This book was a delight. As a Christian and as a rock fan, I was so excited to learn more about Sonny, his walk with the Lord, and how he navigated the world of rock. I paused the book multiple times to look up music videos, SNL performances, TRL videos, and that list goes on and on. He’s a great example of what loving Jesus is about, from praying with people at shows to starting the whosovers, hearing the story straight from him was everything I could have asked for. Middle school me was beaming the entire time I listened to this. Wonderful WONDERFUL book. Thank you for sharing your story and thank you NetGalley for the ARC! 5 star book for me easy!

I received a copy of this audiobook ARC from the publisher through NetGalley.

This was a lot of fun. One of my favorite types of escapism relaxing reads is to get into a memoir from a musician that I listen to. Sonny Sandoval provides this here, with Son of Southtown. It's always a great bonus when the artist/author is the one doing the narration.

I found Sonny's story to be fascinating and inspiring, from his early days pre-POD all the way to the present. Sonny covers what's been going on in his life as well as his professional career, which is a great formula for an entertaining memoir...

Son of Southtown: My life between two worlds by Sonny Sandoval is a must read/listen for anyone who listens to P.O.D. but also for those who are trying to navigate living their life of faith in our current world.

I am not religious myself and wasn't sure how I would take that aspect of the book, but it was done in a way that I admired his faith in those moments and saw how it could be a comfort during the tough moments.

I highly recommend the audio version of he book as Sonny himself narrates it. I also really enjoyed the mentions of other bands along the way that I have heard of.

Thank you to Sonny Sandoval for sharing your story and working with NetGalley. I was chosen to listen to an advanced audio copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

I think overall this book was good but I still didn’t finish it. I think it jumped around a little too much for me and without being a huge fan of POD, it didn’t hit for me fully.

P.O.D came into my life at a time when you still had to stand in line for concert tickets, arrange a ride to the music shop to grab an album and wait all day by the radio to hear a new single drop.

Ahhh the 90s how I miss thee.

I was lucky enough to see P.O.D live a few times back in the day and the shows were amazing!
I always liked the facts that the band was a Christian band that didn't push an agenda of religion.
They were religious, and made boss music, separate but not separate.
For a band that prided themselves on not pushing a religious agenda this book sure did the opposite.
It felt like one of those Sunday morning pulpits.
Preaching was up front and music was a secondary thought.
I did get some tidbits on their musical inspiration & process, but it wasn't enough.
I was hoping for better.
Thanks to NetGalley & RBmedia for my ALC.

I enjoyed this story from Sonny and loved that he narrated the story. Having him narrate really brought an added emotional connection to the story.

Overall, the message was great but I did feel that it jumped around quite a bit.

Thanks to RBMedia for the ARC.

Sonny Sandoval’s memoir is the perfect mix of nostalgia, faith, and rebellion—kind of like the music of P.O.D. itself. If you grew up headbanging to Deftones and Incubus without realizing P.O.D. was part of your subconscious soundtrack, this book will hit hard. And if you later found yourself leading youth groups while parents panicked over Skillet and Switchfoot, you definitely won’t be able to put this down.

Sandoval tells his story with raw honesty, taking us from the streets of Southtown to MTV’s TRL, from cornfield festivals to post-9/11 New York. It’s an unfiltered look at the struggles and triumphs of a band that never quite fit into the world’s expectations—too Christian for some, too secular for others, but always unapologetically real.

And yes, I may have paused my reading to Google old TRL clips and a certain connection to Katy Perry. But no spoilers—read it yourself to find out. 5 stars for a memoir that rocks as hard as the band that inspired it! 🤘

Why do people write memoirs that are so incredibly short and light on details?

The included material wasn't bad (although very Jesus heavy and band-light, but oh well) but man, if you are going to write about your life, pulling some details in instead of just giving a very brief overview of everything makes the book more enjoyable.

A must-read for any heavy metal fan. A must-read for anyone searching for hope. A must-read for all Christians. ...what? Yeah... just read the book.

I love reading about my music heroes and finding out what shaped their lives and artistic endeavors. This one was everything I hoped it would be. Life's highest peaks and lowest valleys. Heartbreaking and heartwarming. This one has it all.

I remember going to Edgefest over a decade ago to see P.O.D. rock out with Godsmack, Staind, and Papa Roach. It was an absolutely brutal concert. Outdoors. Rainy. Muddy. Hot. Needless to say, the conditions weeded out the crowd. Only the hardcore fans remained. This was the concert that Aaron Lewis of Staind famously took a time out during his set to express his displeasure with the crowd. It was there that I witnessed thousands of unruly metal fans singing and headbanging with a Christian band. The music and the message can coincide.

Thank you for staying true to what you believe, Sonny. You are a true inspiration.