and tribulations these students face, beginning with auditions for "fresh meat" during orientation week through the conclusion of the spring semester. The songs that are described throughout the story come to life as you read! Not only does the reader instantly feel the campus vibe, but also feels affection for the singers. It's like going back to college! I thoroughly enjoyed the hilarious anecdotes that Rapkin peppers the pages with. Pitch Perfect is an easy read, filled with laugh-out-loud witty one-liners, and is heartwarming too. I can't wait for the next book from this very talented author!
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