Los Angeles, CA–The music industry healed him. It also nearly destroyed him. 

California in the 70s. Rob Tonkin grew up in an ostensibly normal middle class family, but inside, his narcissistic parents fight bitterly. In the wake of their divorce, Rob searches for acceptance and approval elsewhere. Driven by his love of music, Rob lands a promising internship at a radio station at age 14. What kickstarts his decades-long career in building partnerships between musicians and brands is also the source of lasting trauma for him. Abused by his mentor when he was just a boy, alone and afraid of ruining his chances of success, Rob hides his true feelings and dedicates himself to his work. Throughout his upward rise in LA’s music industry, Rob looks for love, professional recognition, and personal clarity. He makes mistakes. He puts himself first. He might be an asshole. But he’s also first in line in the long journey of reckoning with his past and moving beyond his trauma. 

In his often-wild, always-true memoir, “Asshole” (Munn Ave Press, July 21, 2025), Rob Tonkin shares how he buried himself in work and had to dig himself back out, alongside the life-changing steps that facilitated his transformation.