Not for You : Pearl Jam and the Present Tense

The first full-length biography of the '90s preeminent band, Pearl Jam follows the band's origins, evolution, personalities, politics, failures, triumphs, and impacts. It starts with their serendipitous founding, and the birth of grunge, in late 1991-its achievements, and myths-and continues through their golden age (Vs., Vitalogy, No Code, Yield), their divisive middle period (Binaural, Riot Act), and their more dubious recent catalog.

A story about Pearl Jam and their role in a formative decade, this is also a book about the band's obsessive-compulsive following through the author's personal accounts: a tale of neurotic fandom, in the spirit of Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch and a reflection, on the nature of love for a band-or anything-in our adolescence, and in middle age. Opinionated, discursive, and droll, Pearl Jam is, incredibly, the first book to survey Pearl Jam's three-decade career; the first, to present them in their cultural moment; and the first to make use of the 800-plus recordings, videos, and bootlegs in the public domain. It's an appreciation; an inquiry, on the nature of guilty pleasures; an ambivalent love letter; and a biography, twice over-the author's in parallel with the band.

“Ronen Givony's Not for You does what Givony would like Pearl Jam to do: it rises above its immediate purpose. It is a critical annotation to a body of work which lifts off the ground and becomes an extravagant performance about time, rebellion, fame, disenchantment, civil discourse, the idea of the mainstream, the desire of a fan, and what a band can do to answer it.” —Ben Ratliff, author of Every Song Ever

“An enjoyable book and, as a non-fan, I found myself coming around to their music and what they were trying to achieve. Whether you love them or not, it is clear they were trying to be genuine and reach out to their fans.” —Irish Tech News

“Brilliantly contextualises the early '90s socio-political climate from which the grunge icons emerged. It paints a vivid portrait … Not For You is a compelling examination of one of modern rock's most enduring and compelling groups.” —Hot Press

“Near perfect Pearl Jam prose… Not For You: Pearl Jam and the Present Tense is a book every Pearl Jam fan needs to read. Not only is it an excellent biography it is also the definitive unofficial Pearl Jam book for fans of the Last Grunge Band Standing.™” —Guerrilla Candy

“[A] hefty and impressive work, digging into its subject with the kind of relentlessness any fan will appreciate… A thoughtful celebration of a band who's still going strong, and should even be of interest to non-PJ fans, especially if they have an interest in alt rock of the '90s.” —Record Collector News

“[A]n insightful work for many reasons, not least its temperate analysis of fandom. Author Ronen Givony never forgets the whys and wherefores of the Seattle outfit and of how from their early days in the 1990s, despite their status as one of the mostpopular US acts, they sidelined traditional commercial channels in favour of servicing their fans … Givony incisively reflects on th[is] and more, but the primary selling point is what the band have meant to their fans across the years and the often-profound bonds that can be made.” —The Irish Times

“The strength of Givony's book lies in his readiness to make the tough call. His book is unreservedly opinionated, as so few these days are … Givony proves himself a master of the bon mot, the memorable soundbite, demonstrating ample literary chops throughout. If I had room, I'd quote a hundred worthy passages.” —Rhythm Magazine

“Givony trenchantly argues that Pearl Jam haven't made a great album since 1998. Yet his sometimes contentious analysis is always delivered with a wry snap and bolstered by diligent sociocultural contextualisation, pinpointing one aspect of the band's appeal; they're more 'for you' than might initially appear to be the case.” —MOJO

“CHOICE Magazine's “New Year Reads” 2021” —CHOICE

“CBC's “18 Books for the Holiday Season”” —CBC