Girls Guide to Taking Over the World: Writings From The Girl Zine Revolution [Paperback]

Karen Green (Editor), Tristan Taormino (Editor), Ann Magnuson (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 1997

In the last decade, there has been an explosion in the production of zines.

On the forefront of this cut-and-paste revolution have been those zines made specifically by and for young women. The words and images that have come to define many young women's lives have long been overlooked and under appreciated. A Girl's Guide to Taking Over the World exists because these voices have refused to be silenced.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A collection from the world of zines, self-produced works ranging from Xeroxed manifestoes to slickly printed magazines, these essays come thundering up from the underground. Organized around such topics as "friends secrets sex," "music stars idols," and "politics anger power," the selections range from the angry to the funny to the poignant. This is a very good introduction to the world of girl zines, and it's definitely not for the old ladies in Dubuque.

From Library Journal

Zines are quirky publications with small but loyal audiences. Rowe, an assistant editor at Playboy, aptly characterizes them as "Tinkertoys for malcontents." Rowe gathers here what he considers to be "gems" from a wide variety of popular zines, including Basura, Ben Is Dead, TV Grind, Fat!So?, and Mystery Date. Sex, entertainment, food, drugs, and self-help are among the topics discussed. Sometimes these topics overlap, as in a Ben Is Dead article containing a recipe for edible panties. How-to articles range from a guide to becoming a cult guru to directions for bicycle stunts. A directory of zines with prices is included. Taormino and Green, the publisher and editor and the copublisher and art director, respectively, of Pucker Up magazine, also offer a sampler and directory, but theirs has a narrower focus?zines published by and for women. Sex, family relationships, celebrity watching, and rebellion are some of the subjects explored in articles with titles like "Learning To Fuck," "Jesus Kick," "The Day I Met Oprah," and "Girls with Guns." While the writing is often provocative, articles on incest, sexual abuse, and teen pregnancy aim to be supportive and healing. Interviews with zine publishers are also included. Given the ephemeral nature of the zines, the Internet might be a better medium for publications of this type. Rowe, in fact, includes a reference to the Book of Zines Web Page at http://www.zinebook.com. Recommended only for libraries with comprehensive collections in popular culture and women's studies.?William Gargan, Brooklyn Coll. Lib., CUNY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (July 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312155352
• ISBN-13: 978-0312155353
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #494,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tristan Taormino is an award-winning author, columnist, editor, and educator. She is the author of four books and editor of eighteen anthologies, including the Lambda Literary Award-winning series Best Lesbian Erotica. Her popular Village Voice column 'Pucker Up' is nationally syndicated. Tristan has been featured in over 250 publications including The New York Times, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Entertainment Weekly, Details, New York Magazine, and Men's Health. She has appeared on The Howard Stern Show, Loveline, Ricki Lake, and on HBO, CNN, MTV, and The Discovery Channel. She lectures at top colleges and universities and teaches workshops around the world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly a Blueprint for Revolution!, June 4, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Potomac, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Girls Guide to Taking Over the World: Writings From The Girl Zine Revolution (Paperback)

Absolutely the best purchase I've ever made. This book is incredible. It will have you falling off the bed laughing, clenching your fists in frustration, wiping your teary eyes, shaking your head with an evil grin on your face, and most importantly, it will leave you completely saturated with inspiration.

If you've ever had anything at all to say to the world, but didn't - whether it was because you weighed yourself down with doubt or just kept making excuses - this book will get you off the couch and into the right place to write your own manifesto.

This book really gives hope to all those girls out there, who, as I did at 16, wonder if they're the only non-apathetic teenage girl left in the world. This book clearly shows that feminism is not dead, simply modified. This book is a must for all those girls who want to buck the establishment encouraged view of women as mere playthings.

I would give this book Ten stars if I could. Without a doubt, this should be required reading for every young girl.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zine Primer, June 18, 2001

By 

Liz "pomowomyn" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Girls Guide to Taking Over the World: Writings From The Girl Zine Revolution (Paperback)

If you know nothing about zines, then this is one of the best books to start with. If you want to know more about third wave feminism or girl culture (esp. riot grrrl culture), I'd again recommend this book. It's easy to read and articles range from the hysterical tongue-in-cheek "barbies we'd like to see" to the in-depth look at the idea and reality of sisterhood. The articles are as diverse in subject matter as the girls themselves. Queer, Asian-American, African-American, Moms, Jewess--whatever. Almost all shades of the spectrum are covered. But what is truly the essence of the book, and the point of zines, is that nothing is censored, drained of content and put in a pretty, grammatically correct package ready for consumption. It's totally DIY and all the editors did was put together the best so that all girls, even those NOT living in metro USA, could reach out and learn how to get into the loop and meet like-minded young women. Or become a zine-goddess themselves.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Throw away those corsets, girls!, March 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Girls Guide to Taking Over the World: Writings From The Girl Zine Revolution (Paperback)

This book totally changed my life. I bought it when i was first starting my zine, and it totally got me motivated, inspired, and feeling incredibly empowered. There are so many wonderful grrrl zines out there, and this is a great representation of just a small amount of them. i highly recommend this book to everyone, b/c it's so beautifully full of information, empowerment, life, and honesty that someone in a glossy magazine like seventeen just isnt going to give you.