Johngy's Beat Reviews "Craig's Record Factory"

When I first read about Craig Odanovich writing “Craigs Record Factory: A Young Entrepreneur's Journey Through the 70's and 80's,” I was excited. Familiar with Craig's writing from his “The Black Widow Trainer” trilogy, I was confident it would be well-written and the topic, combined with Craig's background, amped up my interest.

When I got the book in my hands, I immediately went to the photographs section. On the third page of photos was a picture of Craig's House of Music, the record store Craig owned in the 1970s. I stared at that picture for a long time. I was immediately drawn back to my teenage years spending Saturday afternoons at Hegewisch Records just south of Chicago.

I can't recall any book containing a photo evoking such warm nostalgia. That one picture could have easily been taken at Hegewisch Records. Those afternoons were such a huge part of my youth, yet that might be a foreign concept to today's youth.

Scanning the other pictures and reading Craig's introduction, I sensed this was going to be a special book. I wanted to savor the reading experience. I put the book on my desk and waited for a frigid afternoon, when I could bury myself on my couch and lose myself in the book.

The book starts with Craig's tale of his “Little GTO.” Once again I was summoned back to my teenage days. I got a '74 cherry red Mustang handed down from my oldest sister. My friends gathered around that day, just as we did whenever any of us got our first car. I was two pages into “Craig's Record Factory” and already completely engrossed.

From there Craig takes us on a journey from owning that small record store to opening Craig's Record Factory, owning a video store (another lost relic, but a staple of my 20s dating life) and more, all the way to writing the aforementioned book trilogy. It's a tale of family, friends, business, history and more, all woven into a beautifully written book.

Craig's chapter titles are familiar bits of pop culture. Too many times these things seem forced, but like everything else in “Craig's Record Factory,” these fit perfectly. Actually, each chapter fits perfectly.

“When the Show Begins” tells of the anticipation the evening before Craig's House of Music was to open. “Going to the Chapel” explores his marriage proposal and subsequent process of buying an engagement ring. “You Talking to Me?” describes an interesting business lunch meeting.

Most of the chapters are fairly short, just a few pages, but each is a significant part of the story. Together, they encompass an incredible life, yet a life of a regular guy, who does some incredible things.

Craig finishes with a chapter of Cliff Notes for each book of The Black Widow Trainer trilogy and one final chapter about the screenplay for "The Black Widow Trainer," the first book of the trilogy.

Craig describes “Craig's Record Factory” as a nonfiction novel. That is the perfect description. It captures an era much like “American Graffiti” and “The Big Chill” did. It could easily have been a fantastic fictional account, but it's really Craig's life, which makes it that much more enjoyable.

A few years back, I enjoyed The Black Widow Trainer trilogy. Craig did a great job developing his characters and the stories. He never relied on cliches. Instead he made all unique and interesting.

Because of this, I knew Craig was a talented writer. Still, fiction is much different from a life story. Additionally, as I previously wrote, “Craig's Record Factory” brilliantly blends family life with business lessons and history, while sprinkling pop culture in the mix.

An avid reader, I read many books last year, too many to even count. When it came time to write “Great Reads 2021” for Global Traveler, there was no doubt “Craig's Record Factory” would make my list of six. It's just that good.

I always say it's tricky writing about a friend's book. In the case of “Craig's Record Factory,” there's no problem at all. I completely enjoyed it.

You can get more info (along with cool apparel) at CraigsRecordFactory.com. Craig is working on a paperback release soon, but now through the end of January, the ebook is available for only 99 cents.