- Small press literary bestseller (November 2002).

- Has been on Amazon.com's bestselling list in the genre of punk/underground culture (often times outselling both non-fiction and fiction) since its June 1, 2000 release.

- Ranks #3 on Amazon.com's bestselling list in the genre of Alienation/Social psychology (that "outcast" stuff High School English teachers have you read), just under Ulysses by James Joyce (#1) and Naked Lunch by William Burroughs (#2).

Salad Days Tattoos

Salad Days is a poignant memoir for anyone who ever believed in the power of music and its ability, if not to change the world, at least have an effect on one's identity and perspective. Romalotti has a skill for character development, dialogue, and rich detail. The text is witty and quick-moving. Anyone immersed in the punk/hardcore scene will get a kick out of the references to bands and locales.
- Al Quint, Suburban Voice fanzine

A classic punk coming of age novel. The author was there, and this is a great memoir of growing up punk in the early 80s. A fast-paced, engrossing, and thoroughly enjoyable read.
- Ramsey Kanaan, President of AK Press distribution

Salad Days is, in a word, amazing. I can't describe how much of an effect this book has had on me. Nothing else I've ever read has so clearly interpreted the life of a punk, and told it so entertainingly. It's written in a
way that makes you dread the thought of putting it down. I can't say enough good things, but, to sum things up, read this book. It will change your views on what it really means to succeed...and what it really means to believe.
- Steve Rice, Amazon.com

Let me be frank, I absolutely and thoroughly hate Charles Romalotti. For the past week I have rushed home from work only to lie down on my bed and read as long as my tired eyes allowed. I'd then wake up late and rush to work just barely making it on time. All because of Salad Days, a book I now consider one of the finest I've ever read. Salad Days is many things. It is a book that will make you laugh, cry, and provoke countless constructive thoughts. Salad Days thrusts the reader into an emotionally charged reading experience. You can't help but develop a strong feeling of attachment to each character. Perhaps it is due to the masterful way in which Romalotti develops each character, important or not. The stories described in the book should all hit home to the older punk generation, who can remember the hardcore scene of the 80's. It will also be familiar territory to punk kids of today. Those of us who experienced that feeling of being the odd person out, the outsider, the freak, the punk kid. However, it is very important to point out that this book is for everyone to read. You don't have to recognize the band names or venues to enjoy it. You don't have to understand each reference to the 80's hardcore scene to understand the message in the book. The message being, find something you believe in. Something you love enough to put all your passion into. Work hard at it and enjoy it to the fullest. Hold onto that fleeing moment when you're in control of your life and you feel like you're invincible. Hold onto it, because nothing can last forever.
- punkrockreviews.com

Salad Days is one of the best books I've read in a while. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. The main character, Frank Smith, was so well developed that I thought he was real and had to be reminded (more than once) that it was just fiction. Frank could easily be one of my best friends with his philosophies on punk and life in general. The book kept flowing, it didn't end-no boring parts at all. I can't wait to see what other writing the author has in stock in the next book.
- Nicole, Undecided Distribution

Salad Days…how things were when it all really mattered.
- LA Weekly

Salad Days is great, a must-read.
- Nick Mendoza, publicist for BYO Records

There are not many things I chose to remember about my adolescence, or about my modern adult life, for that matter. But the day I forget about the music that changed my life, I'm telling you right now, you can go ahead and pull the dirt over me because I don't want to live. Salad Days is the kind of book that just hit too close to home. It's about the life of a young man who never quite fit as a kid and still never found his niche as an adult, but no matter how others will view him, he will always be the winner. No shit kids, this is good reading. It's all about those great fucking songs that made you scream at the world and let you face impossible odds. The incidents and images Romalotti portrays in the book are so striking and real, bringing back so many memories for people who have been in those situations, that either he had lived these scenes in the past, or he is a hell of a writer, or both.
I cannot explain to you how much I thoroughly enjoyed this book, company quickly became annoyed when I would tune them out in my own home to read it, and read it I did, some pages a few times over. Taking my time savoring each page as if someone I knew had printed a diary and I was seeing it for the first time, remembering the capers we had so many years ago. No kidding, it's THAT good.
- Tim Oi, Boots fanzine

Salad Days is a beautifully told story. Romalotti obviously knows his stuff and, as a result, Salad Days reads as much like an autobiography as a novel. I don't know how much of this is based on real life, and how much is made up, but it all comes across as being real, especially seeing as every band mentioned in the book (except for the few major bands), is a real band. I don't think that I can come close to doing this book justice in such a short review, but please, trust me, it's fucking fantastic and I can't recommend it highly enough. There has been very little fiction written about punk rock, which is a damn shame, but this just about makes up for that on its own. If you're at all interested in punk rock, or even if you're not, and you just want to read a great story, then, you really need to read this.
- Electrocution Distribution, Australia

Intense, well written semi autobiographical novel that follow about 20 years of a young punks life in Rural Kansas. When I first picked it up, I read about half the book. 150 pages. Then I went and got something to eat, and finished it. By 6am I was finished. I think I enjoyed this book so much because I could relate to it a lot. From the hatred directed at me during my high school years, to the establishment of the first scene to a move to a bigger city and scene. Every page comes to life with amazing attention to detail. You'll find references to lots of 80's and some 90's punk and hardcore bands, and you'll likely relate to it somewhat if you've ever been a part of the punk or hardcore scene. The books moves along at a brisk pace and you'll find yourself immersed in the story with two pages.
- Spindel Duende

Man was it funny! Absolutely brilliant and very well executed. And it didn't cheese out, either. Truly, I think that it's an important read. I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered it. I pretty much thought it was going to be a poorly written pamphlet of a thing, maybe with a staple in the corner. But what arrived was an extremely well crafted novel.
- Frank Pavich, Velebit Productions

I really loved this story. There's nothing more compelling than a book that can make me feel as though I'm there, as this story does, by its biting usage of affluent tones and descriptions. I have enjoyed it thoroughly.
- Mike Sosa, drummer for Mad Parade

Salad Days is a great energetic story.
- Sam Williams, guitarist for Down By Law

I loved it. The characters were alive with dialog and actions so familiar and cherished, you'll see old friends here in different names and faces. I felt at home. This book mirrored life in all facets. My favorite parts were the descriptive panoramas of shows on the road and at the Outhouse. Romalotti has a talent to put you in the middle of madness being birthed on a sagging stage occupied by people just like us. Reminded me of every perfect and worst moment in my life. Impressive and needed, Salad Days is an anthem of growing up punk. I can't wait to read the next book, Rash.
- Neil Edgar, Wiener Society fanzine

If you grew up in the mid-1980s hardcore/punk scene in America, you won't be able to put this book down. Salad Days is a very inspiring read.
- Bones, vocalist for the Lower Class Brats

I read Salad Days in two days. I think the reason I couldn't put it down was because it really kept me guessing. Most other punk books I've read (mostly non-fiction) had pretty much the same story, but Salad Days was definitely different. I really enjoyed the band's tour adventures. You can almost feel yourself riding in the van with the whole sweaty band and experiencing all the frustrations and excitement. In the end, it is the music that kept him going, it was the music that mattered most. I think a lot of us would agree with that.
- Liz, Austin Celebrity Profiles

Charles Romalotti's debut novel, Salad Days, is an excellent first stab at punk authorship, penetrating the emotions and life scenes of a 1980s hardcore youth as he fights to survive a world that would rather see him destroyed.
- Willamette Week (Portland, Oregon)

Time ceased. I glared into the crowd-angered, passionate, and ultimately powerful. Their eyes surrendered to mine as I watched the ocean of faces become engulfed by a hurricane. Their heads chopped like waves. Fists thrust in the air as the storm picked up intensity. The intro reaped eternity as I gripped the microphone with white knuckles. Wandering through the fractional holes of time suspended to the moment, I stumbled onto the song as rehearsed, yet more natural than walking. I raised the microphone to my face--my hand shaking with preternatural confidence as I placed myself within the strength of the music. My body smashed against the crowd, against the band, but never against that wall.

I could see Oscar's bright red mohawk in the wake of motion, moving my direction in a roundabout way. My eyes were glazed, my brow like a lead weight influenced by the gravity of the Earth's fiery core. I screamed my thoughts into the microphone, into everyone within earshot--they were mine. I had them until I would decide otherwise.

Oscar made his way to me, smiling with invigorated eyes. He clenched his fist up proudly before falling back into the stain of bodies that circulated in front of us--the Fluorescent Condoms from Iola, fucking Kansas.

Out the corner of my eye, I could see Stanley. He held his bass like a weapon against the turbulence, banging the strings like the fire of a machine gun, knowing nothing except annihilation. It was us against them, and they didn't stand a chance.

The song came to a sudden halt and the crowd screamed wildly with praise.

I announced the next song immediately, never allowing my back to be grounded, to return me to human consciousness, human failure. I felt myself towering above the restrictions of my species, so long as the music played, so long as my voice wouldn't give out. I was alive and living, and nothing could stop me. Nothing.

Somewhere between instantaneous and eternal, we finished the last song of our abrupt twenty-song set, leaving the audience relentless and hungry.