Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl

As a memoir this is at best elusive - I didn't come away feeling I knew anything substantial about the author that I didn't going in - and at worst disingenuous, as when she talks about how great it was to play with Janet Weiss again when S-K reformed, without mentioning that she and Janet had recorded and toured in another band together during the S-K hiatus. A missed opportunity.

Takeaway: If you can be in a band with anyone, be in a band with Janet Weiss.

It always surprises me that musicians lead fairly mundane lives, too. In interviews, Carrie is usually pretty funny, but she kept the humor in check for this book. This is primarily a history of Brownstein's early life and her time with Sleater-Kinney. If you're looking for Portlandia anecdotes, you should wait for the next book, because the TV show is never mentioned.

I loved, loved, loved this book. LOVED. I thought it would mostly be about Sleater-Kinney, but she brought in all the aspects of her life during that time as well. I don't know how to describe it. The main focus was forming the band and touring and the music, but she touched upon her mother's struggles, her anxiety and the aftermath. I related and it took me back to the days of heading out the SF to catch them if we were lucky. Those were the days!

Carrie Brownstein is a really fantastic writer. When I first watched Portlandia and learned that one of the members of Sleater-Kinney was partnering with Fred Armisen to do a sketch comedy show based on Portland's unique ways and people, I was intrigued. Then, after watching the first few seasons, I was impressed with Ms. Brownstein's agility in moving from music to comedy. Then, I heard Ms. Brownstein's interview on Fresh Air and felt required to pick up her book; the interview is a nude companion to the book.

The author's talents don't stop at music and comedy. Behind her lyrical, poetic writing is honesty that cannot be easy for a somewhat shy person to express to the public. As someone who is exactly one month younger than Carrie Brownstein, I also enjoyed both the similarities and differences in our childhoods, teen years, and adulthood.

To be frank, while I had huge respect for the Riot Grrl movement and bands in nearby constellations, I never really dug Sleater-Kinney. That's not to say that I didn't appreciate them, but their sound was just too harsh for my delicate ears. However, as someone who loves music, learning about the creative process and influences behind music is fascinating, so I plan to take another listen to Sleater-Kinney's catalogue.

What you won't hear about is Portlandia, but that's not the point of the book; it's about who Carrie was, is, and may become. If you're a fan of Portlandia, you'll certainly see some of the creative influences appear in this book.

I really struggled with the rating on this one and really wish there could be .5 increments! I was distracted by the pacing and structure of the narrative as well as some overwrought language, but the content and message are so amazing! Content - ****, Narrative - ** so I'll average it out.

a little thin, but an interesting insider perspective on riotgrrl and band culture in the Pacific Northwest

The only flaw I can find in this book, is you need to be a fan of Sleater-Kinney to enjoy it, and that makes it quite esoteric. However, if you're a fan (and by “fan” I mean have memorised all of their back catalogue), it's definitely a must.
It feels familiar, reassuring and a love letter to the band.

I'll start by saying I'm not like a Sleater-Kinney superfan by any means, but I love Carrie Brownstein from Portlandia and other stuff! This book is beautifully written and has some fantastic lines about anxiety and the patriarchy and the power of doing stuff and of being a fan of stuff. It's really great. She does go through S-K kind of album by album, and I did enjoy reading about the process even if I haven't listened to all of their albums (though I'm sure a bigger S-K fan would get more out of those parts of the book than I did).

I'm really too young to remember most of the Riot Grrl era but I still love reading about it.

IMPORTANT SPOILER: there is a chapter about how Carrie's dogs killed her cat and IT'S VERY UPSETTING