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scarlet_thomas's review against another edition
2.0
This memoir/ biography about black women in pop music started out well. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and use of language. It quickly lost its groove. She tried too hard to mix her own memoir with the biographies, and the stories became confusing and disharmonious. The stories became more about her meeting Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, and less about them and their contribution. The character assassination of Elvis was when I checked out.
thrashtambourine's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
ncrozier's review against another edition
2.0
I've heard a lot of good things about this book, but I think I wasn't interested enough in the topic for this book to appeal to me.
jmcrobbie's review against another edition
4.0
Smith’s literary voice is so impeccably clear.
The way the topics flow in the book is fascinating—like a huge family tree of the people who influenced the influencers of the giants of pop. And you see in the outro that is just how her brain works
The way the topics flow in the book is fascinating—like a huge family tree of the people who influenced the influencers of the giants of pop. And you see in the outro that is just how her brain works
tracithomas's review against another edition
4.0
Damn that erasure is so so real. Black women have been disrespected so badly in the US and in music specifically. Thanks Danyel Smith for telling these stories. I only wish she could do it for all the Black women in music. I also wish the books structure was more clear, like why were there 3 parts and how were they developed?
t_a_matz's review against another edition
5.0
I was a Vibe Reader. It’s the one magazine in college I paid the subscription for and the best part was the Editor in Chief, Danyel. Vibe magazine provided a culture of music that I could not find in my small Colorado college town. Danyel is such an amazing story teller. She makes you feel like you are living the story with her. Loved this book so much.
stitching_ghost's review against another edition
4.0
If I'm entirely honest I was lost as to what was happening to whom and when for like half of this book. I don't really listen to pop music, I don't even listen to the radio if I can avoid it, my musical tastes tend to be rather niche so a lot of the names and events in the book I was altogether unfamiliar with and when you pair that with jumps back and forth in time and my ADHD you can imagine the result. That being said I enjoyed Smith's style and delivery as well as her personality so I still had a great time.
kaykayh's review against another edition
3.5
The history of Black women in pop & how their music was the soundtrack to Danyel’s life.
Positives
This history of so many Black women singers was so interesting. Some of the singers I had never heard of or only knew one song by them. She used music history to illustrate American history & systemic racism & sexism in the life and work of Black women.
Negatives
Memoir parts often seemed ineffective in telling the overall story. Segues from music history to her life story were not always smooth.
Overall
Writing isn’t great, but I loved learning more about Black women singers.
Spotify playlist: Black Girl Songbook (podcast too).
Positives
This history of so many Black women singers was so interesting. Some of the singers I had never heard of or only knew one song by them. She used music history to illustrate American history & systemic racism & sexism in the life and work of Black women.
Negatives
Memoir parts often seemed ineffective in telling the overall story. Segues from music history to her life story were not always smooth.
Overall
Writing isn’t great, but I loved learning more about Black women singers.
Spotify playlist: Black Girl Songbook (podcast too).
notesonbookmarks's review against another edition
5.0
The audio here is SO good. Danyel's voice cracks as she shares her memories and it's powerful and personal.