Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

The cover of this book really is simple but right on.
As an "elder-emo," i really enjoyed this read.
This book was fantastic. Seriously.

I'd definitely purchase a copy and check out other books by the author.

DNF @ 10%

I was an emo kid back in the day and requested this in the hopes of a little walk down memory lane.
Whilst it was intriguing, I’ve struggled to sit down and really read this book due to its essay like structure and writing style. It feels far too academic even for a non-fiction book which puts me off.
I really wish I could sit down and read this, but it’s not my sort of thing at all.

As a person who was a teenager in the mid-aughts, I distinctly remember the emo subculture, which though not that big in Bulgaria, had a small place in the country's alternative culture scene. I was never an emo myself (I was more into 90s emo and screamo back then), but was always interested in what the 00's emos say in that maligned by many subculture and all of its prerequisites like clothes, hairstyle, and make-up. Judith Fathallah's newest monograph, which to my knowledge is the first proper research on the influential and widespread subculture, manages not only to tell the history of the movement and put it in the historical context of the American alternative culture, but also to delineate the roles of this subculture for the building of the member's identities and views of the world. I must read for everyone interested in the study of contemporary culture and alternative forms of art.

I saw the title for this one and requested it before even looking any further. I will always classify myself as an “emo” I no longer have black hair with a blonde fringe or snake bites but my love for this genre of music will always be my solace.

Fathallah dive deep into the culture of “emotional hardcore” breaking down the stereotypes and tackles some heavy topics gender, social media, common misconceptions and violence associated with the genre.

I loved the band references and the emo “holy trinity” bands My Chemical Romance, Fallout Boy and Panic at the Disco. The formatting of this reads kind of like a paper rather than a book. It’s got 1000’s of references within the narrative. I really enjoyed Fathallah’s views and think it was perfectly executed.

Emo never dies, it’s not a phase, it’s a forever thing.

This book took me back to my teenage years! What a great read for anyone who grew up with (or watched) the "emo" subculture.

I went into this thinking it was going to be a fun look back at the music scene I grew up in, but that wasn't necessarily the case. Fathallah really dives deep into the cultural impact emo music had on society, and isn't afraid to shy away from tough subjects such as gender stereotypes, and even the violence, that plagued this genre. While she touches upon different bands such as Sunny Day Real Estate and Dashboard Confessional, she sticks with the "emo holy trinity" of My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, and Panic! At The Disco to really drive her message home. Along with the musical holy trinity, she touches upon how the social media holy trinity of Livejournal, Myspace, and Tumblr also played a huge role in the success of emo music, especially in the early 2000s. This is a very research-heavy book, so I think it would be an interesting read for someone who is more into the academic side of music. While I did appreciate the nostalgia factor, it read a little too much like a thesis paper for me to fully enjoy.

A problematic but beloved favorite genre -- this history is enjoyable, fun, and a serious blast through the musical past (and present at points). Thank you for this!

Whilst the contents of the book remained intriguing, I struggled to gel with the academic style used to impart the information. It felt very 'assignment-like' with the inclusion of sentences such as, 'in this chapter I will...' This pulled me from my immersion and distanced me from the nostalgia I assumed I would feel. I also understand the importance of the three bands this often sited but would have liked to see others featured. I acknowledge the full realm of music history could not have been included however, and this is merely a personal preference.

EMO is not the light look back at the early aughts I thought it would be . Judith May Fathallah gives us a very academic and well researched examination of Emo culture. From what Emo actually means to the fragile masculinity around the phrase; this book goes DEEP!
I recommend this for more academic audiences. There was a gap in the market for well written history and analysis and this fits the bill for sure. As millennial and gen z audiences ages we need this type of historical account to keep the Emo kid spirit alive.

Thank you to NetGalley and University of Iowa Press for this copy of Emo by Judith May Fathallah in exchange for an honest review. It publishes November 15, 2020.

As soon as I saw this book I was so excited to read it! As someone who was a teen when the Emo movement was pretty big, I couldn’t wait to see what would be in this book.

Unfortunately, I am not smart enough to appreciate this fully. I feel like this may be the author’s thesis, as it is so incredibly academic, I may start having college final panic attacks after reading this.

Anyway, if you’re looking for an extremely thorough, and well-researched and written book about Emo culture, go for this! If you lost a lot of brain cells from head banging and trying to scream along to the screaming parts, then it might not be for you.