ABOUT THE BOOK

Duke of Earl

Rock ‘n’ Roll, Religion, and My Road to the Real Me

Do you sometimes feel that you were born into the wrong life? A life where you don’t fit in?

Duke of Earl looks at the 1960s through the eyes of Lila Naimark, who was a young girl at odds with her parents. In their view, adhering to strict Pentecostal doctrine was the only way for their daughter to avoid eternal damnation.

The author’s quest to understand “Why doesn’t this seem right to me?” forced her to choose between keeping to the safe-and-narrow road prescribed by her religion or chasing her dreams of a bigger life. Spanning from 1959 to 1971, this book highlights the role of music in the author’s daily life, featuring a “soundtrack” of the Top 40 songs that gave voice to her inner self, as well as the gospel songs that pointed to the paths of righteousness, even as the clouds of doctrinal doubt gathered in her mind.

Points of interest along the way include sinful blue gym suits, a Great Tribulation pageant, a spirit guide’s appearance, powerful 60s muscle cars, an eye-opening romance, and a demon possession crisis.

Join the author as she looks back at her first big sin and its sad consequences all the way to her final decision – one that her VW Beetle car radio made.