It was fascinating. I love learning more about women in rock music and this was such a fun, approachable way to explore it.

My first thought upon finishing this book was "why isn't everyone talking about this? The booktok girlies would LOVE this!" and I stand by that. The intersection of womanhood with music, one of the great unifiers, was fascinating in every way. From beautiful eulogies of artists past to vignettes of piano lessons and first records, this book made me feel seen as a music lover and woman.

I was drawn to this essay collection based on Megan Jasper’s essay on her iconic trolling of the New York Times for a piece on grunge lingo, which was excerpted in The Guardian a few weeks ago. For those of you who don’t know, I got my start in journalism through music, so I knew this collection would really speak to me. Jasper’s essay ended up being one of my favorites—both by the nostalgia factor (we both interned at Sub Pop Records, though some years apart as she was already CEO when I was an intern) and how fun her experience in the record industry in the 90s was in Seattle.

I thought this was a wide-ranging look at women in music, written by women both in music and writers who have been affected by it. I loved the essay on Wendy Carlos and Ottessa Moshfegh’s piece, and found the portions written by non-music writers were interestingly the most accessible. The essays written by music journalists were often too niche for my taste, and tried to overly explain the music, whereas I think music journalism should peak your interest enough to make you want to listen to the song/album yourself. I found myself skimming through a number of the essays from more well-known music writers.

I appreciated “essays on music” as a wide-ranging idea, and thought some of the pieces brought an interesting take or brought something new to my attention, but I thought the collection was overly broad and didn’t have a cohesive theme. Even the placement of some of the pieces felt really off, like going from what it means to be a fan to how resistance songs impacted life under dictatorships. I don’t see the appeal for this if you’re not a music fan, but if you are I think it’s worth giving it a go.

This is a really eclectic mix of essays — some are purely journalistic profiles of musicians, some are purely anecdotal or memoir-like, but it works. If not for the fact that each is by a woman about women in music, it wouldn't feel like there's a unifying theme at all. Ottessa Moshfegh's "Valentina" is probably my new favorite piece of hers, but my favorite from this collection was definitely Yiyun Li's "Auld Lang Syne in July." The selection of writers and subjects sold me from the beginning (Maggie Nelson, Ottessa Moshfegh, Kim Gordon, Laurie Anderson), but the highlights of reading this for anyone will likely be learning from the pieces by writers I hadn't previously known, about musicians I hadn't heard of.

“Criticisms will not and cannot fuck with trap.” -From What’s Going on in Rap Music in This Woman’s Work

3.5 stars

This is certainly an eclectic collection, told from many points of view. For some, I was looking for a more detailed “music” vibe than what actually delivered. I think the project was a great idea, but starting with Fan Girl for a bit of a disservice as this is the lense many woman are viewed as. Some of the contributions I liked most are from Leslie Jamison, Liz Pelly and Simone White. All in all, if you are interested in music, I would take a look at some of the essays here.

Thank you to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

On one hand, there's a sense of randomness to this collection -- some of the contributors are music journalists, some are musicians, and some are fiction writers. No single genre is over or under-represented; some pieces lean towards straight analysis or reporting while others are memoirs with mentions of music. What binds this whole thing together is a uniform excellence in terms of the quality of the writing. I left this book with a number of new artists added to my playlist and a greater understanding of trends in hip-hop, as well as a desire to unearth my old Free Kitten albums.

My thanks to both NetGalley and Hachette Books for an advanced copy of this collection of essays on women in the music industry.

The role of women is largely ignored in both work life and the work of making art. Women should be seen, not heard, work more in the kitchen and the nursery while men bring home the bacon and create music, paintings and books. If a woman wants to make something, well it should be a family, or a sandwich, art is just a waste of time. Why should a woman want more? Editors Kim Gordon, rock legend and innovative creator in many fields, and Sinéad Gleeson writer extraordinaire, asked this question to a group of women, and their answers are featured in This Woman's Work: Essays on Music, a collection of meditations and treatises on music, life, women and the art of creation.

Composed by song writers, critics, fiction writers, essayists, and industry professionals the essays cover all forms of music, fandom, bad experiences, bad shows, and influences. Some of the essays are quite interesting, looking at songs and performers from different views, or clearing up a number of misinterpretations and female erasures from history. As in any collection, most were very good, a few ok. One essay seemed like a very lost opportunity, for either more information, or for a totally different subject. The writing is very strong in all the essays, in many ways a love song, or even a breakup song to what they love, despise, and are tired of trying to change in a field they all love so much.

A book that will make many readers throw their hands in the air, not because they just don't care, but because these writers do, and you'll be screaming along with them. Music is important to them, in fact to many it seems like the only thing. Working five times as hard to get just a modicum or respect, that is just like a long tour that doesn't end. They enjoy the playing, its the long trip that is draining. Definitely a book for music lovers, but also for young women who are interested in a life in the arts, seeing what many had to deal with and overcome, and giving that young creator hope for their future.

Two things first:

1) I didn't read this book in order. Why? Because that is the pure joy of collections of essays. Thank you College Lit 101 for teaching me that (sorry I can't remember my professors name... but hey lady... I appreciate the thing you taught me).
2) I love collections. It's easily digestible. Easy to take up and read at my leisure and ease.

The cover has a photo of Kim Gordon. She is a contributor and one of the editors. That is not solely why I read the book, sure it didn't hurt but the idea of reading essays by women (possibly for and about women) was the attraction. It was not a disappointment, this book was lovely and a great way to kick off the literary year for me. I was introduced to so many different women writers and musicians that I didn't know about, my brain was opened up in a way that I didn't anticipate reacting to these essays.

The first essay that I read was which also kicks of the book- "Fan Girl" by Anne Enright. As I read this story I laughed out loud at points... the author meets one of her favorite musical artists (no spoilers) and reading about it was so wonderful. I can relate to her experience as I had the same reaction she did with her icon with several people that I have been fortunate enough to be able to meet some of my favorite artists. If you read the story you will laugh too because honestly... this is what happens. The essay continues with some additional information about further thoughts into the interaction. It made me really think deeply about my interactions and the sillieness but the reason why it was so silly and wonderful. I thank Anne Enright for taking me to a place that brought me such joy from my memory bank.

Another highlight was "Double-Digit Jukebox: An Essay in Eight Mixes" by Leslie Jamison. This essay is about various times in her life and how the mix tape plays a role. It was a delight. This sentence totally blew me away "sunlit salt breeze world of the west". She talks to her brother's influence on her musical taste, which is a truth for so many. I was the older sibling so I hope that my brother feels as warmly as the author does for her brother. Reading this essay made me remember something that is less than caring (a boyfriend back in the day, made a mixtape for another girlfriend that I didn't really know about... and yes, when I found that mixtape he made for the other girl... I walked. It is something that is breakupable... don't be fooled) but was a funny memory nonetheless. Music is such a trigger for memories and this essay brought some great things (and less than great). A miss from the author is that her playlists (today's mixtape are not up anymore... I would have LOVED to have listened to them. By the way I read this while I was at a bar listening to a live band. I had two folks come up and ask me what I was reading and I believe in my heart of hearts sharing the joy of what I reading had them add it to their wish list. Fingers Crossed.

I read a couple more treats of essays in order and was introduced to musicans that I had never heard of. Some that I couldn't find the music of and others that have entire playlists dedicated to them. I suggest when you read these stories, find a playlist about the subject and have it in the background. Seriously ... It makes such a difference and it is a nice accessory to the experience.

I read the remembrances of a friend of author Maggie Nelson who recalls "My Brilliant Friend". It is a remembrance of her childhood friend musician, Lhasa. I hadn't ever heard of this artist and the story and essay ended up being a loving memorial to her friend. It was really wonderful. And I got introduced to a new musician. I appreciated the genuine discussion of and memory of the time they had together. Don't forget your friends- this is one of the messages and love these memories.

One other highlight was "Hearing Voices" by Zakia Sewell. To say that my heart broke while reading would not be a lie. It made me appreciate my Mom, the music that she brought into my life growing up and I want to thank the author for reminding me of my love for my childhood with all the music my parents and mom truly brought into my life.

This is a GREAT read by some amazing authors, writers, musicians and artists. I took a while to get through the whole book because I wanted to make sure that I absorbed all the different styles and stories.

Thanks to Hachette Books for providing me with an advanced copy. I look forward to sending this to a few friends for birthday presents. There are such treasures to hold onto in this book

This Woman's Work: Essays on Music is releasing on May 3, 2022 and it's absolutely worth picking up and reading!

It is hard to review a collection with multiple authors; some stories resonated with me and some didn’t. But I really enjoyed how the underlying theme was women and music, whether it was the story of a professional musician or someone’s personal experiences.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hatchette for the ARC.

A collection of essays about women’s contributions to music (both through performance and management), women’s empowerment through music, women’s connection to each other through music, women’s legacy through music.

This Woman’s Work is a collection of essays written by a diverse group of women about their experiences with music. As with most collaborative books, some essays are captivating (I particularly enjoyed the last essay and the essay about Wendy Carlos), and some just weren’t for me (the trap music essay was a little over my head).

It was refreshing to read work by such a diverse group of authors. The influence of women on the shape of music reaches far and wide, and you don’t often get to hear their stories or perspectives. I would recommend this to anyone that’s interested in music history.

Edited by iconic musician Kim Gordon and esteemed writer Sinéad Gleeson, a powerful collection by award-winning female creators, writing about the female artists that matter to them and their own personal experiences. This book was so interesting and perfect for lovers of feminism and music history.

If there is any piece of writing I love writing and reading it is a music essay. Oftentimes the writing is less about celebrating the music itself and more about how the writer relates to what they're listening to and how it makes them come alive that is what is most interesting to me. I was very delighted that this book showcases a slew of talented writers (specifically Maggie Nelson, the Pellys, Ottesa Moshfegh and Leslie Jamison - writers whose writing I could read all day I could). My favorite piece was Jenn Pelly's essay on Lucinda Williams. The first year of the pandemic, all I listened to was Lucinda Williams and I related to it very much. It was also nice to see that the book doesn't only feature the white woman's point of view and that writers of different races, sexual orientations, and nationalities were present in this collection. Even the title "This Woman's Work," whether intentional or not (I think this was intentional) is an exciting little Easter egg for fans of Kate Bush. Thank you to Hachette and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.