Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein
Memoir
Hardcover,
244 pages
Published
October 27th, 2015 by Riverhead Books
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.
All we ever
wanted was just to play songs and shows that mattered to people, that mattered
to us. Music that summed up the messiness of life, that mitigated that nagging
fear of hopelessness, loneliness and death.
Before I
read this book, I didn’t know that much about Carrie Brownstein. I, of course,
know her from the hilarious show Portlandia,
but I hadn’t heard of the punk band Sleater-Kinney before. I really love Portlandia so when when I had the
chance, I was eager to learn more about Ms. Brownstein.
Carrie
starts by telling us about her bumpy childhood and the relationships she has
with her family members. She paints a picture of an endearing young girl,
unsure of herself, troubled not only by teenage angst, but by a disease that
plagued her mother. In these times, she would turn to music and comedy.
When she
moves on to her time in university, she begins to delve deeper into her love of
music. This was the early 90s and the hay day of the Riot Grrrl punk movement.
Carrie was in the pacific northwest of the US and was in the epicentre of a lot
of this music at the time. The way she talks about it makes you feel like you
are right there with her, alongside her as she takes part in this music
evolution.
Carrie is
an amazing writer. She gets to the heart of what it’s like to want to do
something that matters, to express yourself, to be an artist. She speaks
honestly of trouble, loss, self-doubt, friendship, love, music, and everything
in between. Her memoir is relatable, evocative, and totally engrossing. She’s a
very intelligent woman and it shows.
Though I
came to know Carrie through her humour, there’s not much of that in this book.
If you’re looking for laughs, this isn’t the place. But if you’re looking for a
well written, insightful memoir-meets-cultural-history, you’ll love this.
Rating: A
Labels: Feminism, Memoir, Review
