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The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman by Niko Stratis

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The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman by Niko Stratis
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Imagine you have an insightful, articulate friend who’s created a deeply personal playlist to share with you. Niko Stratis has done it in The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman. Hers is a memoir of intense honesty, one that provides a freewheeling musical education. Niko uses songs from her dad’s love of music that connect with pivotal times in her life as she discovered who she was and found the courage to transition into who she was meant to be. I was absorbed in her journey, even as I had to resort to YouTube to discover most of the artists. (Now I know you, Wilco.)

The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman by Niko Stratis, (List Price: $27.95, University of Texas Press, 9781477331484, May 2025)

Reviewed by Rosemary Pugliese, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in Asheville, North Carolina

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Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion by Chris DeVille

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Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion by Chris DeVille
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Calling all indie rock fans! This is the music history book we didn’t know we needed, and for many millennials, it’s about the soundtrack to our teenage years and young adulthoods. With sharp descriptions, thorough research, personal narratives, and self-deprecating humor, Chris DeVille explores the definition of “indie”; the role The OC and other early 2000s media played in popularizing the genre; its intersections with EDM, folk, hip hop, and pop; and much more. Each chapter opens with a playlist on which you’ll find old favorites and maybe also discover some songs you missed when they were first released. Reading this brought back lots of memories and was the most fun I’ve had with a book in a long time!

Such Great Heights: The Complete Cultural History of the Indie Rock Explosion by Chris DeVille, (List Price: $29, St. Martin’s Press, 9781250363381, August 2025)

Reviewed by Sarah Rhu, Scuppernong Books in Greensboro, North Carolina

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Every Valley by Charles King

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Every Valley by Charles King
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As told by Charles King, the story of the Messiah’s creation has everything: war, a royal succession crisis, forbidden love, disgrace, and reinvention, all of it funded by the horrors of slavery. It’s thrilling stuff, regardless of your religious beliefs or familiarity with classical music, and supported by rigorous research. Can’t wait to get this into people’s hands for the holidays.

Every Valley by Charles King, (List Price: $32, Doubleday, 9780385548267, October 2024)

Reviewed by Amy Woolsey, Bards Alley in Vienna, Virginia

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Quantum Criminals by Alex Pappademas

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Quantum Criminals by Alex Pappademas
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Perhaps they can’t buy a thrill, but now Steely Dan fans can buy awareness into the lyrics they’ve debated for almost 50 years. With Quantum Criminals, Alex Pappademas and artist Joan LeMay provide cultural context, educated speculation, and bold visuals illuminating the wild rogues and rascals populating the band’s songs. From the famous (Mr. Lapage, Hoops McCann) to the lesser known (Snake Mary, Pixeleen), you’ll have more insight into their memorable cast. Face it, there may not BE just one story behind each song. But Quantum Criminals sure is a fun excursion into what may (or may not) have been in Donald Fagen’s and Walter Becker’s minds.

Quantum Criminals by Alex Pappademas, (List Price: 35, University of Texas Press, 9781477324998, May 2023)

Reviewed by Rosemary Pugliese, Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in Asheville, North Carolina

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Black Country Music by Francesca T. Royster

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Black Country Music by Anne Wynter
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Country music encompasses so much more than one would be led to believe by what’s being promoted and by what has been written and rewritten about countless times. Thankfully, Francesca Royster’s new book tells the story of Black songwriters/performers/fans in the white male-dominated world of popular country music. It’s a history that has been obscured, hidden, white-washed, overlooked and outright denied for way too long. This is a really fantastic and inspiring book that opens up a whole new world of country and folk music. If you think you know it all you don’t!

Black Country Music by Francesca T. Royster, (List Price: $24.95, University of Texas Press, 9781477326497, January 2023)

Reviewed by Colin Sneed, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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