Cat Power: A Good Woman

Former RS staffer Elizabeth Goodman dives deep into the life of Georgia-born indie icon Cat Power (real name: Chan Marshall). Marshall, a famously unpredictable performer early in her career, grew up poor with an allegedly schizophrenic mother. Goodman’s account traces Marshall’s path through her starving-artist days in early-1990s New York and her battles with drugs and mental illness. Although the singer refused to talk, the deeply reported volume includes insights from Marshall’s parents and fellow musicians like Thurston Moore. “Chan Marshall does not want you to read this book,” Goodman writes in the intro. All the more reason to.