Rat Girl: A Memoir

( 13 )
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up in Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Paperback
$13.98
BN.com price
$15.00 List Price (Save 7%)
Marketplace (New and Used)
from
$0.99
$15.00 List Price (Save 93%)
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
All (30)  
Used (11)  
New (19)  
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 3
Showing 1 – 10 of 30 (3 pages)
$0.99
(Save 93%)
More Than Words MA
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(992)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

Acceptable
Acceptable Bumped corners good condition overall The book is a readable copy showing signs of wear and the pages are intact. The cover may have some creases or minor tears. The ... dust jacket (if applicable) may be missing. The book may be an ex-library book. The book may contain: a publisher remainder mar. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Waltham, MA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$2.50
(Save 83%)
Bookmans AZ
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(3679)

Condition: Good
2010 Paperback Good Satisfaction 100% guaranteed.

Ships from: Tucson, AZ

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$2.89
(Save 81%)
BBS Books
Seller since 2006

Feedback rating:

(3261)

Condition: Like New
0143117394 Great Book at a Great Value. Our Customer Feedback rating speaks for itself. We take pride in our customer service. Some of our book may have a publisher mark. Ships ... from TN. Read more Show Less

Ships from: JEFFERSON CITY, TN

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
$2.93
(Save 80%)
GIANTBOOKSALE
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(3638)

Condition: New
0143117394 SHIPS TODAY!! GREAT BOOK!!

Ships from: BAY SHORE, NY

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$3.50
(Save 77%)
oblivion books wa
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(462)

Condition: Good
2010 Paperback Good Good Soft cover. ? Clean text--NO writing, NO highlighting to text. ? Touch of wear to cover. Good condition.

Ships from: seattle, WA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$4.20
(Save 72%)
Amazingsalebooks
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(1084)

Condition: Good
PAPERBACK Good 0143117394 Our used books are new unread books from the publisher that could have a corner bump, sunfade or shelfwear. All are good reading copies and customer ... satisfaction is our number 1 priority. Read more Show Less

Ships from: new bedford, MA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$4.89
(Save 67%)
Big River Books
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(1385)

Condition: Acceptable
2010 Paperback Fair Cover may be damaged. Pages may have writing, but are intact. We ship daily Monday-Friday.

Ships from: Powder Springs, GA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$5.27
(Save 65%)
Vitalbooks PA
Seller since 2012

Feedback rating:

(107)

Condition: Like New
PAPERBACK Fine 0143117394 Ships Fast. All standard orders delivered within 5 to 12 business days. May have publisher overstock mark.

Ships from: Southampton, PA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$5.27
(Save 65%)
BookHouse COM LLC
Seller since 2011

Feedback rating:

(319)

Condition: Like New
PAPERBACK Fine 0143117394 May have publisher overstock mark. FROM A COMPANY YOU TRUST, HUGE SELECTION. RELIABLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! ! HASSLE FREE RETURN POLICY, SATISFACTION ... GURANTEED**** Read more Show Less

Ships from: Philadelphia, PA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$5.39
(Save 64%)
Qwestbooks
Seller since 2012

Feedback rating:

(6)

Condition: New
PAPERBACK New 0143117394 Ships within 24 hours. Best customer service. 100% money back return policy.

Ships from: Churchville, PA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
Page 1 of 3
Showing 1 – 10 of 30 (3 pages)
Close
Sort by
NOOK Book (eBook)
$12.99
BN.com price

Available on NOOK devices and apps

  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for iPad
  • NOOK for iPhone
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK for Android (Tablet)
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

More About This Book

Overview

The founder of a cult rock band shares her outrageous tale of growing up much faster than planned.

In 1985, Kristin Hersh was just starting to find her place in the world. After leaving home at the age of fifteen, the precocious child of unconventional hippies had enrolled in college while her band, Throwing Muses, was getting off the ground amid rumors of a major label deal. Then everything changed: she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and found herself in an emotional tailspin; she started medication, but then discovered she was pregnant. An intensely personal and moving account of that pivotal year, Rat Girl is sure to be greeted eagerly by Hersh's many fans.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
In this rambling and unremarkable journal of the year 1985-1986 in the life of an 18-year-old musician in Providence, R.I., Hersh tells of her coping with the sensory-overload of manic-depression and pregnancy. The daughter of divorced hippie intellectuals, raised in Georgia, Hersh crashed in a messy, rat-infested house of painters, attended classes at a Catholic college where her philosophy professor father (called Dude) taught, and fronted the rock band Throwing Muses. Young Hersh was shy and a little too squeaky clean for some of the grungy venues the band played; her unlikely best friend at school was the older movie star Betty Hutton, "a warm heart in a cold world," who had returned to school for a master's degree, and often drew on her famous life story for cautionary lessons. Hersh began having perception difficulties on stage, first because she refused to wear her glasses; she then started having visions that involved snakes and colorful sounds. These manic episodes were finally diagnosed by mental health professionals as evidence of bipolar disorder. On lithium, Hersh grew shaky and bloated; her band pushed to move to Boston, with hopes of recording. Hersh unexpectedly became pregnant and had to face grownup concerns way before she was ready, which she chronicles in flat, sophomoric prose. (Sept.)
Kirkus Reviews

Funny, quirky coming-of-age story from a unique musical artist.

For her first work of nonfiction, Hersh (Toby Snax, 2007), best known as founder and principal songwriter of art-rock band Throwing Muses, revisited the journal she kept from the winter of 1985 through the spring of 1986, when her band made the critical decision to leave provincial Rhode Island and join Boston's thriving music scene. It was a monumental year for Hersh personally, as well. At 18, she was a bit of an oddball. Hit by a car some years before, she started hearing—and seeing—music that she felt compelled to get out of her head and into the world. Other eccentricities may have preceded the accident: her dislike of being indoors, her refusal to wear glasses or lenses during shows so as not to make eye contact with her audiences, her need to swim in any available pool, with or without the permission of the owner. In the summer of 1985, Hersh suffered a frightening breakdown and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Refreshingly, though the book is not the kind of memoir that lingers in angst, perhaps because Hersh prefers to keep her delightfully childlike focus outward. Drawn to other outsiders, she had become close friends with one of her college-professor father's favorite students, the former movie star Betty Hutton, who, then in her 60s, had become a devout Catholic and had nominally renounced her Hollywood past. One of the narrative's many charms is Hersh's apparently effortless, razor-sharp portraiture of the diverse characters in her life: Hutton; her former-hippie parents; her bandmates; a parade of music journalists, an Indian psychiatrist (Dr. Seven Syllables, she names him) who helped her navigate her illness without medication upon learning she was pregnant by an unnamed lover; the British record-label owner and his producer who took great pains to get her genius on tape.

A thoroughly engrossing work by an original voice—hopefully the first of many.

More Reviews (2) Fewer Reviews
Juliet Wittman
…fascinating…[Hersh] is a fine writer with an eye for the detail, and her memoir combines a child's spontaneity with a mature artist's understanding.
—The Washington Post
Rob Sheffield
Rat Girl is sensitive and emotionally raw, which figures; it's also wildly funny, which didn't figure at all, since the Muses were never big on humor…Hersh's memories of her long-suffering bandmates help make Rat Girl an uncommonly touching punk memoir…Like Michael Azerrad's classic Our Band Could Be Your Life, Rat Girl reveals the inspiring camaraderie at the heart of '80s indie rock.
—The New York Times

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780143117391
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
  • Publication date: 8/31/2010
  • Pages: 336
  • Sales rank: 489,944
  • Product dimensions: 5.40 (w) x 8.30 (h) x 0.70 (d)

Meet the Author

Kristin Hersh has released more than twenty albums over the course of her career which have sold more than one million copies worldwide. She records solo, as well as with her bands Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 13 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(8)

4 Star

(3)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(1)

1 Star

(1)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identiy on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

We're sorry, but penname is already taken.

Please select one of the following:
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

penname is available!

By visiting the BN.com website or marking a purchase on BN.com, a User is deemed to have accepted the Terms of Use.

Continue Anonymously

Welcome, penname

You have successfully created your Pen Name. Start enjoying the benefits of the BN.com Community today.

Sort by: Showing all of 13 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 17, 2011

    A great read for Muses fans and beyond!

    I was drawn to this as a long time fan of Throwing Muses; but was half expecting something a little pretentious.

    But this is written with a light, often self-deprecating, touch - and I enjoyed much of the book; particularly the relationship that Hersh develops with former Hollywood idol Betty Hutton, and then the passages that follow the discovery of her pregnancy.

    Overall - a great read - not the typical entertainment memoir (and that is definitely a good thing).

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 21, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 2, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 30, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 26, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 24, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 30, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 20, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 11, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 22, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 28, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted April 18, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 17, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 13 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)
500 character limit