Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk – A New York Times Bestselling Memoir of the Riot Grrrl Movement

Kathleen Hanna, front woman of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, presents a memoir of her life in punk music and the Riot Grrrl movement. The book traces her journey from childhood through her formative college years and early performances, documenting how she developed her feminist voice through songs like "Rebel Girl" and "Double Dare Ya." Hanna describes the challenges of being a female punk musician in the 1990s, including the male violence and antagonism she faced. She writes about her relationships with bandmates Tobi Vail, Kathi Wilcox, JD Samson, and Johanna Fateman, as well as friendships with musicians including Kurt Cobain, Ian MacKaye, Kim Gordon, and Joan Jett. The memoir also covers her romantic relationship with Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys and her experience with Lyme disease. Hanna discusses her work with Bikini Kill, Le Tigre, and The Julie Ruin, and provides an account of the Riot Grrrl movement's grassroots origins while also examining its limitations and exclusivity. Throughout, she reflects on both difficult and joyful periods of her life and artistic development.