I had always thought of Sid Vicious as a violent reprobate who killed his annoying girlfriend and died before the trial. He may still be that person, but the case is absolutely more complex than that and Vicious and Spungeon were both significantly impacted by the failures of their parents. As they both died before I was born, I didn't really see how tragically young and unfinished both of them were when they died. Pollack has written a well-researched and empathetic account of what is known about the couple and the nights they died that doesn't sweep the unpleasant aspects of their personalities under the rug -- but also makes their humanity very apparent. There's true crime books where you aren't sure whether the author sees the victims as truly human. This is a huge step above those and the author has the integrity to make it clear what he doesn't know and also give credit to those who have previously researched the crime in question. I'm really glad I read this, as it gave me a much more complex understanding of both parties and the world in which they lived. I still wouldn't want to run into someone like Vicious in a bar, but cutting through the myth and legends surrounding him is quite an accomplishment.

I received a copy of this ebook via NetGalley.

Why are we so fascinated by the lives and sordid deaths of Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen nearly 50 years later? Are they a cautionary tale of flying too close to the sun, or flat stereotypes of what early punk meant?

Pollack has given us a fully fleshed out investigation into what really happened the night of Nancy's murder, compiling the police and judicial records and extensive interviews past and present of their contemporaries. He builds a picture of the humanity of the two tragic youth, going beyond the sensationalism of the time.

It was totally gripping, and an excellent contribution to the lore. And now to put on some vinyl!

I've always had a soft spot for the Sex Pistols. Learning more about what happened with Sid Vicious was unexpected, but the book did an excellent job.

Another tragic footnote in the music world - one that captured the attention of many because of the tragic relationship, horror and nature of the deaths of Sid & Nancy. I'm not into the punk rock, but Sid & Nancy's story captivated me in 1978. Pollack's research seems to be very in depth - but I always take a third party's take on events with some skepticism. If you're interested in Sid & Nancy's story - I do recommend this book. Thanks for the ARC.

Sid and Nancy were still a big part of the public lexicon when I was a teenager and obviously still are - a pair of star crossed lovers, fraught with poor parenting, mental illness, addiction, abuse, murder, and suicide.

I read And I Don’t Want to Live this Life by Deborah Spungen in the early 90’s and DS’s and her take was so entirely blameless that it didn’t seem at all possible, if you know what I mean. After I became a parent, I revisited the biography and it struck me as two young adults, in over their heads with a colicky baby that when the pediatrician suggested a specific RX and it seemed to work, it probably seemed like a lifeline. As an adult, I view it as lazy - lazy on the doctor’s part, and on the parents’. But considering that doctors prescribed smoking cigarettes from the 1930’s to 1950’s, well, I guess we can’t really expect better. As a parent of an almost 20 year old, the life Nancy lived distresses me.

When I saw this book on NetGalley, I was curious to see how the ultimate fates of Nancy and Sid would be addressed in a new book. While there isn’t anything brand new here, the author does a good job of bringing the story into the 21st century - humanizing both, laying out all the known facts, theories, and presenting suspects.

No matter how one looks at it, the stories of Sid and Nancy, individually and together, are tragedies.

I found Room 100: Sid, Nancy, and the Night Punk Rock Died a worthwhile read and would recommend to fans, and those interested.



Thank you to Backbeat and NetGalley for the DRC

I received a free copy of, Room 100, by Jesse P. Pollack, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen, were in love, and rock and rollers, unfortunately, Nancy was murdered, by Sid. This was a sad read, so much talent thrown away, by drugs.

A huge thank you to the publisher who gave me an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’d always thought that Sid and Nancy died together, in a suicide pact. Not only did I learn that wasn’t at all what happened, but I learned so much more – about them and about the whole punk rock scene of the seventies.

Many rumors and theories of what happened the night Nancy Spungen died have circulated over the decades. In interviewing those who knew the couple, studying the police records of both deaths, and developing a timeline of the night in question, Jesse P. Pollack shows us which theories *could* be true, and which could not. The world may never know for sure who stabbed Nancy, but what we do know is that both Sid and Nancy were doomed long before they met, thanks to their respective mothers.

This is a must-read for any punk rock fan, and, really, anyone who’s interested in music history.

Jesse P. Pollack does a fantastic job in writing this type of book, I thought this worked as a way of showing the tragic story of Sid and Nancy. The overall research was there and worked with the interviews and true crime element.

4 stars

I love anything and everything Sid and Nancy. This is a great addition to their story. There is a lot of interesting and new (to me) things within these pages. The writing was done well, and I enjoyed a lot of the interviews.