Jen Trynin wanted to be a rock star.

So, she did everything a hip, indie rocker in 1994 should do to make it happen.

She created her own label, sent her record out to all the right people, and created a buzz.

The buzz turned into an explosion, with Trynin at the heart of the biggest record company bidding wars that year.

And then the bottom fell out.

The whole experience is deftly detailed in Trynin's captivating, exhilarating, funny and sad memoir, “Everything I'm Cracked Up to Be.”

Trynin's first book succeeds not only as a great insider's view for music fans who wonder what goes on behind the scenes, but as a just plain good read for anyone.

Even though you know Trynin isn't destined to make it big (have you ever heard of her?), she builds interest in her story by detailing the adoring throngs of record company execs, attorneys, managers and other hangers-on who poured into her concerts, flooding her with attention and business offers.

Trynin's attitude toward the whole vortex of being courted by all the companies is not unlike what any person may feel: flattery, irritation, confusion, fear and excitement.

She's candid in her anxiety about whether she is acting as those around her expect an up-and-coming rock star to act.

Her tale is greatly aided by her knack for writing conversation. Some of the funniest exchanges come at the expense of the executives who seem to endlessly flatter Trynin until she signs on the bottom line and the hunt moves on to the next big thing.

Much of “Everything I'm Cracked Up To Be” turns out to explode the rock 'n' roll lifestyle myth.

She writes of long days caught in the never-ending publicity machine, boring nights alone in strange places and stressful interpersonal relationships not only with band members but family and business associates.

What the book will do is motivate readers to hunt down some of Trynin's music. Her similarity to Alanis Morissette is obvious.

Trynin's lyrics sparkle with an emotional honesty that her book richly explores.

The ghost of Morissette follows Trynin throughout the narrative. Trynin had the unfortunate timing of releasing her debut album “Cockamamie” around the same time as Morissette's breakthrough blockbuster “Jagged Little Pill.”

At first, when Trynin is confused with Morissette by fans and radio disc jockeys, it's funny. But the more it happens, the more Trynin's ultimate career fate comes into focus.

The refreshing thing about Trynin is that she embraces the journey and doesn't bemoan the outcome.

To her it's a wild ride, and that's why at the end, when success doesn't come, she's more relieved than sad.