“One of the greatest tricks that the patriarchy plays on women is to deliberately destabilize them, then use their instability as a reason to disbelieve them. Much of��BRAVE reads like the diary of a woman driven half-mad by abusive men who assume no one will listen to her. In this case, the truth was finally—and, for McGowan, triumphantly—exposed...�� ��The New York Times Book Review

"BRAVE works beautifully as a manifesto. It’s a call to arms—not just against the specific men who mistreated McGowan and the men and women who enabled that mistreatment, but against an industry."��The Boston Globe

A revealing memoir and empowering manifesto �� A voice for generations

Rose McGowan was born in one cult and came of age in another, more visible Hollywood.

In a strange world where she was continually on display, stardom soon became a personal nightmare of constant exposure and sexualization. Rose escaped into the world of her mind, something she had done as a child, and into high-profile relationships. Every detail of her personal life became public, and the realities of an inherently sexist industry emerged with every script, role, public appearance, and magazine cover. The Hollywood machine packaged her as a sexualized bombshell, hijacking her image and identity and marketing them for profit.

Hollywood expected Rose to be silent and cooperative and to stay the path. Instead, she rebelled and asserted her true identity and voice. She reemerged unscripted, courageous, victorious, angry, smart, fierce, unapologetic, controversial, and real as f*ck.

BRAVE is her raw, honest, and poignant memoir/manifesto—a no-holds-barred, pull-no-punches account of the rise of a millennial icon, fearless activist, and unstoppable force for change who is determined to expose the truth about the entertainment industry, dismantle the concept of fame, shine a light on a multibillion-dollar business built on systemic misogyny, and empower people everywhere to wake up and be BRAVE.

"My life, as you will read, has taken me from one cult to another. BRAVE is the story of how I fought my way out of these cults and reclaimed my life. I want to help you do the same." -Rose McGowan

After this chance encounter with the charismatic musician, at Frank’s request Pauline moved with him, his family and his band the Mothers of Invention to a log cabin in the Hollywood Hills. There, the “straight�� young English girl from Twickenham spent her days in the company of a succession of famous names, mixing with Oscar winners and rock royalty, including Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithfull, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Captain Beefheart and Tiny Tim. Often working nights and sleeping days, for three years Pauline served as Zappa’s secretary, running his fan club, the United Mutations, and organising rehearsals, live appearances and recording sessions for the GTOs (Girls Together Outrageously), an all-female rock act supported and produced by Zappa.

Freak Out! is the captivating story of a naive young English girl thrust into the mad world of a musical legend. A vivid depiction of the late sixties rock’n’roll scene and the stark realities behind Hollywood’s perceived glamour, this memoir is also the most revealing and intimate portrait of Frank Zappa ever written.