--- product_id: 20933238 title: "Girl in a Band: A Memoir" price: "FREE" currency: PAB in_stock: false reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/20933238-girl-in-a-band-a-memoir store_origin: PA region: Panama --- # Girl in a Band: A Memoir **Price:** FREE **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Girl in a Band: A Memoir - **How much does it cost?** FREE with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.pa](https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/20933238-girl-in-a-band-a-memoir) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Kim Gordon, founding member of Sonic Youth, fashion icon, and role model for a generation of women, now tells her story—a memoir of life as an artist, of music, marriage, motherhood, independence, and as one of the first women of rock and roll, written with the lyricism and haunting beauty of Patti Smith's Just Kids. Often described as aloof, Kim Gordon opens up as never before in Girl in a Band . Telling the story of her family, growing up in California in the '60s and '70s, her life in visual art, her move to New York City, the men in her life, her marriage, her relationship with her daughter, her music, and her band, Girl in a Band is a rich and beautifully written memoir. Gordon takes us back to the lost New York of the 1980s and '90s that gave rise to Sonic Youth, and the Alternative revolution in popular music. The band helped build a vocabulary of music—paving the way for Nirvana, Hole, Smashing Pumpkins and many other acts. But at its core, Girl in a Band examines the route from girl to woman in uncharted territory, music, art career, what partnership means—and what happens when that identity dissolves. Evocative and edgy, filled with the sights and sounds of a changing world and a transformative life, Girl in a Band is the fascinating chronicle of a remarkable journey and an extraordinary artist. Review: Only wished it was longer - i don't have enough time to give the book the review it deserves, but feel it necessary to make my vote count considering I loved this book. It's laying next to me right now. What I appreciate most about this book is Kim Gordon's willingness to her (highly) personal stories. She never seemed pretentious to me from what I've seen in person at shows, or on record, or on stage - but always seemed to me at least, like an angel. I put her on a pedestal you could say because her and her bands' music has always been such an important part of my life. I was happy and glad to read that she's a normal person, that happens to have amazing and juicy details to tell, but even more happy that she has all the same fears, doubts, and self-conscious issues I have. I'm 33 now, but when I was seventeen all the way until my 13-year relationship ended a few years ago - my ex revealed one of her fears was that I would eventually leave her for Kim Gordon. Maybe that was just a dream she had. I'm just extremely grateful that Km was comfortable enough to let us in, and share her stories with us. I'm an open book, I'll answer any question no matter how personal, even to a fault...to a stranger. I'm extremely picky about what music and entertainment turns me on, so there's not a whole lot of "juice" out there for me. I just think it's wonderful that someone I actually like has no reservations about telling me all sorts of stuff. Usually people that I'm interested in are much more guarded, and thus seem to leave an impression that they're trying to remain in control in crafting their rock star, or indie-cred persona. Nothing could be more appealing to me then someone telling their story with none of that BS. Obviously at 33, I should know that "we're all human", we all go to the bathroom. But Gordon's honesty and humility surprised me - not that I didn't think she would or could be - but because getting this personal with anyone outside of the comedians I enjoy just doesn't happen as often as I'd like, and it just made me like her more. My review sucks. This book is good, and such a fun read. My only disappointment is that I've finished it. I'd love for it to be longer, but to be honest, I'm much more fascinated (and humbled) by what Kim is comfortable to share about her personal life then any history lesson of any music scene. Finally, I loved to read that Wasning Machine was one of her favorite records. That's my favorite album. I don't go on the Sonic Youth message boards, but the few times I tried over the years, all their fanatics dismissed this album, as well as my other favorite from around the same time period. Take that jerks. Review: I felt like it was time - It was almost five years ago when I found out about the breakup of Sonic Youth. I wasn’t surprised or saddened or upset about it. I felt like it was time, really. The band had been around for three decades and have put out truly wonderful music. There are a lot of Sonic Youth material out there to last a long time. Frankly I thought they’d be finished after the nineties; a small number of years after the birth of Kim and Thurston’s daughter. I thought that would’ve been it. I wondered how they would be able to carry on in their career’s while raising a child. It appears that they knew a lot of friendly people who wanted to help out. After the millennium they ended up releasing five studio albums, not to mention five more albums in their SY series. It was obvious that the breakup had all to do with the divorce of Kim and Thurston, and I honestly didn’t wanna know. In the age of the Internet where everything is displayed, I felt it was none of my business. For a long time, I felt that way. Even when they decided to publicly address it, I didn’t want to know. It’s clichéd but it really is all about the music. I could care less otherwise. That was how I felt for four years. Then on one afternoon I finally saw Kim Gordon’s book Girl in A Band on a shelf in Barnes & Noble. I knew earlier that she was releasing a memoir but I didn’t know when. I wasn’t invested in discovering something so personal. I had some time to go over the book. What I wanted to know if anything was her perspective on the studio recordings; just a detailed standpoint of how they work as musicians. That’s what I was curious to find out about. She does cover ground on that especially the second half of the book. She pretty much goes through their career but I noticed she leaves out NYC Ghosts & Flowers – very underrated but one of their best. I don’t know why she never mentioned that album. The book starts off very depressing as she recounts the final stage performance of Sonic Youth in Sao Paulo, Brazil from 2011. It was three months after Kim and Thurston were no longer a couple, so after the show ended they all went their separate ways. It really was the end for them. Kim being amiable about the whole thing while on that tour points out some pretty devastating things such as, “…relationship failure – a male midlife crisis, another woman, a double life.” and “What was going on was the silent, unwelcome guest in the room.” Initially I wasn’t sure of continuing reading due to such private content so I felt I had to back off…for a while at least. A week ago I finished the book. It basically took me two weeks to read. It is an easy read but I like to go slow and reread certain parts so it’s easier to fully absorb what I’m reading. Speedreading is something I choose not to do. My mind doesn’t work that way. Afterwards I respect her now than ever before. She goes on a little too much about art both conceptual and visual but overall it is intriguing. She seems to have a professional aura that I admire. It is more than a rock and roll memoir to me. I was enthralled by her history growing up in Los Angeles and moving with her family to Hawaii and then later to Hong Kong, and then back to L.A. I liked when she described how her parents and their friends enjoyed spending the summers in the late sixties at Klamath River. Much later on in the book in Chapter 50, as she discusses the disintegration of her marriage she came across a reference to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. The line of dialogue goes, “Some men just want to watch the world burn.” In my life I was never that way. I always favored comfort, security and stability. I think about how overwhelming it is for their marriage to end after 27 years and all the work they’ve done together. That’s a long time sharing a life with someone. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #391,716 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #31 in Punk Music (Books) #34 in Punk Musician Biographies #84 in Rock Music (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.2 out of 5 stars 1,810 Reviews | ## Images ![Girl in a Band: A Memoir - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51GZwSCmdQL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Only wished it was longer *by E***N on February 27, 2015* i don't have enough time to give the book the review it deserves, but feel it necessary to make my vote count considering I loved this book. It's laying next to me right now. What I appreciate most about this book is Kim Gordon's willingness to her (highly) personal stories. She never seemed pretentious to me from what I've seen in person at shows, or on record, or on stage - but always seemed to me at least, like an angel. I put her on a pedestal you could say because her and her bands' music has always been such an important part of my life. I was happy and glad to read that she's a normal person, that happens to have amazing and juicy details to tell, but even more happy that she has all the same fears, doubts, and self-conscious issues I have. I'm 33 now, but when I was seventeen all the way until my 13-year relationship ended a few years ago - my ex revealed one of her fears was that I would eventually leave her for Kim Gordon. Maybe that was just a dream she had. I'm just extremely grateful that Km was comfortable enough to let us in, and share her stories with us. I'm an open book, I'll answer any question no matter how personal, even to a fault...to a stranger. I'm extremely picky about what music and entertainment turns me on, so there's not a whole lot of "juice" out there for me. I just think it's wonderful that someone I actually like has no reservations about telling me all sorts of stuff. Usually people that I'm interested in are much more guarded, and thus seem to leave an impression that they're trying to remain in control in crafting their rock star, or indie-cred persona. Nothing could be more appealing to me then someone telling their story with none of that BS. Obviously at 33, I should know that "we're all human", we all go to the bathroom. But Gordon's honesty and humility surprised me - not that I didn't think she would or could be - but because getting this personal with anyone outside of the comedians I enjoy just doesn't happen as often as I'd like, and it just made me like her more. My review sucks. This book is good, and such a fun read. My only disappointment is that I've finished it. I'd love for it to be longer, but to be honest, I'm much more fascinated (and humbled) by what Kim is comfortable to share about her personal life then any history lesson of any music scene. Finally, I loved to read that Wasning Machine was one of her favorite records. That's my favorite album. I don't go on the Sonic Youth message boards, but the few times I tried over the years, all their fanatics dismissed this album, as well as my other favorite from around the same time period. Take that jerks. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I felt like it was time *by P***L on February 26, 2016* It was almost five years ago when I found out about the breakup of Sonic Youth. I wasn’t surprised or saddened or upset about it. I felt like it was time, really. The band had been around for three decades and have put out truly wonderful music. There are a lot of Sonic Youth material out there to last a long time. Frankly I thought they’d be finished after the nineties; a small number of years after the birth of Kim and Thurston’s daughter. I thought that would’ve been it. I wondered how they would be able to carry on in their career’s while raising a child. It appears that they knew a lot of friendly people who wanted to help out. After the millennium they ended up releasing five studio albums, not to mention five more albums in their SY series. It was obvious that the breakup had all to do with the divorce of Kim and Thurston, and I honestly didn’t wanna know. In the age of the Internet where everything is displayed, I felt it was none of my business. For a long time, I felt that way. Even when they decided to publicly address it, I didn’t want to know. It’s clichéd but it really is all about the music. I could care less otherwise. That was how I felt for four years. Then on one afternoon I finally saw Kim Gordon’s book Girl in A Band on a shelf in Barnes & Noble. I knew earlier that she was releasing a memoir but I didn’t know when. I wasn’t invested in discovering something so personal. I had some time to go over the book. What I wanted to know if anything was her perspective on the studio recordings; just a detailed standpoint of how they work as musicians. That’s what I was curious to find out about. She does cover ground on that especially the second half of the book. She pretty much goes through their career but I noticed she leaves out NYC Ghosts & Flowers – very underrated but one of their best. I don’t know why she never mentioned that album. The book starts off very depressing as she recounts the final stage performance of Sonic Youth in Sao Paulo, Brazil from 2011. It was three months after Kim and Thurston were no longer a couple, so after the show ended they all went their separate ways. It really was the end for them. Kim being amiable about the whole thing while on that tour points out some pretty devastating things such as, “…relationship failure – a male midlife crisis, another woman, a double life.” and “What was going on was the silent, unwelcome guest in the room.” Initially I wasn’t sure of continuing reading due to such private content so I felt I had to back off…for a while at least. A week ago I finished the book. It basically took me two weeks to read. It is an easy read but I like to go slow and reread certain parts so it’s easier to fully absorb what I’m reading. Speedreading is something I choose not to do. My mind doesn’t work that way. Afterwards I respect her now than ever before. She goes on a little too much about art both conceptual and visual but overall it is intriguing. She seems to have a professional aura that I admire. It is more than a rock and roll memoir to me. I was enthralled by her history growing up in Los Angeles and moving with her family to Hawaii and then later to Hong Kong, and then back to L.A. I liked when she described how her parents and their friends enjoyed spending the summers in the late sixties at Klamath River. Much later on in the book in Chapter 50, as she discusses the disintegration of her marriage she came across a reference to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. The line of dialogue goes, “Some men just want to watch the world burn.” In my life I was never that way. I always favored comfort, security and stability. I think about how overwhelming it is for their marriage to end after 27 years and all the work they’ve done together. That’s a long time sharing a life with someone. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ It was probably because I know that her career had a happy ending, that I enjoyed reading about her struggles ... *by J***A on March 15, 2015* For those that picked up this book to read about Sonic Youth, and the inspiration for particular songs or albums, maybe 30 - 40 percent of the book is that. Though, even the chapters focused on particular albums are more about what was going on in Kim's life at the time, not everyone in the band. It was probably because I know that her career had a happy ending, that I enjoyed reading about her struggles as someone trying to make it in the art world in Los Angeles, and especially the art world New York City. I think I always wonder how people manage to make it to fame, and she does a good job of showing how it's a combination of talent, luck, getting to know the right people (not just for networking but also as a way to find those that inspire your development as an artist), and pushing yourself to continuously create new things, and experiment. She does also give us the hot gossip people look for in a book where other famous people are bound to come into her life. Though I cared less about that; for me the two chapters on Thurston's affair were much more detailed than I expected, but I have been cheated on before so these chapters became very relatable and emotional for me to read. Overall, the book is a solid "B+" in writing, but I'll give it an "A" because I really like their music, her tangents about pop music and artists, and because it taught me about feminism in rock music. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/20933238-girl-in-a-band-a-memoir](https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/20933238-girl-in-a-band-a-memoir) --- *Product available on Desertcart Panama* *Store origin: PA* *Last updated: 2026-10-30*