But this is what The Girls Guide to Rocking does right: it explains the very basics of starting a band from the ground up. Hopper doesn't talk over her audience's heads, nor does she talk down to them even though she's been writing music and writing about music for over 15 years and has a wealth of music connections and friends in the punk rock, indie and otherwise music, scenes. Being one of (probably) thousands of girls who were told their hands were too small for the bass as she says in her case "by a couple of guys on the JV Bowling team in Red Hot Chili Peppers t-shirts," Hopper takes her predicament in her young music life and uses it for a better perspective to show other girls how to buy new and used guitars, come up with band names, tips for keeping bands together, how to DIY home and studio record, how to score shows in any town where one grows up (you don't have to grow up in the Big City to find a good place to have a show), self promote, and how to write songs—which has some of my favorite advice ("Don't use words you don't know the definition of" and "Don't use words just to sound super-smart").

The thing I like best about The Girls' Guide to Rocking is that Hopper never makes anyone feel like they have to be—or can't be—a weirdo, a punk, a kid with fucked up parents and a fucked up childhood, a goth, a girl with musicians for parents, a rich girl, a runaway, or a cheerleader to be able to start writing music and making a band and rock out. She treats the aspiring pop stars, the punks, the singer/songwriters, the Miley Cyruses, Hayley Williamses, Donna Dresches, Lilly Allens, and Chryssie Hyndes with equal effortless regard, which is a remarkable achievement on its own.

Hopper has a gentle, informative tone that doesn't get overly pedantic or showy of her musical knowledge as to be overwhelming. And yet she maintains an air of an experienced authority. She takes the time to explain the differences between telecasters and stratocasters, chorus pedals and tremolos, tube amps and solid-state amps, and lists her favorite recommended records from across the genres of country and soul, punk and (gasp!) emo. I guess Paramore broke down that last door though, and Hayley Williams gets a mention among the quotes and notes of the likes of Kim Gordon, Chryssie Hynde, Nancy Wilson, PJ Harvey, Nina Simone, Chan Marshall, Kathleen Hanna, Taylor Swift, Patti Smith, Joan Jett, Debbie Harry and other great heroes. She doesn't teach you how to play a G chord, but what Hopper creates here is like the secret bible for girls who want to rock, the study guide for girls who want something to help them figure it out for themselves, something to keep as a reference and an inspiration to create. Don't worry about political angst just because Hopper used to write a riot grrl fanzine—your kids probably have had enough of your parenting to write their own book.