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Reviews
The Spitboy Rule: Tales of a Xicana in a Female Punk Band by Michelle Cruz Gonzales, Mimi Thi Nguyen
lostunion's review
2.0
It was interesting to read about her dealing with different identities while in punk and Spitboy. I would have liked to read more about that and how she's reconciled and dealt with them but she didn't go into it really. She would bring it up and move onto a different anecdote. It seems like compiled blog posts and was repetitive because of that.
csaldivar312's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
freehottakes's review against another edition
5.0
This is a must-read for anyone interested in issues of race, feminism, and intersectionality, specifically with regards to the history of the Bay Area punk scene. As a Chicano who grew up in the East Bay, her musings on racial identity really resonated with me.
rynstagram's review against another edition
4.0
Michelle “Todd” Cruz Gonzales is one of my new favorite people now. This is such a good and interesting memoir. She discusses identity and the compartmentalization of identity super well. I love reading books about the thriving punk scene in the 80s and 90s, plus this one is about an awesome woman of color, which just makes this story so much better. Highly recommend this book!
portlynhh's review against another edition
4.0
3 1/2 stars. Everything hit like a punch, especially as someone who grew up Indigenous in the punk scene. Writing style wasn't my favorite, but the story and what Gonzales was saying was more important.
hollowspine's review against another edition
4.0
A memoir of Michelle Cruz Gonzales/Todd's time in the punk scene and coming to terms with all the facets of herself, her Xicana roots, childhood in poverty, feminism, being a punk and a drummer. I loved that she challenged the assumptions about all of these from being a feminist punk rocker, but not following the riot grrl scene to being a responsible, socially engaged drummer, defying the stereotype of the always late, dumb, drummer.
It was an interesting and thought-provoking collection of essays, but I felt lacked organization. As a reader I felt the transitions between each essay, rather than flowing through them. Though again, that may have been the point, to jar readers from following a chronological story to focusing on the social messages of the book.
The biggest takeaway from the book I felt was that there is no peace in only recognizing some parts of yourself. Even though she was part of the punk movement, the fact that she was also Xicana wasn’t recognized. She wasn’t just a punk kid, she was a punk kid of color and no one ever brought that up. In fact, once she and her bandmates started incorporating her Latin roots in their music they got called out for cultural appropriation.
I’d read this along with Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl for two different yet complementary looks into punk/riot grrl history.
It was an interesting and thought-provoking collection of essays, but I felt lacked organization. As a reader I felt the transitions between each essay, rather than flowing through them. Though again, that may have been the point, to jar readers from following a chronological story to focusing on the social messages of the book.
The biggest takeaway from the book I felt was that there is no peace in only recognizing some parts of yourself. Even though she was part of the punk movement, the fact that she was also Xicana wasn’t recognized. She wasn’t just a punk kid, she was a punk kid of color and no one ever brought that up. In fact, once she and her bandmates started incorporating her Latin roots in their music they got called out for cultural appropriation.
I’d read this along with Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl for two different yet complementary looks into punk/riot grrl history.