First published 2015
Carrie Brownstein traces her path through the music world, from passionate fan to pioneering guitarist in the feminist punk band Sleater-Kinney. She chronicles her experiences in the Pacific Northwest's riot-grrrl and indie rock scenes of the 1990s, where her band became known for fierce guitar work and leftist lyrics challenging war, traditionalism, and gender roles. Brownstein reveals the personal struggles behind her musical career, including battles against the music industry's sexist attitudes toward female musicians. Despite these obstacles, she earned recognition as the sole woman on Rolling Stone readers' list of the "25 Most Underrated Guitarists of All-Time" by 2006. The memoir captures the raw experience of being a young woman in rock and roll during the underground feminist punk movement that shaped 1990s music and culture, before her later success co-creating and starring in the television comedy Portlandia.
Genres: feminism, autobiography, non-fiction, biography-memoir, music, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, personal-struggle
Setting: Pacific Northwest
Period: 1990s
244 pages · Hardcover · Riverhead Books