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dr_aimz's review
5.0
A beautifully presented and thoughtful exploration of Poly Styrene. I find this book incredibly moving as it foregrounds Poly’s story, rather than treating her as an iconic, if enigmatic, figure in punk’s heyday. I really commend Celeste Ball and Zoe Howe for their rigour and faith in presenting Poly as a brilliant *and* flawed artist. I’ve been fascinated with Poly Styrene ever since encountering her in Jon Savage’s England’s Dreaming when I was 14; this book only makes me appreciate Poly even more, tackling as it does her life’s web of race, gender, spirituality, mental health, and consumer culture.
nellsmith's review against another edition
2.0
Really didn’t like the way this was presented, loads of snippets of info from various friends and fans, I wanted to learn more about Poly, this wasn’t the book for me.
lynchy8's review against another edition
5.0
Dayglo! is written in the style of a documentary, with various different voices (including Poly's) discussing different moments of her very interesting and vibrant life, and it works really well. As well as being the vocalist (and lyricist) of x-ray spex, the book examines the intersectionalities of race, gender and sexuality, and Poly's struggles with her mental health. She was such an important part of the early punk scene, a unique icon with a DIY attitude.
Even if you do only know "oh bondage up yours!" you should give this a read, and maybe go looking for her other stuff.
Even if you do only know "oh bondage up yours!" you should give this a read, and maybe go looking for her other stuff.
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