Vocal Break On Women, Music and Power

A dazzling, defiant work of feminist criticism exploring women's singing voices from the author of Art Monsters

'It took me ten years to go from shy young girl to punk rocker, if I'd had this book I'd have got there much quicker' Viv Albertine

For millennia, women's voices have been heard as unruly and dangerous. In Vocal Break, Lauren Elkin blends memoir, feminist manifesto and cultural history to explore the power and plurality of female singing voices - and how they have been used to defy convention.

Elkin immerses us in an eclectic soundscape, from musicals and pop music to art punk, and a full-throated tour of women's voices, including Édith Piaf, Maria Callas, Cyndi Lauper, Kathleen Hanna, Tori Amos, PJ Harvey, Beyoncé, FKA Twigs and Billie Eilish.

Vocal Break is a joyous call to arms.

Girls to the front: NOW.

'Clever and original' Financial Times
'A rich work of feminist criticism' Octavia Bright
'A pitch-perfect book' Harriet Baker
'The best kind of cultural criticism' Sophie Gilbert