"Bajema's prose combines the precision of pop-song lyrics with the surreal haziness of a fever-dream... these lyrical stories treat a range of topics, from schoolboy football stardom and infatuation with a local beauty to Eddie's encounters with his emotionally battered father, described as a 'dog of war' with a 'soul in pieces.' A raw and direct pathway into the mind ... Read moreof an independent youth 'trapped in the culture of Southern California.'"
Publishers Weekly "Bajema's prose is surly and mesmerizing, snakes down your throat like a pickup's exhaust. Fans of Sam Shepard will dig these desperate and beautiful tales."
Joshua Mohr, author of Damascus "Don Bajema is one of my favorite writers. His stories are tough, honest and sometimes brutal yet they're also merciful, wise and transcendent. Reading Bajema's work is like hearing an ancient, mysterious folk song played by a great rock and roll band in a dark bar somewhere in the Mojave Desert on a hot night. Don Bajema's stories makes me want to go write songs and play guitar too loud."
Dave Alvin, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter "Don gives an articulate voice to the outsider. He captures the fragility of adolescence and the awkwardness; how the random collection of our childhood experiences shape us into the person we are reacting against, coming to terms with and always becoming."
Dred Scott, Musician "A smidgeon of Shepard, a bit of Boyle, a cry of Kerouac and maybe a taste of Morrison flavor these original stories of a California life."
Robert Englund, Actor "Discovering Don Bajema's literary genius before the rest of the world has caught on is akin to stepping into Gerde's Folk City in '61 and catching a young kid from Minnesota fixing his harmonica in place and launching into a song about 'Hard Rain' or finding yourself at London's Marquee Club in '63 when a group of scruffy hooligans are reverently and rebelliously inventing a groundbreaking, world splitting, stone rolling, blues rock n roll. Bajema's writing ignites agonizing heartache, prophetic insight, immortal swagger, and a redemptive, triumphant love of life. You will beg him to keep on singing."
Pete Sinjin, Musician "Winged Shoes and a Shield by Don Bajema is one of those books that I'm excited about reading every day and already sad about finishing. I know that once I've finished the last chapter, I'll be jonesing for more so I've found that I've been dragging out those last few pages. This is an example of what I think great writing is all about. There's sure to be at least one, if not many, of the stories in this book that will stay with you for a while after reading. I would list this as my most exciting read of the year."
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