My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In Girls to the Front, Sara Marcus has written the definitive history of Riot Grrrl. Interweaving personal experience, as a teenager she wrote zines and participated in movement herself, with interviews and historical research, Marcus managed to capture the essence of the era and demonstrated how important and revolutionary it was. Today it is quite common for the issues the movement addressed to be discussed in mainstream media. But at the time it absolutely was not. Riot Grrrl broke down these boundaries and as a grassroots movement before the age of high-speed internet it was still able to spread its message across the planet. With a DIY attitude it showed that no voice was too small and encouraged women to organise together.
The story of Riot Grrrl is often primarily associated with Kathleen Hanna and her band Bikini Kill. While this book does tell that story, it is not overwhelmed by it and gives plenty of time to other individuals, those in the scene who were not in bands, those who attended meetings and found themselves joining a like-minded community. Marcus has said she was inspired to write this book after she heard that a male journalist was considering doing a book on Riot Grrrl, and that she wanted to get her own account out before someone who was not there and did not understand the movement distorted it. This book truly feels like a labour of love and as you read it you can feel how important it was to everyone involved.
A significant part of the movement's success during the 90s was the circulation of zines among the different chapters or groups across the U.S. These zines were written by the members themselves and aimed to equip women with the knowledge they needed to empower themselves. These zines were steeped in feminist ideology and took influence from thinkers like Luce Irigaray, Julia Kristeva and Simone de Beauvoir. However, the book does investigate some of the flaws in the movement. It addresses how sometimes the scene could be a bit closed off and for newcomers it was not always easy to assimilate. The same problems that have arisen with many feminist movements were also apparent in Riot Grrrl. The scene was predominately white and issues effecting women of colour were not always addressed.
Overall, this is a comprehensive account of the movement. It gives great insights into its scope outside of just the music. Riot Grrrl radicalised a generation of young women and demonstrates that everyone can make difference. It showed that it is important for women to speak out, it is important to come together and support one another, and that you did not have to be a man to play punk rock. Riot Grrrl itself defies definition and Marcus does not attempt to do that. It was so many things at once. But if you’re looking for a glimpse into what felt like to be there at the time or to understand why it means so much to so many people then Girls to the Front is the book for you.
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The story of Riot Grrrl is often primarily associated with Kathleen Hanna and her band Bikini Kill. While this book does tell that story, it is not overwhelmed by it and gives plenty of time to other individuals, those in the scene who were not in bands, those who attended meetings and found themselves joining a like-minded community. Marcus has said she was inspired to write this book after she heard that a male journalist was considering doing a book on Riot Grrrl, and that she wanted to get her own account out before someone who was not there and did not understand the movement distorted it. This book truly feels like a labour of love and as you read it you can feel how important it was to everyone involved.
A significant part of the movement's success during the 90s was the circulation of zines among the different chapters or groups across the U.S. These zines were written by the members themselves and aimed to equip women with the knowledge they needed to empower themselves. These zines were steeped in feminist ideology and took influence from thinkers like Luce Irigaray, Julia Kristeva and Simone de Beauvoir. However, the book does investigate some of the flaws in the movement. It addresses how sometimes the scene could be a bit closed off and for newcomers it was not always easy to assimilate. The same problems that have arisen with many feminist movements were also apparent in Riot Grrrl. The scene was predominately white and issues effecting women of colour were not always addressed.
Overall, this is a comprehensive account of the movement. It gives great insights into its scope outside of just the music. Riot Grrrl radicalised a generation of young women and demonstrates that everyone can make difference. It showed that it is important for women to speak out, it is important to come together and support one another, and that you did not have to be a man to play punk rock. Riot Grrrl itself defies definition and Marcus does not attempt to do that. It was so many things at once. But if you’re looking for a glimpse into what felt like to be there at the time or to understand why it means so much to so many people then Girls to the Front is the book for you.
View all my reviews
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