a girl wearing sunglasses smiles with her hand on her chin

Raver Girl: Coming of Age in the 90s

by Samantha Durbin Author

Samantha, at 16 years old, puts the 'high' in high school. By day, she's just another student slogging away through the tedium of tenth grade, but by night she becomes raver girl, popping pills, snorting lines, and dissolving tablets, becoming more and more wrapped up in the rave culture of drugs and music. In this wild ride of a memoir, Durbin takes us through the twists and turns of teenage life and the perils that come with it, from avoiding snooping parents to making it to class on time, all while attending 104 raves over the course of 4 years. Presciently, Durbin recorded many of her impressions from these years on a dictaphone, so this book feels like a time capsule straight out of the 90s. A love letter to EDM culture, and a unique perspective on drug use and rave culture from someone who lived it, this memoir is a must read for anyone who survived the 90s and anyone who's ever attended a rave. Be careful though, this book may give you a contact high.