My book: Atypical Girl
My memoir was published by Polygon on 5 March 2026. It’s called Atypical Girl: Punk rock, Liverpool and trying to be normal.
How to buy my book
People have asked me this, so I wrote a post with the details of where you can get it (in the UK and elsewhere).
More info
Blog post: I’ve written a book
What people have said about my book
‘Fabulous . . . it really captures a moment that resonates strongly with me’ - Andy McCluskey, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
‘Penny Kiley’s adventures in punk and post punk and beyond create a love letter to the narrative that has affected all our lives’ - John Robb
‘Penny was a part of the furniture at Eric’s, quietly observing, reporting and reviewing. If anyone can paint a true picture of those glorious days she can’ - Will Sergeant, Echo & The Bunnymen
‘99% of memoirs are scattered with lies. File Atypical Girl in the remaining 1%’ - Bill Drummond, The KLF
‘I love this book. I enjoyed every word, found many things that related directly to me and found it spoke to exactly my views on what punk means. It’s also an incredible document of Liverpool’ - Rachel Talalay, Director of Tank Girl and Doctor Who
‘A refreshingly feminine take on punk and the tribulations of growing up during an era that was psychologically and culturally disruptive . . . candour and a great deal of wit… loaded with charm’ - Louder Than War
‘A brutally honest journey through punk by a writer with a distinctive voice’ - Stuart Cosgrove
‘Penny Kiley charts the ins and outs of life as a rock writer in the 1980s and beyond in an engrossing, personal and vivid memoir’ - David Quantick
‘A terrific book’ - Joanne Limburg, author of Letters To My Weird Sisters
“Due to age and geography, I’d never been to Liverpool’s legendary Eric’s but now I have. Brian Cox may say that you can’t travel back in time, but Penny Kiley does a damn good job of allowing us to experience the sweat of Liverpool’s punk, post punk and beyond. A satisfying book that shows you just why misfits need music to survive.” - Robin Ince
'It's so refreshing to read a first-hand account of Liverpool's vibrant punk and post-punk scenes from a female perspective for once, and Penny Kiley is certainly the woman for the job. Nerdy, grumpy, full of anecdote and attitude, Atypical Girls is an unpretentious document of those times and an authentic window into underground late 70s/early 80s UK pop culture and a bygone music business. Opinionated, honest and forthright, Penny Kiley tells it like it was!' - Vic Galloway, BBC Broadcaster, Author & Journalist
‘Penny Kiley’s memoir Atypical Girl is a brilliant deep dive into her fascinating life. Punk, Post Punk, the Eric’s years, the Liverpool music scene, the search for identity and how music forms us, changes us and helps us to make some kind of sense of the world. It’s a brilliant read.’ - Jeff Young, author
‘A Catherine wheel sparking up in 1976 and sputtering through punk, post-punk and beyond… joyful, lively, and exuberant.’ - Julianne Regan on Louder than War
‘Heartfelt, reflective and impeccably written… Fresh and essential reading for any creative. And a worthy addition to music writing.’ - Grant McPhee on Substack
‘An engaging memoir that centres upon her observations of one of the most vibrant music scenes and how in living a life that has not followed a predictable pattern, she has remained resolutely punk’ - Andrew Neal, Silent Radio
‘As we journey through the intimate highs and lows of a woman fighting for her place in the world, we’re presented with a compelling first-hand account of a true music lover making her voice heard... Warm wit and a cool critical eye... age cannot wither the youthful punk spirit within.’ - Dan Biggane, Classic Pop magazine
‘An entertaining, fascinating rollercoaster of emotions... a beautifully written memoir’ - Rob Morgan, Toppermost
‘Such a fine book - honest, funny and touching’ –Paul Du Noyer
‘Written with raw honesty and admirable spareness, Atypical Girl is a truly moving story of fandom and musical infatuation. Penny’s memoir held me from its opening page to its last.’ - Barney Hoskyns, Rock’s Backpages
“Brisk, wry, chatty and deceptively insightful” - Tony Fletcher
‘Probably the quietest book here, but also the one that lingered longest with me. You can feel a life - constrained and then realised - in its pages. That’s quite an achievement.’ - Teddy Jamieson, The Herald (Best pop music books of 2026)
I’ve registered my book under the Society of Authors “Human Authored” scheme.
