Kirkus
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Founding member and lead guitarist of American rock band Aerosmith details his life and times in this autobiography.One of rock's most enduring and popular bands, Aerosmith has managed the unlikely feat of recording top hits across several decades, gaining a loyal army of fans while failing to win over the acclaim of music critics. Readers of rock autobiographies will find much familiar material here, as early struggles give way to staggering success and the accompanying roller coaster of sex, drugs, rehab, internal band squabbling, villainous management and more. This is well-trod but mostly entertaining ground, and Perrywith the assistance of veteran music writer and ghostwriter Ritz (co-author: Glow: The Autobiography of Rick James, 2014, etc.)does a decent job keeping things moving. Aerosmith has never been accused of being an intellectual band, but the author takes pains to establish himself as a thoughtful, well-read individual with a love for nature established as a youth wandering in the New Hampshire woods. But his desire to be taken seriously leaves the narrative strangely free of humor; it doesn't seem like compiling this book was an enjoyable task for Perry. Of the group's other members, lead singer Steven Tyler is the only fully developed character, and Perry doesn't hold back in airing his (many) grievances about their relationship. The memories become a little bit sharper once Perry gets sober, and the tale of the band's entanglement with manager Tim Collins, who seemed to exhibit a cult leader-like control over the group, is perhaps the most interesting part of the book. An appendix written by Perry's guitar techs is a bonus for guitar geeks. Much like Aerosmith's career, this candid memoir will be cheered by fans, but rock critics will likely be underwhelmed. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
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In this rock and roll memoir, Aerosmith's lead guitarist tells the old story of the rise and fall of a guitar hero, although in Perry's case, the star rises again. Born in a Massachusetts suburb in the 1950s, Perry struggled with a learning disability. Chuck Berry gave him a role model; the guitar, an outlet. To the dismay of his professional parents, he dropped out of high school and knocked around in various bands until he formed Aerosmith. The band became a major 1970s hard-rock group before drug abuse, bickering, and bad management tore it apart. Yet after the breakup, a clean and sober Aerosmith rose again, leaving its mark on the MTV generation. Perry provides evocative portraits of his very American youth wandering through the woods with a BB rifle and water-skiing on Lake Sunapee in New Hampshire, and his stint as a factory worker for Draper Industries. The years of rock and roll notoriety are standard issue-drugs, partying, bad decisions-although the story shines on those rare occasions when Perry details the nuts and bolts of song making. Later chapters covering the manipulations of a Svengali-like producer have their own allure, as do the discussions of the complexity and expense of producing hits. Legal issues and diplomacy might moderate the narrative, but Perry's book will strike gold with every Aerosmith fan. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal
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Aerosmith guitarist Perry tells his life story from his New Hampshire childhood to the latter days of the band's success. Along the way he discusses the learning disability that kept him from pursuing his dreams of studying marine biology, his earliest exposure to rock and roll, his conflicts with controlling management as Aerosmith became megastars, his battles with drug and alcohol abuse, and the continuing thread of his love/hate relationship with singer Steven Tyler. He pulls no punches as he describes his own past missteps and his anger at those who have done him wrong but is equally passionate about his love for his music, his fans, and those who helped to make him a success. Perry's narration is a bit plodding at times, but his connection to the story keeps things interesting. VERDICT May be of interest to fans of rock autobiographies by such artists as Keith Richards and Pete Townshend, or of course to any Aerosmith devotees.-Jason Puckett, Georgia State Univ. Lib., Atlanta (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.