Nancy Barile's Blog
August 29, 2025
Kirkus Review
As a high school English Language Arts teacher and college professor, Kirkus Reviews have always been my Gold standard, so I was THRILLED when Kirkus reviewed my book!
From Kirkus Review: An award-winning educator recounts her role in the early days of the American punk and hardcore scenes—experiences that, four decades later, shape how she teaches.
Barile’s childhood was severely circumscribed: In her suburban Philadelphia home, her father ruled with threats of physical punishment, and at her mostly White Catholic school, nuns bullied students into submission. Music became her escape, and it’s no wonder that Barile eventually found her way to punk music; its rejection of mainstream ideologies and expectations was liberating and validating. Barile’s narrative pushes past the long-held belief that women in punk and hardcore music waited on the side, holding their boyfriends’ coats while the men moshed in the pit. To the contrary, she became the manager of a popular Philly hardcore punk band, a wild ride recounted in vivid and lively detail. Barile has a clear, approachable voice that she uses to tell myriad great stories, including how she became pen pals with Patti Smith’s mother, got a sloppy smooch from Iggy Pop, and ran into the Clash on the street. The book is filled with satisfying extras, such as numerous personal photos that bring the era to life for today’s readers, as well as a lengthy playlist and a foreword by Dischord Records founder Ian MacKaye. The connection between her punk days and her desire to empower students, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, adds additional depth.
A must-read for music history buffs, punk fans, and educators. (Memoir. 14-adult).
Hope you’ll consider it for a read!
From Kirkus Review: An award-winning educator recounts her role in the early days of the American punk and hardcore scenes—experiences that, four decades later, shape how she teaches.
Barile’s childhood was severely circumscribed: In her suburban Philadelphia home, her father ruled with threats of physical punishment, and at her mostly White Catholic school, nuns bullied students into submission. Music became her escape, and it’s no wonder that Barile eventually found her way to punk music; its rejection of mainstream ideologies and expectations was liberating and validating. Barile’s narrative pushes past the long-held belief that women in punk and hardcore music waited on the side, holding their boyfriends’ coats while the men moshed in the pit. To the contrary, she became the manager of a popular Philly hardcore punk band, a wild ride recounted in vivid and lively detail. Barile has a clear, approachable voice that she uses to tell myriad great stories, including how she became pen pals with Patti Smith’s mother, got a sloppy smooch from Iggy Pop, and ran into the Clash on the street. The book is filled with satisfying extras, such as numerous personal photos that bring the era to life for today’s readers, as well as a lengthy playlist and a foreword by Dischord Records founder Ian MacKaye. The connection between her punk days and her desire to empower students, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, adds additional depth.
A must-read for music history buffs, punk fans, and educators. (Memoir. 14-adult).
Hope you’ll consider it for a read!
February 21, 2025
How Much Art Can You Take?
My second book, How Much Art Can you Take? is a photo essay book documenting the Boston hardcore band, Society System Decontrol (SSD), through interviews with the band members and those close to them, and featuring the photos of PHILIN PHLASH. It’s available at https://deathwishinc.com/products/ssd.... You can get signed copies at https://xclaim.bigcartel.com/. You can read a review of the book here: https://razorcake.org/how-much-art-ca...
November 8, 2023
Punk and Female Empowerment
My time in punk rock was enlightening and empowering to me as a woman, and it helped me go out of my comfort zone and achieve some incredible goals. It gave me an opportunity to realize dreams that didn’t seem possible in the “straight world" and to be around the music I loved so much. I understand that some people want to trivialize the role women had in the infrastructure of punk rock (in one case, as something they did only for a “boyfriend,”) but being a manager and promoter and investing in that infrastructure was an incredibly powerful and impactful role for me that has reverberated throughout my entire life and through several careers.
A woman who moves to a new city does not “adopt a new identity” with the move because she met a man and fell in love. I think it’s wrong to assume women’s identities change with a new partner or to state they lose their own identities because of a move. Women can be their own true selves with both a new partner and a move without having to “adopt a new identity.” Suggesting a woman needs to change or become someone else with a move or a partner, again, trivializes and debases women and suggests they can’t be their own true selves, which is the exact opposite outcome of my experiences. And so to all women working (especially male-dominated fields) and to all those who fall in love and move on to new experiences, keep fighting, smashing ceilings, and continue moving forward — despite those who attempt to define, minimize, or limit what you do or who you are.
A woman who moves to a new city does not “adopt a new identity” with the move because she met a man and fell in love. I think it’s wrong to assume women’s identities change with a new partner or to state they lose their own identities because of a move. Women can be their own true selves with both a new partner and a move without having to “adopt a new identity.” Suggesting a woman needs to change or become someone else with a move or a partner, again, trivializes and debases women and suggests they can’t be their own true selves, which is the exact opposite outcome of my experiences. And so to all women working (especially male-dominated fields) and to all those who fall in love and move on to new experiences, keep fighting, smashing ceilings, and continue moving forward — despite those who attempt to define, minimize, or limit what you do or who you are.
