Rebel Girl

My Life as a Feminist Punk

By: Kathleen Hanna

Narrated by: Kathleen Hanna

Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

An electric, searing memoir by the original rebel girl and legendary front woman of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre.

Hey girlfriend I got a proposition goes something like this: Dare ya to do what you want

Kathleen Hanna’s band Bikini Kill embodied the punk scene of the 90s, and today her personal yet feminist lyrics on anthems like “Rebel Girl” and “Double Dare Ya” are more powerful than ever. But where did this transformative voice come from?

In Rebel Girl, Hanna’s raw and insightful new memoir, she takes us from her tumul­tuous childhood to her formative college years and her first shows. As Hanna makes clear, being in a punk “girl band” in those years was not a simple or safe prospect. Male violence and antagonism threatened at every turn, and surviving as a singer who was a lightning rod for controversy took limitless amounts of determination.

But the relationships she developed during those years buoyed her, including with her bandmates Tobi Vail, Kathi Wilcox, JD Samson, and Johanna Fateman. And her friendships with musicians like Kurt Cobain, Ian MacKaye, Kim Gordon, and Joan Jett reminded her that, despite the odds, the punk world could still nurture and care for its own. Hanna opens up about falling in love with Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys and her debilitating battle with Lyme disease, and she brings us behind the scenes of her musical growth in her bands Le Tigre and The Julie Ruin. She also writes candidly about the Riot Grrrl movement, documenting with love its grassroots origins but critiquing its exclusivity.

In an uncut voice all her own, Hanna reveals the hardest times along with the most joyful—and how they continue to fuel her revolutionary art and music.

©2023 Kathleen Hanna (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Art Survival and Meaning

Beautifully read, beautifully written. I was super moved and proud to hear this story from someone I have known and always appreciated.
Thank you Kathleen!

I want to be heard…

So much of this story felt familiar to my heart. I loved listening to it in Kathleen’s voice and hearing all the tales in her words. I’ve never felt anything more than “No ones listened to me my whole life, and I want to be heard”… 🙏🏻🌹💞👯‍♀️

BAD ASS REBEL GIRL

inspiring and real! Thank you Kathleen Hanna! So honest, raw, and relatable.
big love sister!

Best Memoir/Autobiography I’ve read/listened to in ages

This was SUCH a good read/listen, and honestly I think listening to the audiobook is essential as hearing it all in Kathleen’s own voice just adds extra punch to the humor and emotional parts within. This isn’t your celeb tell all where it’s a plodding, long winded pretentious brag, nor is it a collection of random tales presented in some weird order. Kathleen Hanna ties all these events in her life together in a way that has many full-circle moments and connections, and she fully recognizes and acknowledges for her own mistakes and transgressions and is reflective, rather than on the defensive. She feels less like some big rockstar writing a book for a cash grab and more like a cool, funny, sometimes even dorky friend or older sister just shooting the shit. She’s relatable in a way that’s authentic and does a great job infusing her own dark humor into deeply traumatic life events in a way that doesn’t downplay them. I found myself laughing and crying. I found myself an even bigger fan after finishing it.