Typical Girls

By Zoe Howe,

Book cover of Typical Girls: The Story of "The Slits"

Book description

Wild, defiant and startlingly inventive, The Slits were ahead of their time. Although they created some unique hybrids - dub reggae and pop-punk, African rhythms, funk and free jazz - they were dismissed as being unable to play. Their lyrics were witty and perceptive while their influential first album challenged…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked Typical Girls as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

As far as I know, this is the first biography of an all-female or female-fronted band. When I saw it come out, I was thrilled but also thought: how in the world has it taken this long for someone to write a book about The Slits?!

Lucky for me (and for all of you), Zoe Howe was the one to do it because this book taught me that it’s more than possible to write about women in music (even when male journalists and music writers omit women altogether, marginalize them in print, or criticize their work). 

From Audrey's list on revealing untold stories in music.

Want books like Typical Girls?

Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Typical Girls.

Browse books like Typical Girls

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in rock music, punk rock, and presidential biography?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about rock music, punk rock, and presidential biography.

Rock Music Explore 222 books about rock music
Punk Rock Explore 44 books about punk rock
Presidential Biography Explore 19 books about presidential biography