Punk Rock and Philosophy is comprised of 31 chapters divided into seven distinct sections: (1) 'What Makes it Punk', (2) 'Punk Values', (3) 'Punk and the Corpse of Philosophy', (4) 'Punk Politics', (5) 'Punk and Wider Culture', (6) 'Punk Aesthetics' and (7) 'Punk Ethics'. Although most chapters are strong, only a select few will be touched on here. Interestingly, common philosophical themes emerge throughout the publication, particularly in relation to punk and action/activity, community and authenticity. In Chapter 4, 'Punk as praxis' (29-36), Smith frames punk as action, arguing this is where its potential for sociopolitical change lies: 'it is primarily in such ground-level acts of opposition and self-organization that praxis, and with it the potential for real social change is to be found' (32, original emphasis). In highlighting punk's tendency towards activity, Smith offers a refreshing counter-narrative to much of the existing scholarship on punk as apolitical nihilistic despair. In Chapter 6, 'When punks grow up' (47-56), Meagher draws on Sartre to frame punk as a rejection of 'seriousness', where 'seriousness' is equated with Sartrean 'Bad Faith'. For Meagher, punk is a vehicle through which existential freedom and the spontaneous creation of individual - as opposed to externally prescribed - values can be explored and celebrated: 'maturity' (strong nihilism) involves dealing with the anguish of freedom and choice, whilst 'immaturity' (weak nihilism) is the acceptance of societally imposed values. Meagher writes:

Punk as weak nihilism aesthetically embraces having a scene, publication, or band for non-conformist self-expression. But punk as strong nihilism goes further toward taking responsibility for the scene such that it is hospitable to subsequent 'generations' of punks, who won't simply play in the old punks' sandbox but rather transform it as stewards for future generations.

'Mature' punk acknowledges sociopolitical responsibility and fights for a world of freedom, as opposed to merely individual freedom: in this way, both Smith and Meagher recognize that punk, at its best, embodies collective responsibility, with action at its core.

In Section 3, existential themes reappear in Chapter 12, 'Early punk and the Dionysian lion-child' (109-16), where Rentmeester draws on Nietzsche's Zarathustra to equate the spirit of punk with the lion-child. Nietzsche's 'lionchild' refers to the stage in which those on the path to Existential freedom engage in the destruction of worn-out, life-destroying values:

The primal, creative-yet-destructive force that has become synonymous with punk rock can be understood from the perspective of Nietzsche's metamorphoses of the spirit as a lion-child hybrid of sorts in that it embraces an anti-establishment mentality and a passionate dedication to creativity all at the same time.

Again, punk as action - a 'passionate dedication to activity' - recurs throughout the strongest chapters in the book. Other notable chapters from Section 3 are Chapter 11, 'A punk by any other name would smell as rotten' (99-108), and Chapter 14, 'Revolting punks' (129-36), where punk-as-Diogenes is proposed. For Grewal, like Diogenes, punk is always 'just outside', and it is 'in this punk divergence, in the digression outside the walls, the possibility of philosophy flickers' (105). Punk, then, is philosophy precisely because of its outsider status. In Chapter 14, Innes writes that in its rejection of abstraction and embracement of the 'real', punk is synonymous with a virtuous life: '[d]iogenes rejected the pretenses of Plato, Aristotle, and to an extent Socrates, but was at the same time virtuous. To be virtuous is to be happy in your life, a life that is genuine and based on natural values' (136). This echoes Meagher's notion of 'maturity', and whilst not an explicit reference to Existentialism, the similarities are clear.

Section 4, Punk Politics, also offers fresh perspectives: in Chapter 17, 'Nazi punks fuck off!' (161-72), Falcioni highlights links between punk and radicalization, although room for a little more detail would have been valuable here. Falcioni, like the authors mentioned above, also touches on the centrality of community and shared experience in punk: 'punk is at its best when it is experienced in communities and unites us around shared values and shared goals' (171). Chapter 19, 'Punk consciousness and class consciousness' (183-92) offers a useful introduction to class consciousness and the processes of reification, alienation and commodification in relation to punk, and again, the need for collective action is highlighted: 'it's not enough that we become aware of class conflict; thereafter, there must be unified collective action, theory must turn to praxis, agitation must turn to mobilisation' (190, original emphasis). In Section 5, dialectics is touched on in Chapter 20, 'Punks pissing people off' (195-206) and Chapter 22, 'Punk rock saves lives' (217-26), although the scope of the work does not allow for what would have been a fascinating exploration of this.

Chapter 28, 'Riot Grrrl punk as feminist creation' (279-88) is a muchneeded chapter on punk and feminist aesthetics. Anderson argues that riot grrrl shifted the male gaze within the punk scene: '[b]ecause riot grrrls controlled the production and therefore the narratives of their performances, they challenged female (and male) audience members to identify with a different gaze' (284), an insightful addition to the current scholarship on punk and feminism. And, finally, Chapter 30, 'Good guys don't wear white' (299-308) offers a sophisticated application of Aristotle's virtue ethics. Schwartz argues that it is the process, not the destination, that 'leading a good life is really all about anyway' (299) and, again, emphasizes the centrality of action: 'the action-orientation of punk is the first of many facets of the genre that support its characterisation as virtue ethics in action' (300).

Punk Rock and Philosophy highlights a need for scholarship on the overlap between philosophy and subcultural studies: fewer chapters would have given authors scope to ground the philosophical theory and define terms in more detail. Despite this, however, most chapters offer fresh and insightful perspectives: punk-as-philosophy is a new field, and this volume is a useful springboard from which it can grow.

Grace Healy, Independent Scholar for Punk & Post Punk