Won’t Back Down: Heartland Rock and the Fight for America
Exciting news! My new book about heartland rock in the 1980s will be published by W. W. Norton on April 28, 2026 in the U.S. and Canada (and June 12, 2026 in the UK). Pre-order is available now through W. W. Norton in the U.S. and UK, Penguin Random House in Canada, and many other book stores and online retailers. Please also ask your local library to pre-order it. Just like concert tickets, book pre-orders are incredibly important. I’d really appreciate your early support.
Advance praise for Won’t Back Down:
"A fascinating exploration of a genre with both shifting allegiance and sociopolitical context, and featuring a surprising diversity of stars―Seger, Mellencamp, Springsteen, Petty, and Etheridge to Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, Tracy Chapman, and Lucinda Williams. Erin Osmon’s deep analysis, colorful storytelling, and keen insights make Won’t Back Down a page-turner."
― Holly George-Warren, author of Janis: Her Life and Music
"I’ve been waiting for a book like this―a work that thoroughly explores heartland rock as a sound, a feeling, a political movement, and a genre (sort of) that nobody it allegedly describes wants to claim. Naturally, Erin Osmon is the perfect person for the job. Her excellent books about Jason Molina and John Prine proved she was uniquely attuned to the nuances of Middle American culture and music. With Won’t Back Down, she’s delivered her magnum opus."
― Steven Hyden, author of There Was Nothing You Could Do: Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” and the End of the Heartland
"Won’t Back Down is a fresh, thorough, and loving return to the music that has poured out of car radios and mall speakers since the 1980s. Erin Osmon expertly interweaves the careers of definitive rock stars like Springsteen and Petty with lesser-known champions from Cleveland’s Michael Stanley Band to the mighty Los Lobos, uncovering the complexities of not only rock as it changed to suit new and often troubled times but the factory and state college towns facing small revolutions right alongside it. This book will have you singing along."
― Ann Powers, author of Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell
"As a Gen-X Ohioan, I thought I knew what “heartland rock” was: songs about men who were scrappy and hard-up but hopeful. But in Won’t Back Down, Erin Osmon shows us that if we read heartland rock as patriotic and masculine, and even as limited to a region, we’re not reading closely enough. I tore through this completely engrossing book, delighted to have my expectations upended."
― Maggie Smith, author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful
