REBELS: Punks & Skinheads of New York's East Village 1984-87

The photography has the ability to make us evoke the past or allow us to glimpse other lives. This is what we find in Rebels, book that gathers the life of a group of young punks in the early 80’s from NY’s East Village. With an amazing naturalness Lilian Caruana introduces us into her life and circumstances, giving them a space to be themselves.

Staf Magazine

Your photographs are fabulous. They are right up there with the best of the period.  The book, too, is terrific, great energy, design, reproduction, sequencing - and most importantly, powerful, tender, meaningful, edgy, historical photographs.  Congratulations. 

Gail Buckland, author, curator, teacher

Just am seeing this but want to say the punk pix and i feel at a loss for not having seen them before......all your work has heart and is moving and empathetic.

Richard Sandler, photographer, film maker, author

I LOVE these so much that I'm angry that I haven't seen them before. Sheesh!

Yes, I will do whatever I can to get them seen, published, whatever.

It is so, so cool that you photographed the 80s, and I photographed the 90s! This just made my day.

Ash Thayer, photographer, author

I can't tell you how much I like and admire what you've done.
The design, the text the pictures... you really got to know and tell the story of these friends and acquaintances from the inside out. You've reminded me again so much about what good work truly is.



     Robert Herman, photographer, author

I truly enjoyed your work as well as the interviews. I myself adore "words" as they are often the essence of my own work. But I freely admit that I have more than once been rendered speechless
when witnessing life through the eyes/lense of a photographer.



     Cyndee, writer, singer

I just wanted to say i went to see your work at the John Calandra Center and i really enjoyed it. i thought they were really interesting photos that stand on their own regardless of them being  portraits of "wild and crazy subjects." i remember those days...all so long ago it now seems!! and what stood out for me was the quality of the images beyond the subject matter.


Michael Senno, photographer, film maker, author

I just saw your Web page with all the photos and they are beautiful. I stumbled across it because I was looking at the photos of punks and skins from the 80's. 

Bill Cashman, Hardcore roadie

AMAZON CUSTOMER REVIEWS

A different view of the NYHC scene, as the author/photographer was outside looking in. Most of the books that document LES punk/hc, were people involved and part of it. The lens of the shooter captures the story they want to tell. Lilian Caruana's captures the people who were living the scene brilliantly.

booknut

Rebels is a documentary and a true work of art. Every photograph beautifully captures the people and the scene of NYC's East Village in the heyday of the punk era. As a sensitive observer, Lilian Caruana captures their lives both with images and their own words. The creativity and camaraderie is there, as well as the darkness and deep personal and economic struggles. Almost 40 years later, it can be seen under a glow of nostalgia, but this is how it really was, unvarnished with no illusions.

Meyer

Rebels is a hidden treasure and Ms. Caruana, a gifted photographer. I found her book on a random search and was surprised by its beauty and depth - a window into East Village culture of the 1980's when youths lived wild and free and revealed themselves to her loving camera.
As New York City changes and becomes more gentrified, books such as hers are invaluable documents of lost vibrancy and authenticity.

kbookie

This is a breakthrough book. Ms Caruana doesn't seek the morbid and shocking in these young people and their world, nor does she fetishize the "chic" of their counterculture. Instead, she explores their humanity with curiosity, warmth, and surprise, so that what we see becomes something quite beautiful.

Clara Geraci

A different view of the NYHC scene, as the author/photographer was outside looking in. Most of the books that document LES punk/hc, were people involved and part of it. The lens of the shooter captures the story they want to tell. Lilian Caruana's captures the people who were living the scene brilliantly.

booknut

Your pictures look amazing. I also took pics down the LES at that time! I am in the process of putting together a book also of my photos from that era. The one of Frenchy with the dog is great!! 

Randall S. Underwood, Musician

A different view of the NYHC scene, as the author/photographer was outside looking in. Most of the books that document LES punk/hc, were people involved and part of it. The lens of the shooter captures the story they want to tell. Lilian Caruana's captures the people who were living the scene brilliantly.

5.0 out of 5 stars