Rat Girl - Paperback

by Kristin Hersh (Author)

"One of the 25 Greatest Rock Memoirs of All Time" --Rolling Stone Magazine (#8)

"Sensitive and emotionally raw... it's also wildly funny"--The New York Times Book Review

A powerfully original memoir of pregnancy and mental illness by the legendary founder of the seminal rock band Throwing Muses, 'a magnificently charged union of Sylvia Plath and Patti Smith' - The Guardian

Kristin Hersh was a preternaturally bright teenager, starting college at fifteen and with her band, Throwing Muses, playing rock clubs she was too young to frequent. By the age of seventeen she was living in her car, unable to sleep for the torment of strange songs swimming around her head - the songs for which she is now known. But just as her band was taking off, Hersh was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia.

Rat Girl chronicles the unraveling of a young woman's personality, culminating in a suicide attempt; and then her arduous yet inspiring recovery, her unplanned pregnancy at the age of 19, and the birth of her first son. Playful, vivid, and wonderfully warm, this is a visceral and brave memoir by a truly original performer, told in a truly original voice.

Author Biography

Kristin Hersh Influential songwriter, mulit-instrumentalist, and author she is the leader of the indie rock band Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave. She records solo as well. Over the last three decades, Hersh has released more than 20 records which have sold more than one million copies worldwide. Her books include Rat Girl, Don't Suck, Don't Die and Seeing Sideways.