Sonic Truth

Kim Gordon, the famously sphinx-like bassist and co-founder of the seminal postpunk band Sonic Youth, is known for her leave-it-all-on-th e-stage performances, her cerebral, Didion-esque cool, and her storied romance with the band's other co-founder, Thurston Moore. In Girl in a Band (Dey Street), Gordon's engaging and surprisingly intimate memoir, we get the flip side: a traumatic childhood, battling for respect in the dudedominated music world, inspiring female artists like Kathleen Hanna and Tamra Davis, championing Kurt Cobain and Mike Kelley, and the sudden implosion of her 27-year-long marriage to Moore. Gordon's portrait of her evolution from arty girl to rock superstar to wife and mother is solid gold.

E. S.