If you have ever found yourself wondering what it would be like to party like a rockstar and travel from country to country promoting your unique sound, Jessica Hopper’s The Girl’s Guide to Rocking is worth its weight in gold. Slated for release by Workman Publishing Co. in July 2009, the praiseworthy primer gives specific instructions on how to select an instrument, enticing other rad chicks to come and jam with you, creative ways to come up with your band’s name, and numerous ways to self-promote your gigs as you try to establish yourself as a serious musician.

Conversational in tone and full of quotes, diagrams, pictures, and illustrations, the book appeals to the inner rock goddess in all of us and encourages girls of all ages to pick up an instrument and write a song or two. Covering well-traveled territory, Hopper, a seasoned musician and writer, felt like it was high time to give the gals a stab at making their own mark on the world. She does so effectively by combining an air of playfulness with rocking guitar riffs, killer stage presence, and honest advice.

From creation to completion, The Girl’s Guide to Rocking is a roadmap to superstardom. A woman who has been there and done that, Hopper shares her journey from teenage hopeful to full-fledged diligent diva in an easy-to-read manner that will have you begging for an encore. Aspiring musicians will find the book a lifesaver as they tackle financial obligations and deal with promoters and book tours around the world.

Words of wisdom from Chrissie Hynde, Pat Benetar, Janis Joplin, and Etta James are convincing testimony that women have been contributing to the music world for decades now. Hopper captures the raw energy that only women possess as they relate the most intimate details of their lives, and she pours her own heart out on the page in an attempt to connect with her readers.

For any girl who follows the beat of her own drummer or aspires to be the one clutching sticks as she pounds out her own solo, Hopper’s advice is valuable. Like the rock idols who sold out stadiums and venues before her, the SPIN contributor states, “By having a clear motivation and vision, by making some honest music, you will instantly change the audience’s mind.”