HOW TO SURVIVE PUBERTY AT 25

By Nina Bhadreshwar

ISBN 978-1-4343-8631-1

Published by Authorhouse, available at all good bookstores, Amazon and Authorhouse.co.uk

Or rather bullies, anorexia, guns, family and gangs. The craziest journey through British music, graffiti and American hip hop in the 1990s. And the unchronicled years of the British girl who worked at Death Row Records. Uncensored and as close as you get to being there.

After fifteen years spent in a chronic never-never land, a mixed race Barnsley journalist, Nina B, starts to develop breasts, hips, spots, menstruation, hormones and an unexplained ability to stay up all night. This coincides with her move to gangland South Central, Los Angeles.

This is the true story of a young journalist and her journey through others' stories to her own sanity after 14 years of anorexia and suicidal depression. Puberty is always painful. It is particularly painful when you are a British mixed race broke ass lass living in Watts, Los Angeles shortly after the L.A. riots surrounded by pimps, gangsters and the rest. It becomes undeniably explosive when the said overaged adolescent is recruited to work for, write for and be the voice for Death Row Records in Westwood, Los Angeles. This is the chronicle of the little-known real behind-the-scenes of the history-changing episode that was Death Row Records and Los Angeles 1994-1996. What started out as a dream became a living nightmare ending in abduction, conspiracy, gunfights, broken bones, broken hearts and death.

This is a story about behind-the-scenes of history-making music and growing up late in a dangerous place. It is as far from the myths, the media spin and the folklore as you can get. Because this is real. From the projects to life in Hollywood's fastest lanes, riding a bike one day, a limousine the next, and on crutches the day after. From anorexic stutterer to Tupac's pal to a rather ridiculous stand-up comedian.

Nina Bhadreshwar is the British editor of The Real State magazine, an international underground arts and music magazine, first published in 1992 and has been interviewing and reviewing countless bands, artists, activists and unusual people for too long. She now lives and works in Scotland.

PHOTOS BY DYLAN DRUMMOND