Rust Belt Femme

One of NPR's "Best Books of 2020," and winner of the 2020 Independent Publisher Awards' gold medal for LGBTQ+ nonfiction, Raechel Anne Jolie's blazing memoir is now available in paperback. Raechel Anne Jolie’s early life in a working-class Cleveland exurb was full of race cars, Budweiser-drinking men, and the women who loved them. When she was four, her life changed forever when her father came home from work, took the garbage out to the curb, and was hit by a drunk driver, suffering a debilitating brain injury. Rust Belt Femme is the story of her survival. Fearlessly honest, wry, and tender, Jolie digs into both the pain of past traumas and the joy of teenaged discovery to craft a love letter to the brassy, big-haired women who raised her and the 90s alternative culture that shaped her into who she is today: a queer femme with PTSD and a deep love of the Midwest. Personal and political; lyrical and fierce, Rust Belt Femme speaks to anyone who was once a misfit kid trying to find their place in the world. An NPR Best Book: “[Jolie's] story is both remarkable and utterly ordinary; any dreamy kid who grew up broke and weird will see a spark of themselves.” ―The New Republic One of NPR's Best Books of 2020 Winner, Independent Publisher Awards Gold Medal for LGBTQ+ nonfiction Raechel Anne Jolie's early life in a working-class Cleveland exurb was full of race cars, Budweiser-drinking men covered in car grease, and the women who loved them. After her father came home from his third-shift job, took the garbage out to the curb and was hit by a drunk driver, her life changed. Raechel and her mother struggled for money: they were evicted, went days without utilities, and took their trauma out on one another. Raechel escaped to the progressive suburbs of Cleveland Heights, leaving the tractors and ranch-style homes in favor of a city with vintage marquees, music clubs, and people who talked about big ideas. It was the early'90s, full of Nirvana songs and chokers, flannel shirts and cut-off jean shorts, lesbian witches and local coffee shops. Rust Belt Femme is the story of how these twin foundations―rural Ohio poverty and alternative'90s culture―made Raechel into who she is today: a queer femme with PTSD and a deep love of the Midwest. “A sharp coming-of-age portrait.” ―Kirkus Reviews “This miraculous little book manages to plumb the depths of poverty, trauma, punk rock, maternal devotion, young love, and queer identity in language that is lyric and precise. I was blown away. You will be too.” —Steve Almond, New York Times–bestselling author of Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow "Raechel Anne Jolie's early life in a working-class Cleveland exurb was full of race cars, Budweiser-drinking men covered in car grease, and the women who loved them. After her father came home from his third-shift job, took the garbage out to the curb and was hit by a drunk driver, her life changed. Raechel and her mother struggled for money: they were evicted, went days without utilities, and took their trauma out on one another. Raechel escaped to the progressive suburbs of Cleveland Heights, leaving the tractors and ranch-style homes home in favor of a city with vintage marquees, music clubs, and people who talked about big ideas. It was the early 90s, full of Nirvana songs and chokers, flannel shirts and cut-off jean shorts, lesbian witches and local coffee shops. Rust Belt Femme is the story of how these twin foundations--rural Ohio poverty and alternative 90s culture--made Raechel into who she is today: a queer femme with PTSD and a deep love of the Midwest."-- Provided by publisher. Oksana Zabuzhko, Author Of The Most Influential Ukrainian Book In The Fifteen Years Since Independence, Fieldwork In Ukrainian Sex, Returns With A Gripping Short Story Collection. Oksana Zabuzhko, Ukraine's Leading Public Intellectual, Is Called Upon To Make Sense Of The Unthinkable Reality Of Our Times. In This Breathtaking Short Story Collection, She Turns The Concept Of Truth Over In Her Hands Like A Beautifully Crafted Pair Of Gloves. From The Triumph Of The Orange Revolution, Which Marked The Start Of The Twenty-first Century, To Domestic Victories In Matchmaking, Sibling Rivalry, And Even Tennis, Zabuzhko Manages To Shock The Reader By Juxtaposing Things As They Are--inarguable, Visible To The Naked Eye--with How Things Could Be, Weaving Myth And Fairy Tale Into Pivotal Moments Just As We Weave A Satisfying Narrative Arc Into Our Own Personal Mythologies. At Once Intimate And Worldly, These Stories Resonate With Zabuzhko's Irreverent And Prescient Voice, Echoing Long After Reading. **One of NPR's "Best Books of 2020," and winner of the 2020 Independent Publisher Awards' gold medal for LGBTQ+ nonfiction, Raechel Anne Jolie's blazing memoir is now available in paperback.** Raechel Anne Jolie’s early life in a working-class Cleveland exurb was full of race cars, Budweiser-drinking men, and the women who loved them. When she was four, her life changed forever when her father came home from work, took the garbage out to the curb, and was hit by a drunk driver, suffering a debilitating brain injury. __Rust Belt Femme__ is the story of her survival. Fearlessly honest, wry, and tender, Jolie digs into both the pain of past traumas and the joy of teenaged discovery to craft a love letter to the brassy, big-haired women who raised her and the 90s alternative culture that shaped her into who she is today: a queer femme with PTSD and a deep love of the Midwest. "Oksana Zabuzhko, Ukraine's leading public intellectual, is called upon to make sense of the unthinkable reality of our times. In this breathtaking short story collection, she turns the concept of truth over in her hands like a beautifully crafted pair of gloves. From the triumph of the Orange Revolution, which marked the start of the twenty-first century, to domestic victories in matchmaking, sibling rivalry, and even tennis, Zabuzhko manages to shock the reader by juxtaposing things as they are--inarguable, visible to the naked eye--with how things could be, weaving myth and fairy tale into pivotal moments just as we weave a satisfying narrative arc into our own personal mythologies. At once intimate and worldly, these stories resonate with Zabuzhko's irreverent and prescient voice, echoing long after reading"--Back cover