Rating: 
Summary: Unbelievable
Review: Dharma Punx is a great story of a person changing the direction of their life 180 degrees. Its hard to imagine one person could experience as much as he has in one lifetime. Noah has inspired me to pursure my own meditative practices.
Rating:
Summary: a walk thru the past, a path for the future
Review: Dharma Punx isn't only Noah's memior, it's a very accurate description of what life was like for those of us that lived & loved the punk rock lifestyle of our youth (and still do!), struggle with addiction/alcoholism & recovery issues (and even those of us who don't), and I feel it's a great starting block for those of us whom are seeking/finding/accepting a spiritual path to walk upon after the struggles. It's about taking responsiblity for ourselves, our actions, and our futures. Admitting our wrongs, and doing the best we can to live with & in Dharma, TRUTH. Noah tells his story with incredibly accuracy and honesty, even if his truth didn't paint the best pictures in life. He shares this story in an effort to help others, by giving his good & bad experiences, sharing his strengths and weaknesses, and offering his hopes. There is a real need for what he does and he does it very well, in a way that we can all relate to, young & old punks alike.I related to this book so well, and so did my teen child, whom has discovered the punk rock genes in his blood. I had many fears that he would head down the same self-destructing road that so many of us have. After reading the book, he is now practicing the simple meditation techniques that Noah wrote of & that had first put Noah on his path to persuing Buddhism. This book opened up the doors to a better way of living for my child, the power of prayer & meditation is an amazing thing. I really do believe that hearing the stories from someone that has BTDT, has witnessed and overcome self-destructive behaviors, someone that is REAL & is wrapped in a package that we can relate to or do ourselves is THE most powerful messenger we can have today. I personally cannot relate to hippies, old men in stuffy suits, yuppies, cops...and I know that most kids these days can't either. I highly recommend Dharma Punx & I thank Noah for writing it.
Rating:
Summary: a walk thru the past, a path for the future
Review: Dharma Punx isn't only Noah's memior, it's a very accurate description of what life was like for those of us that lived & loved the punk rock lifestyle of our youth (and still do!), struggle with addiction/alcoholism & recovery issues (and even those of us who don't), and I feel it's a great starting block for those of us whom are seeking/finding/accepting a spiritual path to walk upon after the struggles. It's about taking responsiblity for ourselves, our actions, and our futures. Admitting our wrongs, and doing the best we can to live with & in Dharma, TRUTH. Noah tells his story with incredibly accuracy and honesty, even if his truth didn't paint the best pictures in life. He shares this story in an effort to help others, by giving his good & bad experiences, sharing his strengths and weaknesses, and offering his hopes. There is a real need for what he does and he does it very well, in a way that we can all relate to, young & old punks alike. I related to this book so well, and so did my teen child, whom has discovered the punk rock genes in his blood. I had many fears that he would head down the same self-destructing road that so many of us have. After reading the book, he is now practicing the simple meditation techniques that Noah wrote of & that had first put Noah on his path to persuing Buddhism. This book opened up the doors to a better way of living for my child, the power of prayer & meditation is an amazing thing. I really do believe that hearing the stories from someone that has BTDT, has witnessed and overcome self-destructive behaviors, someone that is REAL & is wrapped in a package that we can relate to or do ourselves is THE most powerful messenger we can have today. I personally cannot relate to hippies, old men in stuffy suits, yuppies, cops...and I know that most kids these days can't either. I highly recommend Dharma Punx & I thank Noah for writing it.
Rating: 
Summary: Dharma Punx? It Rox.
Review: I attended local reading and tho no Punk was immediate convert. Inspring to see one of our generation show the way. It's hard to believe Noah has come through so much, so thoroughly--he comes off as softest, warmest person you can imagine... he's been through--and come out of--well DHARMA PUNX is a testament to the power of meditation to present the possibility of true freedom to anyone, at anytime. The only way this book could be better is if it were bigger. Harry Potter gets 870 pages? Bring it on, Noah!
Rating: 
Summary: He hated his folks, and now he doesn't
Review: I bought Hardcore Zen and loved it, so I spent the extra money on this and found it not exciting at all. A lot of teenage angst that unfortunatly does not do it for me any more. I didn't learn anything about Buddhism, and his tales of Punk days long ago, were pretty dull. Good front cover, go buy Hardcore Zen.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing...
Review: I Grew up in the punk scene around this same time, in another west coast town so some of the early scenes in this book feel a bit familiar. I had my struggles w/drugs, 12 steps, etc. as well. I'm also in my 30s and am trying to find a bit more peace... I was hoping to learn something from this book but frankly it just comes off as arrogant, intellectually lazy, 3rd rate california feel good crap. Levine wants way too much to be the guy with the answers and is awfully dismissive of his own shortcomings. It's especially funny when he relates the Dali Lama's comment about how his tatoos are "colorful!" as if it meant something. It meant that they're "colorful" dude. That's it. The guy comes off like a preacher's kid. Doesn't disgraced televangelist Jim Baker's kid have a bunch of tats and a guru-style book deal too? They should hook up.
Rating:
Summary: Awsome!
Review: I have read this book from cover to cover twice. All I can say is WOW. Must read for everyone; regardless of religious preference.
Rating:
Summary: We never stop learning about what life is about.
Review: I have to say just a few words about this book. I have a son that I find it hard to relate to, he feels he needs to be different then the rest of kids in school and I find it difficult to relate to him on many aspects. But I do try and I just have to say that after reading Mr. Levine's book, I am able to understand a different kind of life, one that I was not accustom too, and one that maybe my son might be. This opened my eyes and made me realize that there is more going on in the world than we realize sometimes. And life has its ups and downs and maybe if we slow down and take a deep breath we are able to see it for what it is. I would recommend this book for any parent whom has a child they can't relate to on any level, or for anyone who just wants to enjoy a great book.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping read with an important message
Review: i loved this book. i couldn't put it down. as a person who meditates and is following the path of recovery, i could relate to the spiritual journey that noah levine describes in his book. noah's writing style holds your interest... it's like he's having a natural conversation with the reader, not trying to impress anyone or be anyone other than himself. if you're interested in the dharma, in understanding the rebellious side of alternative culture, or just curious about one man's amazing success story out of pain in darkness, i highly recommend this book. i'm grateful noah wrote it.
Rating:
Summary: The Tao of Me
Review: I wanted to like this book, and still somehow believe Levine's heart's in the right place, so to speak. But although Dharma Punx tries at times to bypass the author's apparent total self-absorption, it consistently fails. I imagine if I met Levine, I'd be forced to re-evaluate, but alas, there's only this poorly written book trying hard to convince me he's so punk, his tattoos so cool, his early [quite privileged] life so difficult. Acceptance of one's mistakes can be the result of great wisdom, unless such "acceptance" always falls short of the willingness to interrogate one's active role in one's own suffering: in Dharma Punx, "acceptance" amounts to (probably accidental) self-glorification, with consequent sometimes subtle blaming of everything and everyone else the whole way through. It's as though you smashed your own knee with a hammer, blamed the pain on the hammer or its manufacturer, blamed the neighbors for not stopping you, and yet somehow managed to still hope to convey how cool it is to have smashed one's knees with a hammer (how punk!). Read HARDCORE ZEN instead.
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