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Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl

Posted by Heidi K on Thursday, Nov 19, 2015

Hunger Brownstein

It has been an exceptional year for women-in-rock memoirs. Kim Gordon's Girl in a Band, Patti Smith's M Train, and Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein have all come out in 2015. Brownstein's story about how she went from suburban Seattle kid to Sleater Kinney rock guitarist and singer is engaging and funny, as one would expect if they have watched Portlandia. Brownstein definitely has a sense of humor, even about the darker and embarrassing stuff in her life. She starts the book talking about how the thread of music fandom has been the main current through her life - not musicianship, but fandom and a profound interest in performance and exploration. She writes well about nostalgia, particularly music-related nostalgia: the phenomenon of how albums from our formative years can bring us back to a particular time and place instantly, even while they don't necessarily hold up sound-wise. There are many people who would like this book: Riot Grrrl history buffs, fans of rock and punk music, and people who enjoy watching Portlandia should check out Carrie Brownstein's memoir. It's worth the read!

About the Author

Heidi K's picture

Name: Heidi K.
Position at ICPL: Outreach Assistant in Community & Access Services
Where you'll see me at the Library: Help Desk, or potentially wandering the book stacks.
A little about me:
I am originally from Lincoln, NE but have lived in Iowa City for over a decade. My interests (outside of libraries and reading) include yoga, gardening,... more

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    hkuchta's picture

    OK, OK...so this isn't the newest book and many have already heard about it or even actually read it by now. But, I need to add this as a recommendation at this time to encourage everyone who still has this in their to-read pile. Perhaps you, like me, have been a bit intimidated by the size of the novel. I had no idea how fast reading this would go once I started it! It's one of those books I look for moments to read bits and pieces of, and can't wait to go back to. So if you're still waiting to read Pachinko, like I was: What are you waiting for? This is the perfect saga to whisk you away from your reality this winter. -Heidi K
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