Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout

I really enjoyed this book as a long time Against Me! fan. It is a fast, insightful, and entertaining read. It offers a mix of old journal entries and prose to give a surprisingly insightful and detailed look into busy and complicated life in relatively few words. I would recommend this book for fans of against me! there are tons of great stories from Laura's time on the road. I also really found myself relating to the book as a women who loves punk rock and a women in general. Laura shares insecurities that are too common among women in male dominated environments. While I was hoping for insight and understanding into the life of a transgender woman, it read much more like the story of a woman. I am sure those with feelings of dysphoria will relate deeply to Laura's struggles, but I would recommend this book to all women. I hope Laura puts out another book, until then I will enjoy the music.

This book is everything the band Against Me! and its frontwoman Laura Jane Grace also are: powerful, original, dedicated, full of painful snarls as well as beautiful harmonies, honest to a fault, brave as hell, and can't-turn-away compelling, with fear and anger blossoming into determination and (pun unintended, I think?) grace. Plus, it has a great beat and you can dance to it!

You don't have to be concerned with the plight of transgender people or even a fan of Laura and Against Me! to enjoy this raw, rock & roll memoir of transformation, but when you're done, I suspect you'll be both.

(I received a finished copy of this book at no cost from the publisher, Hachette Books, via Goodreads Giveaways.)

Against Me! is one of my favorite bands. I couldn't wait to read this book. I own my own seasonal business, so winter is my down time to do things like read, & I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. I live in a small town with no book stores for hours, so I ordered it on the store. After ordering, I got a "free sample" to start reading...and I breezed through it so fast & was hooked! Now I am going insane waiting for the hard copy to come in the mail so I can continue with it. So far, it is well written, like a friend is telling me their story...easy to read & hard to put down. I've always been so impressed at Laura Jane Grace's story as I've seen in interviews & in her music. The struggles of finding yourself, no matter what the situation, sometimes never come to light & I cannot wait to continue reading her words to see how it all came about & how she got to where she is today. Everyone's story is unique....no matter what your struggle, you can learn from others who have fought hard to get to where they are in their life. I know I have drawn strength from her just by listening to her music & seeing her in interviews so I am very anxious to finish this book----yes me, a mom of 2, straight, married & over 50! We can all learn from each other if we just open our hearts & minds.

Amazing writing and I am so happy that Laura Jane Grace and Dan Ozzi got together to tell this tale. It needed to be told and I hope they both continue to write together because this amazing tale is not over. This book left me wanting more! More please Laura and Dan! I know you have those notebooks Laura! Get to it girl! She is an amazing musician and now an amazing author. So proud of all she has accomplished and proud of her bravery. Sheer bravery!

This book is absolutely spell-binding!! And a really easy read, too! I haven't read a book to completion since high school, let alone in a matter of hours, but I started this book at 12 noon on Christmas Day, the day I got it; I took a five hour break for a family Christmas get-together, then picked it right back up on the drive home and finished it, epilogue and all, at 1:30am that night. That's an entire 300-page novel from start to finish in 8½ hours, and at no point was I the least bit bored of it or impatiently just trying to get to the end!! On top of that, the material is so intensely personal and you connect with Laura so fiercely even if you are the most assuredly cisgender male or female, you won't want to put it down! You feel every success she felt, like getting the $25,000 deal with Fat Wreck and becoming a father to her daughter Evelyn, and you feel every tragic pitfall she suffered from, like the relentless confrontations she had with her crust-punk detractors and the complete failure she felt after getting spit out of the major label system so much worse for the wear. I highly recommend this book not just for Against Me! fans, not just for punk rockers, not just for music lovers, but for anyone who is looking for a book that takes a very intense and personal look at the struggles of addiction, gender dysphoria, parenthood, our capitalist industry, and strained human relationships. Pick up this book today!!

Amazingly witty. Laura's writing is just as impressive as her lyrics. I started reading because I am a huge fan of her work but I couldn't put it down because of the dark but honest humor and raw humanity of it all. This just confirms what a talented artist she truly is.

A good read for anyone interested in the punk (or just music) scene. The focus is equally divided between the development of the band and the author's personal journey towards discovery and acceptance of her transgender identity. I found the narrative timeline to be a bit confusing at times but that might just be fitting for the years of intensive touring and doping. An honest (and not overly sentimental) account on complicated issues and feelings.

Read this if you love Against Me!, Love Laura Jane Grace and love music for its guts & glory! I listened to Laura Jane read the audio version and it moved me! As I listened, I downloaded the PDF of pictures and just referenced as she talked about her life!

Every life scenario was told with such raw emotion and passion. I grew up listening to punk rock so that also sparked my interest with this biography. But I've been known to take a whole year to finish a book and I couldn't put this one down.

A good read for anyone interested in the punk (or just music) scene. The focus is equally divided between the development of the band and the author's personal journey towards discovery and acceptance of her transgender identity. I found the narrative timeline to be a bit confusing at times but that might just be fitting for the years of intensive touring and doping. An honest (and not overly sentimental) account on complicated issues and feelings.

Read this if you love Against Me!, Love Laura Jane Grace and love music for its guts & glory! I listened to Laura Jane read the audio version and it moved me! As I listened, I downloaded the PDF of pictures and just referenced as she talked about her life!

Every life scenario was told with such raw emotion and passion. I grew up listening to punk rock so that also sparked my interest with this biography. But I've been known to take a whole year to finish a book and I couldn't put this one down.