"Janis Joplin: Rise up Singing" by Ann Angel

Angel, Ann. (2010). Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing. New York, NY: Amulet Books. ISBN: 978-0-8109-8349-6

                I’m typically not a fan of biographies. They have a tendency to be a little dry and to sugarcoat some of the facts to favor the subject. This is not your standard biography! It is full of pictures, both black-and-white and color, and is brutally honest about who Janis Joplin was and what she went through. Before, I wanted to party with her. Now, I want to give her a hug and tell her its ok to just "be."

                Before this book, of course, I knew who Janis Joplin was. I knew she was a smoking, drinking, drug-using rock icon. This book introduces Janis as a slightly rebellious frizzy-haired high school student in Glee Club. It turns out, she spent her entire (short) career feeding off of the love from her fans because she felt misunderstood and unloved in her teen years. She turned to drugs and alcohol to keep “earning” their love and it ended up being the death of her at the young age of 27. The last few pages of the book provide a lot of text features including: a bibliography of the many sources and images used, a timeline of major events, and an index of people and places, making it a great resource for research.

                The very interesting story of Janis Joplin’s life aside, this book is fantastic. The colorful, psychedelic images and decorations on the pages give the read just as much to look at as to read. The images give a present perspective to the reader so that it feels like you’re apart of what went on in her life, as opposed to the poor nerd simply reading about the adventures of another.

Buy this Book
More from the Author (Be careful Googling "Ann Angel")
Listen to Janis Joplin ( LOVE THIS SONG!)
Book trailer