This part memoir and part musical biography of the American singer and drummer Karen Carpenter (1950-1983) documents why the Carpenter's seemingly white-washed music about 'normal love' have significance to the author, people of colour, immigrants, LGBTIQ and others. Tongson interweaves the story of her namesake’s rise to fame in the 1960's and '70s with the trans-Pacific journey of herself and her musicians family between her native Philippines - where imitations of American pop styles flourished - and Carpenter's Southern California, and between notions of romance and queer desires.
Bundel met feitelijke informatie en kritische beschouwingen over vrouwen in niet-klassieke muziekgenres, over meisjesgroepen, fans en groupies en de nieuwe man in de rockmuziek. Met bijdragen over o.a.: Billie Holiday, Ruth Brown, Etta James, Carole King, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Laura Nyro, Wanda Jackson, Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Bette Midler, Karen Carpenter, Yoko Ono, Nico, Marianne Faithfull, Patti Smith, Jayne County, Chrissie Hynde, Donna Summer, Annabella Lwin, Madonna, Sinéad O'Connor, Janet Jackson, Selena, Maureen Tucker, Tina Weymouth, Tara Key, Laurie Anderson, Kim Gordon, Courtney Love, Neneh Cherry, Me'Shell Ndegéocello, Liz Phair, Polly Jean Harvey.