Brothers, Boyfriends & Other Criminal Minds - by April Lurie

April is growing up in a mainly Italian suburb in 1970's New York. Disco is still king, as well as Welcome Back Kotter and KC and the Sunshine band. Her little brother plays with Star Wars toys and her mother has jumped on the very first health food band wagon. April, who is not Italian, finds herself inadvertently working for the mob when she agrees to walk Soft Sal's son to school. Meanwhile her brother has fallen in love with the stereotypical Italian Princess, which is a big no-no since he is not of Italian descent. Meanwhile, April finds herself falling for the long haired rocker, much to her parents' dismay. However does April deal with her emotions, while keeping her brother alive and distancing herself from her "mafioso" connection?
Brothers, Boyfriends & Other Criminal Minds was a fun a read. April is an entertaining heroine, and her dilemmas are dealt with realistically, and not always with a happy ending. My only concern with this novel is that the pop culture references would be missed by many of the targeted readers. I was a young girl in the 70's and I experienced the Star Wars phenomena and watching John Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino. I am not sure that today's teens would be as well aware of these cultural icons, or why the mob was such a big part of the 70's. That aside , I still enjoyed it and I think there is an audience out there for this book.
This novel may be a good book for a YA mother/daughter book club. It would help fill in the blanks for many young readers left wondering who "The Who" are.