Name: Twist: An American Girl
Brand: Adele Bertei

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

9781736309339

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Download code: No

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Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format Books GB

Hardback

Format detail

Limited edition

Release date

2023-05-20

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Ingram Publisher Services UK

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Artist

Adele Bertei

Genre GB

Writing

Label GB

Ze Books

Adele Bertei, born in Cleveland, Ohio, has had a vibrant career as a musician and artist. She began her journey in New York City's No Wave scene, playing keyboard for The Contortions before forming the all-female band The Bloods. Known as the first openly queer band, they made waves with their unique sound and message.

Throughout her career, Adele has achieved success both on the music charts and in other artistic endeavors. Her hit singles like "Thomas Dolby" and "John 'Jellybean' Benitez" showcased her versatile vocal talents. Additionally, she has explored film and TV projects while also being a published author.

Adele Bertei's influence can be seen in artists such as Beth B, The Pop Group, A Certain Ratio, Madonna, Riot Grrrl movement performers - reflecting her diverse range of interests and collaborations. With an impressive body of work spanning multiple mediums, Adele continues to captivate audiences with her artistry.

&nbsp;In frank prose without an ounce of self-pity, Twist is an episodic survival of the fittest, navigating the crooked rivers of poverty, race, sexuality, and gender.

&nbsp;It is a world of little girl gangsters, drag queen solidarity, wild roller-skating, and magical thinking. With Twist, Bertei gives us a story of violence and madness, of heartbreak and perseverance, and redemption.

Through the eyes of her alter ego Maddie Twist, Adele Bertei threads together the tapestry of an extraordinary, troubled childhood in the 60s and 70s. It begins with her beautiful mother, whose delusions of grandeur bring both wonders and horrors to the Bertei home. It is her undiagnosed schizophrenia that eventually leads to the removal of her children, and the beginning of young Maddie’s wild journey. By her middle school years, Maddie Twist has moved through several foster homes and reformatories. With each new posting, she discovers sanctuary amongst her peers—outcast girls—while gaining belief in her identity, and unwavering trust in her own voice. As she ages out of the system and finds herself navigating the world alone, Maddie’s only constant is a ribbon of music that weaves itself around her heart. She can sing, and she is certain it will be the beacon that guides her towards another life.

Adele Bertei's music career began in Cleveland with Peter Laughner of Pere Ubu. She entered New York's downtown scene of the late 1970s as an organist for the Contortions and went on to form the Bloods, the first out, queer, all women-rock band. Bertei has appeared in several indie films, most notably Lizzie Borden's Born in Flames and The Offenders. As a singer/songwriter, she has toured with, written songs for, and recorded as a backup vocalist for a diverse group of artists including Tears for Fears, Thomas Dolby, Sandra Bernhard, Culture Club, Scritti Politti, Whitney Houston, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Sheena Easton, Oleta Adams, Lydia Lunch, the Pointer Sisters, Matthew Sweet, and Sophie B. Hawkins. Bertei charted top twenty internationally with featured leads on Thomas Dolby's "Hyperactive!" and Jellybean's "Just a Mirage." Berteiis the author of Peter and the Wolves, a short memoir of her rock and roll education.

Twist: An American Girl

Books GB