Who wouldn't want to become a rock star for a week? Rock Camp founder David Fishof, with the help of Travis Atria, discusses how he built his rock camps from the ground up in this new book. The book describes the seed that was planted and then chronicles a week in the life of the camp. As a music fan, I've always wondered how this came to be, how it's run, and the results of the camp. I can sing and play a little piano, but I don't know that I'd ever have the guts to join one of these camps. I'd probably be star-struck and not able to talk.

The writing style is casual and conversational, and the sections are mostly comprised of interviews with campers, counselors, and special guests including notable names in the rock industry like Paul Stanley of Kiss, Alice Cooper, and Roger Daltrey of the Who. And this is just a mere handful of famous rockers involved with this project. In fact, the founder gets a nudge to create this program from none other than Jon Bon Jovi.

Although I was very intrigued, I felt that this book did not go into depth with the program. I've read oral histories before like a book about the Allman Brothers and others that appeared in the magazine, Vanity Fair, but this did not dig too far. The stories from campers were inspiring and surprising, some moving. Most felt it was a life-changing event and that was awesome to hear. But I wanted to know more about why the rockers agreed to participate. A lot was stated about how it made them feel afterward. Sometimes, it read more like an advertisement--not pushy but a surface account of the camp.

Plus, the book was entirely too short and could have used way more anecdotes as well as a list of who's who of the rock camp. If you watched the VH-1 series, which I didn't even know existed and could not find on Netflix or anywhere else, this serves as a good companion book, but as a stand-alone, it is not enough. It's hard to imagine the evolution of a motley crew (I almost wrote it out like the band name because Tommy Lee and Vince Neill were part of some of the camps) of people getting together and starting a band from start to finish. This may translate better into a documentary or the aforementioned series. Also, I wanted to hear more about the niche camps like the all-women's camp and about future plans for the camp.

I also feel that this may have been a better book if a camper wrote it or an independent journalist who agreed to participate. An inside look from someone else may have delved deeper into the whole program. Although it's well-written and engaging with its conversational style, it skirted over the details and could have presented more information.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Rowman & Littlefield for an advance copy of this history about the creation of a unique and loud summer camp for adults.

So you want to be a rock and roll star? Many people have had that dream. I remember in grade school when the question was asked what we wanted to to when we were adults rock star, astronaut, and garbage man were the top choices. Even rock stars sing about people wanting to be rock stars. The Byrds lyric that started this paragraph, Bad Company, Foreigner, Frank Zappa even Bachman Turner Overdrive. Being on stage, people aping your guitar licks, air drumming like young Neil Pearts, lighters, or more likely cell phone lights blinking in the crowd. Tis a wonderful dream, but still just a dream. Until a man had an idea and the friends to make dreams come real for a lot of people. All without the fear of being a one-hit wonder, or a victim of rock and roll excess. David Fishof, creator of Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp, tells the story of his helping people live the life of a rock star in his book Rock Camp: An Oral History, 25 Years of the Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp. Written with Travis Atria, this is the story of a man, a plan and the people got to share the limelight even for a short period of time.

David Fishof made music his life producing world tours for musicians like Peter Frampton, Roger Daltry, Joe Walsh and many others. The thing that struck him all the time was the love the fans had not only for the performers, but the music, and the interest they had in its creation. Seeing so many like minded individuals, men, women, young, old all loving music and wanting to share more in the feeling of creation and making something real Fishof had an idea. Why not try and bring together professional mentors with amateurs, even just noodlers and see what happens. Twenty- five years later the dream is still going with numerous jam sessions, concerts and bucket lists being preformed. In addition to Fishof's recollections numerous other mentors, camp goers and others share their thoughts and experiences.

The book is short, but well written with lots of inspiring stories and a good history of what it takes to get an idea like this going. Fishof has a lot of funny tales, and if very good at sharing them. What I enjoyed was the sections from those who attended, which in many cases were quite varied and different than I had expected. Many talk about health difficulties, losses they have experienced which the camp has helped them deal with, physical and emotional issues and well other stories of people just having a good time.

A book for fans of music and for those who might one day be interested in attending one of the camps. Also this is good book for people who need to be inspired by the arts. Seeing all these people come together, sure for money, but at the same time readers do get the feel that there is something really cool happening here. And that magic can still happen.

This was such a cool book to read. It was fun getting to see behind the scenes of something that I knew existed but never really gave much thought.