My Little Red Book

Not exactly a poolside page-turner, Country Boys and Redneck Women compiles academic essays on gender norms and country music. The follow-up to A Boy Named Sue: Gender and Country Music delves further into the genre's tropes on both men and women, weighing masculinity with a woman's hand. Although it re-treads material covered in the first edition, these updated essays focus on women's roles in songwriting narratives. How, exactly, do Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn balance sexuality with the role of dominant female? How are women in country both submissive and powerful? And where the hell does Taylor Swift fit? Heavy on jargon, it's a fascinating look into both fixed and fluid gender roles in modern and classic country.

Country Boys and Redneck Women