Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution

by Sara Marcus

Overview

The definitive account of the radical feminist punks and their music: “Exhilarating. . . . The well-documented history Riot Grrrl deserves.” —Los Angeles Times

Girls to the Front is the epic, definitive history of the Riot Grrrl movement—the radical feminist punk uprising that exploded into the public eye in the 1990s, altering America’s gender landscape forever. Sara Marcus interweaves research, interviews, and her own memories as a Riot Grrrl front-liner in a passionate, sophisticated narrative that brilliantly conveys the story of punk bands like Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, and Heavens to Betsy—as well as successors like Sleater-Kinney, Partyline, and Kathleen Hanna’s Le Tigre—and their effect on today’s culture.

“Compelling . . . Marcus has done a commendable job of telling the little-known history of an important social and cultural movement.” —Booklist (starred review)

“A fascinating social history. . . .Marcus focuses on the girls in the crowd as much as stars like Bikini Kill.” —Rolling Stone

“A brash, gutsy chronicle . . . captures the combustible excitement of this significant if short-lived moment.” —Publishers Weekly

“Not only a historical rockument of the revolutionary ’90s counterculture Riot Grrrl movement . . . but also a rousing inspiration for a new generation of empowered rebel girls to strap on guitars and stick it to The Man.”—Vanity Fair

“Girls to the Front is not just a keeper of the flame but brings you to yr own fire.” —Kim Gordon

Includes photographs

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062013903
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	11/21/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	378
Sales rank:	582,435
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Sara Marcus is a write and musician living in Brooklyn, New York. Her prose and poetry have appeared in publications including Slate, Time Out New York, The Advocate, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Heeb, where she was the politics editor for five years. Marcus received an MFA from Columbia University.

What People are Saying About This

Johanna Fateman

“Ambitious and convincing. . . . Girls to the Front makes narrative sense out of events that had so far been recorded only in mythic, unverified, and fragmentary form.”

Kim Gordon

“Feminism seems to change every five years. It’s hard to grasp the movement. . . . Girls to the Front is not just a keeper of the flame but brings you to yr own fire.”

Vivian Gornick

“For a Second Wave feminist like myself, Girls to the Front evokes wonderfully the way the generation after mine soaked up the promise and the punishment of feminist consciousness: all in all, a richly moving story.”

Brenda Wineapple

“Original, witty, idealistic and down-to-earth, Girls to the Front is a chronicle of women, girls, music, sexism—and, best of all, what it means to be alive. Reader take heart: Feminism is not dead.”

Eileen Myles

“Sara Marcus’s Girls to the Front is a great & true & real history. Thank God. At last.”

Allison Wolfe

“A painstakingly researched and well thought-out tribute to a punk feminist era Sara Marcus clearly holds dear. . . . It should be heralded as an uncannily insightful revelation of the motivations and inner-workings of Riot Grrrl.”

Editorial Reviews

A Brooklyn-based journalist gives a brash, gutsy chronicle of the empowering music and feminist movement of the early 1990s led by young women rock groups like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile. Politicized by such national events as the backlash against feminism in the press, the first Iraq War, and the Supreme Court's gearing up to review Roe v. Wade, young women were incensed. Kathleen Hanna, a college student from Olympia, Wash., was spurred to action after interviewing writer Kathy Acker and working for a domestic violence shelter, and she decided to start a band. Hanna, along with Tobi Vail, a fanzine writer (Jigsaw) and former punk rocker who was dating Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, were on a mission to spread female rebellion via their band, Bikini Kill. Meanwhile, Allison Wolfe and Molly Neuman, who had met at the University of Oregon, were in Washington, D.C., cobbling together their own band, Bratmobile. Thus, writes Marcus in this compelling account, the Grrrl Revolution was sparked. Marcus enthusiastically tracks the "scattered cartographies of rebellion" and captures the combustible excitement of this significant if short-lived moment. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Not only a historical rockument of the revolutionary 90s counterculture Riot Grrrl movement, which birthed the DIY feminist punk scene, but also a rousing inspiration for a new generation of empowered rebel girls to strap on guitars and stick it to The Man.” — Vanity Fair

“Exhilarating. . . . The well-documented history Riot Grrrl deserves. . . . Marcus writes with the empathy, grace, and balance of a good war correspondent. . . . Her book will undoubtedly prompt a whole new generation of teenage girls.” — Los Angeles Times

“A painstakingly researched and well thought-out tribute to a punk feminist era Sara Marcus clearly holds dear. . . . It should be heralded as an uncannily insightful revelation of the motivations and inner-workings of Riot Grrrl.” — Allison Wolfe, New York Press

“A fascinating social history. . . . In her impassioned study, Marcus focuses on the girls in the crowd as much as stars like Bikini Kill, placing the story in the context of liberalism’s post-Reagan crisis and mapping a civilization of Xeroxed jeremiads.” — Rolling Stone

“Feminism seems to change every five years. It’s hard to grasp the movement. . . . Girls to the Front is not just a keeper of the flame but brings you to yr own fire.” — Kim Gordon

“Ambitious and convincing. . . . Girls to the Front makes narrative sense out of events that had so far been recorded only in mythic, unverified, and fragmentary form.” — Johanna Fateman, Bookforum

“Sara Marcus’s Girls to the Front is a great & true & real history. Thank God. At last.” — Eileen Myles, author of Chelsea Girls and Inferno (A Poet’s Novel)

“For a Second Wave feminist like myself, Girls to the Front evokes wonderfully the way the generation after mine soaked up the promise and the punishment of feminist consciousness: all in all, a richly moving story.” — Vivian Gornick

“Stirring. . . . Eloquent. . . . Like Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain did in Please Kill Me. . . Sara Marcus’s Girls to the Front tells the story of riot grrrl, one person at a time.” — Bitch Magazine

“Compelling. . . . A brash, gutsy chronicle of the empowering music and feminist movement of the early 1990s. . . . Marcus enthusiastically tracks the ‘scattered cartographies of rebellion’ and captures the combustible excitement of this significant if short-lived moment.” — Publishers Weekly

“Marcus has done a commendable job of telling the little-known history of an important social and cultural movement. . . . A compelling history.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Original, witty, idealistic and down-to-earth, Girls to the Front is a chronicle of women, girls, music, sexism—and, best of all, what it means to be alive. Reader take heart: Feminism is not dead.” — Brenda Wineapple, author of White Heat

“Girls to the Front is more than just a historical account of the riot grrrl movement. It is a reliving. For those who missed the happenings of that era, this book will make you feel as though you were right there.” — Venus Zine

From the Publisher

Not only a historical rockument of the revolutionary 90s counterculture Riot Grrrl movement, which birthed the DIY feminist punk scene, but also a rousing inspiration for a new generation of empowered rebel girls to strap on guitars and stick it to The Man.

Vanity Fair

A fascinating social history. . . . In her impassioned study, Marcus focuses on the girls in the crowd as much as stars like Bikini Kill, placing the story in the context of liberalism’s post-Reagan crisis and mapping a civilization of Xeroxed jeremiads.

Rolling Stone

Sara Marcus’s Girls to the Front is a great & true & real history. Thank God. At last.

Eileen Myles

A painstakingly researched and well thought-out tribute to a punk feminist era Sara Marcus clearly holds dear. . . . It should be heralded as an uncannily insightful revelation of the motivations and inner-workings of Riot Grrrl.

Allison Wolfe

Stirring. . . . Eloquent. . . . Like Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain did in Please Kill Me. . . Sara Marcus’s Girls to the Front tells the story of riot grrrl, one person at a time.

Bitch Magazine

Exhilarating. . . . The well-documented history Riot Grrrl deserves. . . . Marcus writes with the empathy, grace, and balance of a good war correspondent. . . . Her book will undoubtedly prompt a whole new generation of teenage girls.

|Los Angeles Times

For a Second Wave feminist like myself, Girls to the Front evokes wonderfully the way the generation after mine soaked up the promise and the punishment of feminist consciousness: all in all, a richly moving story.

Vivian Gornick

Feminism seems to change every five years. It’s hard to grasp the movement. . . . Girls to the Front is not just a keeper of the flame but brings you to yr own fire.

Kim Gordon

Ambitious and convincing. . . . Girls to the Front makes narrative sense out of events that had so far been recorded only in mythic, unverified, and fragmentary form.

Johanna Fateman

Marcus has done a commendable job of telling the little-known history of an important social and cultural movement. . . . A compelling history.

Booklist (starred review)

Original, witty, idealistic and down-to-earth, Girls to the Front is a chronicle of women, girls, music, sexism—and, best of all, what it means to be alive. Reader take heart: Feminism is not dead.

Brenda Wineapple

Girls to the Front is more than just a historical account of the riot grrrl movement. It is a reliving. For those who missed the happenings of that era, this book will make you feel as though you were right there.

Venus Zine

Exhilarating. . . . The well-documented history Riot Grrrl deserves. . . . Marcus writes with the empathy, grace, and balance of a good war correspondent. . . . Her book will undoubtedly prompt a whole new generation of teenage girls.

Los Angeles Times

Exhilarating. . . . Girls to the Front is the well-documented history Riot Grrrl deserves. . . . Marcus writes with the empathy, grace, and balance of a good war correspondent. . . . Her book will undoubtedly prompt a whole new generation of teenage girls.

The Los Angeles Times

Exhilarating. . . . Girls to the Front is the well-documented history Riot Grrrl deserves. . . . Marcus writes with the empathy, grace, and balance of a good war correspondent. . . . Her book will undoubtedly prompt a whole new generation of teenage girls.

The Los Angeles Times

One hell of an empowering read. . . . A scorching history of the Riot Grrrl movement. . . . There’s inspiration here. Read this book and feel it—a renewed energy, in talking about the roles women play in the scenes that we live in today.

HTMLGIANT

"Marcus has done a commendable job of telling the little-known history of an important social and cultural movement. . . . A compelling history."

Booklist