We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The True, Tough Story of Women in Rock

By Gerri Hirshey

Book Overview

Rock and roll has traditionally been a boys' game. It has forced female artists to work twice as hard, usually for half the recognition -- but without their contributions, American music would be radically impoverished. Called "a kind of female Cameron Crowe" by the Chicago Tribune, Gerri Hirshey has been writing about music for two decades. Now, in a narrative based on frank original interviews and a vise grasp of American cultural history, she serves up a tasty platter of girl groups and soul queens, acoustic goddesses and priestesses of the avant-garde, punk grrrls, glamazons, and innovators of hip-hop and neo-soul. We Gotta Get Out of This Place is the passionate history of a century of women in rock that is deft, authoritative, and a sheer delight to read. "A literary soul queen, an Aretha of the page ..." -- Karen Schoemer, Elle "We Gotta Get Out of This Place ... helps set the record straight." -- Dan Gilgoff, U.S. News & World Report "Hirshey doesn't write about rock and roll. She writes rock and roll." -- L. D. Meagher, CNN.com "Vivid, impassioned, and] lively." -- Francine Prose, O Magazine

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802138993
• ISBN13: 9780802138996
• Release Date: June 2002
• Publisher: Grove Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

worth the time

really good. Hirshey still rocks. The first half of the book is the best half, but the book as a whole is fine stuff.

You go girl

Girlfriend knows her stuff. Really good.

Sooooooo good

Any fan of grrl rock will be happy to know that Gerri Hirshey has nailed it on the head here.... Truly a devotee of chick music, she delivers the real "Behind the Music" look at Chrissie Hynde, Marianne Faithfull, Rickie Lee Jones, and more.Goes deep into the blues, soul, and gospel roots of today's music. Miss Hirshey knows her stuff -- this book is really cool.

Girls CAN and DO rock

This is an admittedly subjective history -- a chronicle of Hirshey's experiences covering everyone from the Supremes to Marianne Faithful for Rolling Stone. Filled with cool stories, neat lil tidbits, and priceless quotes from the divas we have all come to love.Arranged by decade, it is a good overview of women's music. Places female recording artists in context of political & social events, trends in the biz, and everything else. A great read.