One of the best band books around, The Commitments is about a group of Irish kids who want to form a band. But this isn’t the Cranberries, people — The Commitments want to sing R&B soul. But can they overcome the musical roadblock of selling soul to Dublin, which isn’t exactly Motown? The best way to get a feel for this short novel is to pair it up with the movie version, which goes by the same title and is just as good as the book. That way, if you’re having a hard time with the Irish dialect in the book, you can always use the movie to break you in. Check out both versions from the library, watch one and read the other, and I think you’ll agree, they both rock.