For a generation of teenage girls, Sassy magazine was nothing short of revolutionary — so much so that its audience, which stretched from tweens to twentysomething women, remains obsessed with it to this day and back issues are sold for hefty sums on the Internet. For its brief but brilliant run from 1988 to 1994, Sassy was the arbiter of all that was hip and cool, inspiring a dogged devotion from its readers while almost single-handedly bringing the idea of girl culture to the mainstream. In the process, Sassy changed the face of teen magazines in the United States, paved the way for the unedited voice of blogs, and influenced the current crop of smart women's zines, such as Bust and Bitch, that currently hold sway.

How Sassy Changed My Life will present for the first time the inside story of the magazine's rise and fall while celebrating its unique vision and lasting impact. Through interviews with the staff, columnists, and favorite personalities we are brought behind the scenes from its launch to its final issue and witness its unique fusion of feminism and femininity, its frank commentary on taboo topics like teen sex and suicide, its battles with advertisers and the religious right, and the ascension of its writers from anonymous staffers to celebrities in their own right.

"In the late '80s and '90s, when teen fare was homogeneous, Sassy magazine,a teen cult favorite,was the cool new kid on the block, speaking to girls on their level, giving them an in to alternative pop culture while acting as confidant and wise dispenser of advice. New York — based writers Jesella and Meltzer were part of the Sassy demographic and decided that a 'love letter' to the publication was in order. The result is a behind-the-scenes, warts-and-all look at the magazine's office culture, including sections on the glossy's coverage of feminism, celebrity and girl culture. Struggles with advertisers, publishers, religious conservatives and other detractors are described in detail (in a very us-against-them tone), allowing insight into how editorial content was developed. Much of the book is written in a cooler-than-thou tone, often at the expense of every other teen magazine on the market and of the typical American girls who read them. This attitude arguably contributed to Sassy's demise in 1996. In the end, the book — written in a style reminiscent of the magazine itself — is a testament to a publication that changed the face of teen media." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"There are people — and I'm one of them — who define their adolescence as pre-Sassy and post-Sassy, who found a respite from the dominant culture of proms and mall-crawling in its pages, and who mourned its death like it was that of a best friend. For us, Jesella and Meltzer offer up some much-needed closure, as well as an engaging snapshot of a time when teen culture was full of vivid, inspired, yet-to-be-co-opted cool." Andi Ziesler, editorial/creative director of Bitch magazine

"An entertaining and thought-provoking look at one of the most influential magazines of the '90s. I felt like I was back in those cramped offices, surrounded by the funniest, sharpest women in New York." Blake Nelson, author of Girl and Paranoid Park

"It's a rise-and-fall narrative of a departed magazine that tapped into the zeitgeist, a tale of a particular cultural moment, and of daring that has since become commonplace. Its progenitors have gone on to more prominent planets of the media universe, and yet they long for those halcyon days." Women's Wear Daily

"Sassy was always more than just a teen magazine — it was a beacon for outcasts, feminists, and the rest of the people who went on to create the early '90s indie culture. How Sassy Changed My Life is just as interesting, opinionated, and funny as its subject. Read it and weep again for a magazine that, for many of us, is a long lost friend." Jennifer Baumgardner, co-author of Manifesta and author of Look Both Ways

Jesella and Meltzer present for the first time the inside story of Sassy magazine's rise and fall while celebrating its unique vision and lasting impact. They highlight its fusion of feminism and femininity, its frank commentary on taboo topics, and its battles with the religious right.

Kara Jesella and Marisa Meltzer are New York-based writers. They have written and edited for publications such as The New York Times, Teen Vogue, Elle Girl, Bitch, Jane, Spin, Entertainment Weekly, Nylon,Nerve, and Elle.