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

**Updated and expanded with new material from the author and new foreword from Rachel Kushner**

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.

This unflinching memoir maps the evolution of an artist, a band, and an era.

• Post-Punk New York: From the halcyon days of the 80s and 90s art and music scene to the formation of a band that would define a generation.
• Sonic Youth Memoir: An insider’s account of the band that paved the way for acts like Nirvana, told from the epicenter of the noise.
• Art Scene Memoir: A portrait of a life lived at the intersection of music and visual art, with candid explorations of the artists, writers, and musicians who shaped her worldview.
• Unflinching Personal Story: Gordon speaks openly about her Southern California childhood, growing up with a schizophrenic sibling, and the marriage and divorce that defined her life for decades.