American ska is not the most common music to hear on the radio. Most of today’s generation probably couldn’t define the genre. But for Marc Wasserman, ska music is not only important, but lifesaving.

In his inaugural book, Ska Boom! An American Ska and Reggae Oral History, Wasserman delves into the underappreciated origins of ska music, and how the genre has influenced many of the popular sounds we see today. But most importantly, he distinguishes that there would be no “American Ska” without the genre’s origins in indigenous island culture.

The book is composed of 18 interviews with various ska and reggae bands such as The Shakers, The Toasters and The Untouchables about their origins, muses, artistic processes and their experiences with the genre. By giving the reader the information straight from the horse’s mouth, Wasserman allows us to authentically immerse ourselves into the beginnings and culture of ska.

“This was an era of American ska and reggae that was really not documented [and] existed long before, so there weren’t cell phone videos, just a few pictures,” Wasserman said. “I didn’t want to be the one to tell their story. I didn’t want to come through my bias. I wanted them to tell their own stories.”

Most people have the perception that the American ska movement started in the 90’s with bands like No Doubt and Sublime, when in reality these bands were influenced by predecessors coming decades before.

Wasserman unearths these connections between mainstream, household names and the bands that started it all. The book casually drops A-lister names like Elvis Presley and Bob Marley, demonstrating that the origins of this genre had far-reaching implications for the music industry at large.

[It’s] a Black art form from Jamaica and it traveled with immigrants to England, and then two-tone bands created their own version of it,” Wasserman said. “And it was my generation that heard that version. These bands that I write about in this book, a lot of them formed, because they saw The Specials on Saturday Night Live or The Selecters on their college alternative radio stations and, like me, had a lightning-bolt moment and they’re like ‘This is the coolest thing I’ve ever heard.’”

Wasserman chose the subject of American Ska for his book, because of his own emotional connections to the genre. Coming from a single-parent home, he was able to connect with the male role models he saw in ska artists.

“It saved my life,” Wasserman said of ska music. “Like a lot of teenagers, I had a tough time growing up. It’s pretty universal from what I understand that a lot of people find a certain kind of music, whatever it’s ska, heavy metal, punk rock [or] rap and just something clicks when you’re 14 or 15 years old and it takes you to another place.”

Ska music got its bearings during a time of myriad political movements: the ‘60s. Many of the artists Wasserman interviews in the book touch on the social issues of the time period from income inequality, to the anti-war movement, to the administration of Ronald Reagan. The real-life implications of the music helped gain these bands popularity as they addressed issues that were affecting the lives of their listeners.

“I was always a very inquisitive person and had a real interest in politics,” Wasserman said. “I always questioned why things were the way they were, particularly around poverty and racism and things like that. This music just seemed to address a lot of that in ways that I could have never imagined. The music influenced me and then it sort of gave me a perspective on the world. It really raised me in some ways.”

The book is aptly named as an oral history. While the early parts of the book delve into Wasserman’s personal connections with the genre and how it shaped his upbringing, once the interviews start, you are immediately transported into the world of mid-twentieth century musical culture by the words of the people who lived it.

“It was really like writing 18 different books within one,” Wasserman said. “I had to sort of be like a musical detective, search these people down. I had to make the pitch to them at the scheduled time to talk to them, transcribe the interviews, and then like a film editor, I had to weave together their stories.”

The real strength of this book comes from its heart. The authenticity and emotional appeal of hearing accounts from the very people who founded a musical genre provides a rare kind of insight that makes the book a unique and enjoyable experience. For those interested in ska and reggae, the book will not disappoint. And even if you are not familiar with the genre, as I was when I read it, the book is a useful and entertaining tool to get to know what ska music is all about.

Overall, the book is a perfectly engaging, light-hearted read that I would recommend to music enthusiasts and avid readers alike.