She’s a Badass: Women in Rock Shaping Feminism

Music journalist Taylor provides succinct but dynamic portraits of 20 women from over six decades of rock music. She gets input from the women themselves about their music, obstacles, and legacies. The book begins with Suzi Quatro, followed by Lydia Lunch, Suzanne Vega, Joan Osborne, Tobi Vail, Orianthi, and others, and concludes with L.A. Witch’s Sade Sanchez. The chronological range of subjects provides both a long-term sense of the change (or lack thereof) in the music industry and a look at how coming up in different eras has affected the viewpoints of the artists themselves. A notable takeaway is that while all subjects speak fervently about the importance of women in music, their takes on industry sexism and feminism as a social movement (as well as the term “feminist” itself) have some sharp divergences.