This book has been lauded as one of the most thorough, impressive histories of women in the music industry, and with good cause. British music journalist Lucy O'Brien (author of "Annie Lennox") goes above and beyond the usual "women in pop" formula to include not only extraordinary performing artists like Suzanne Vega and Billie Holliday, but also the groundbreaking female writers, producers, and engineers that aren't as often recognized by the media.

O'Brien culls her information from more than 200 interviews conducted in Britain and the US over a 10-year period, beginning in 1984. Sifting through the genres of jazz, reggae, rap, folk, country, world, rock, and soul, she looks to those at the forefront of feminism in pop music, examining the extraordinary sense of self that propelled each of these women to not just ride the trends, but to create them.

But don't dismiss this as a "just the facts" view of women in the music industry; it's much more. O'Brien is realistic and savvy enough to readily admit that there are issues that challenge women continually, including the ethics of blatantly leveraging one's sexuality as a marketing tool, the permeating lack of unity among women in the industry, and the self-destructive behavior that plagues many.

Including a great collection of support material, such as photos, a bibliography, and a discography, She Bop is great addition to every rock fan's library.

This is an interesting and informative book. I especially enjoyed the parts that referred to Dusty Springfield and how her unique singing style influenced rock & roll. Ms O'Brien also wrote the Dusty Springfield biography, "Dusty," which is available at the Amazon UK location. Check out both books, especially if you're a Dusty Springfield fan.

though written almost five years ago, lucy o'brien's _she bop_ is still one of the definitive books to cover the role of women in the music industry. like _rolling stone: women in rock_ and _women on top_, o'brien extensively documents the often-overlooked contribution that women have made to all forms of music, since the birth of the recording industry. o'brien peppers her account with excerpts from actual interviews accumulated during her years as a music journalist. in contrast with other books on the same subject, o'brien provides a uniquely english view, including artists that are often passed over, even in femenist music anthologies. by documenting the contributions made by women such as lisa lisa, shara nelson and martha wash, o'brien's book seems more thorough than those that focus only on industry divas. this book is an absolute must for anybody interested in the way that recorded music is dealing with issues of sex.

This book was very interesting had a good theme and plot.

It kept the reader on edge throughout the entire book. I would

recommend it to everyone.

Like all the volumes in the Library of America series, this book is beautiful and made to last. Some readers may be bothered by the thin paper, but it allows so much to be packed into a handy book. As the title states, this is a collection from Cather's early work (her first "first novel," _Alexander's Bridge_, is missing). _The Troll Garden_ is a collection of Cather's early short stories, most in the manner of H. James and have a fin-de-siecle tone. "The Sculptor's Funeral," which depicts a town's inability to recognize achievement in any form but monetary, is perhaps the best. That and two other stories were revised by Cather for _Youth and the Bright Medusa_ (1920 an available in LoA 57 _Stories, Poems, and Other Writings_). Reading the versions side-by-side, one can achieve insight into Cather's growing abilities as a writer. However, the most rewarding read in this volume is _My Antonia_. Cather's first masterpiece depicts the lives of Jim Burden and Antonia Shimerda from their arrival in Black Hawk, Nebraska to twenty years after Jim leaves Black Hawk for a life in the East. Antonia remains in Nebraska, becomes a maid in town, and marries (twice). The theme of the book, from Jim's perspective, is aptly captured in the epigraph: "optima dies . . . prima fugit" (from Virgil's _Aeneid_). Again like all volumes in the LoA, a chronology of the authors life, a "Note on the Texts" and a few notes, containing information on allusions and translations of foreign words and phrases appear at the end of the volume.

One of my all-time favorite books. Attractively packaged on acid-free paper. Very classic looking. And the fiction is excellent! Her stories about the Plains, the Southwest, Chicago, and Quebec are perfect works of art. I especially liked "Tom Outland's Story" contained within "The Professor's House."