Girl in a Band: A Memoir (10th Anniversary Edition)

For many, Kim Gordon is the epitome of cool: vocalist, bassist/guitarist and founding member of Sonic Youth--one of the most successful bands to emerge from the post-punk New York scene--despite being famously reserved.

Ten years ago, Gordon distilled that coolness into her groundbreaking memoir, Girl in a Band, speaking openly about her life. From her childhood in the sunbaked suburbs of Southern California, growing up with a schizophrenic sibling, to New York's downtown art and music scene in the halcyon days of the 80s and 90s and creating Sonic Youth--a band that would go on to pave the way for acts like Nirvana and inspire the Riot Grrrl generation. Girl in a Band is an edgy and evocative portrait of a life in art.

A decade on, Gordon's exploration of the artists, musicians, and writers who influenced her, and of the relationship that defined her life for so long, remains a deeply intimate self-portrait of a woman who became an icon, and whose stature continues to evolve in and grow. With a new foreword by Rachel Kushner and new chapter from Kim herself ruminating on her career as a solo artist and her two 2025 Grammy nominations, her connection to touring after nearly forty years, and the death of her brother Keller.