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HOW WOMEN MADE MUSIC: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music

This ultimate celebration of women in music from the NPR Music series — Turning the Tables — features superstars and hidden geniuses, archival interviews, essays, rare photos, and specially commissioned illustrations.


This book is a must-have for music fans, songwriters, feminist historians, and those interested in how artists think and work, including:

  • Joan Baez talking about nonviolence as a musical principle in 1971
  • Dolly Parton's favorite song and the story behind it
  • Patti Smith describing the exhilaration of performing live in 1976
  • Nina Simone, in 2001, explaining how she developed the edge in her voice as a tool against racism
  • Taylor Swift talking about when she had no idea if her musical career might work
  • Odetta on how shifting from classical music to folk allowed her to express her fury over Jim Crow


This incomparable hardcover volume is a vital record of history destined to become a classic and a great gift for any music fan or creative thinker.

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Check out the book's accompanying playlist, curated by Ann Powers.

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