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reader4evr's review against another edition
4.0
Rating: 4.5
This is the first book that I have read this year that is nonfiction and I'm so glad I picked it up.
I didn't know that much about Janis Joplin before I picked up this book but after finishing it, I really wished that Janis lived longer because she definitely wasn't able to reach her potential. She was ambitious, driven, funny and very wise for her age. I didn't know she died at the age of 27! That's crazy! She was compared to Judy Garland (who lived longer than Janis) because of the drugs and alcohol that consumed her life and didn't let her live to be the star that she was.
I would recommend this to anyone that is a music lover even if they don't know or like Janis because she was definitely the person you wanted to be hanging out with because she always seemed to be the life of the party!
This is the first book that I have read this year that is nonfiction and I'm so glad I picked it up.
I didn't know that much about Janis Joplin before I picked up this book but after finishing it, I really wished that Janis lived longer because she definitely wasn't able to reach her potential. She was ambitious, driven, funny and very wise for her age. I didn't know she died at the age of 27! That's crazy! She was compared to Judy Garland (who lived longer than Janis) because of the drugs and alcohol that consumed her life and didn't let her live to be the star that she was.
I would recommend this to anyone that is a music lover even if they don't know or like Janis because she was definitely the person you wanted to be hanging out with because she always seemed to be the life of the party!
shelbyday's review against another edition
1.0
This book was a bit disappointing. While the photos and the artwork were amazing, I feel the writing only summarized the struggles and triumphs in her brief life. It would have been possible to go much more in depth. One area of weakness is the failure to reach out to more primary sources. How can you write a book about Janis without getting comments from her contemporaries? Angel only used a handful of sources. Her reliance on information from Myra Friedman makes me feel that this is a very narrow view of the real Janis.
bsmorris's review against another edition
4.0
It was fun learning more about Janis Joplin, who also attended my alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin. It was also interesting to contrast her with my parents, who are only 7 years older than she would have been, but who conformed much more readily to 1950s Texas standards of behavior. It's easy to forget sometimes that our elders also consist of people who were wild and crazy in their youth (if not for their whole lives)! Anyway, Janis's story was fascinating and sad, and it makes me want to listen to all her music again.
kristi_starr35's review against another edition
2.0
For someone who grew up in Austin, familiar with her image and her reputation, I was disappointed. The writing feels condescending at times, as if its intended audience were 9-12 year olds, but the language and at least one of the images are oriented toward the YA crowd. Events are discussed too curtly and lack elaboration that would have made this a more interesting book. Woodstock is barely mentioned. Jimi Hendrix is mentioned, but there's nothing about their interaction. So much is barely mentioned before moving on. For a person as colorful as Joplin, I was expecting ... more.
sc104906's review against another edition
4.0
3. Janis Joplin, a rock blues musician, had a lasting impact on the music scene. This book covers her eventful, yet short life. Using television interviews, personal accounts, letters, and her music the author portrays the singer. Joplin was not the most conventional person and the author does not skip the less conventional aspects of her life, presenting Joplin’s drug abuse and free love way of life. Joplin was deeply impacted by the events in society and the author is able to successfully interweave history with the singer’s life.
This book is an interesting way to learn about the 1960s in America. However, the author does not hold back when discussing Joplin’s drug use and sexual relationships. Therefore, sensitive teens will have difficulty with the subject matter. While this book is similar to Elizabeth Partridge’s book John Lennon: All I Want is the Truth, this book does not delve as deep into the Joplin’s story or the history that accompanies it. Rise Up Singing is a fun quick compelling nonfiction book. It does an effective job reaching its audience, but other books with similar motivations have done it better.
This book is an interesting way to learn about the 1960s in America. However, the author does not hold back when discussing Joplin’s drug use and sexual relationships. Therefore, sensitive teens will have difficulty with the subject matter. While this book is similar to Elizabeth Partridge’s book John Lennon: All I Want is the Truth, this book does not delve as deep into the Joplin’s story or the history that accompanies it. Rise Up Singing is a fun quick compelling nonfiction book. It does an effective job reaching its audience, but other books with similar motivations have done it better.
jrobinw's review against another edition
4.0
This book is written for the young adult but is written well enough that an older adult will also enjoy it.
rjozinga's review against another edition
4.0
This is an interesting, if slightly glossy biography on Janis Joplin, one of the great female rock singers of the 60's. It starts with her life in high school and details her rise to fame and subsequent downfall and accidental death. I thought it was a quick, very engaging read. The bright colors and fantastic pictures added much to the book. Some of the more sordid aspects of her life were glossed over a bit, but this is an account of her life, not necessarily written as a cautionary tale. I would recommend it for students who don't always feel like they fit in and may be able to relate to Janis' struggles. I would say ages 15 and up- due to drug use and heavy drinking.
abigailbat's review against another edition
4.0
This is an appealing and informative biography, complete with lots of photos that bring the time period to life. I love the design of the book. This will appeal to fans of Joplin's music and teens interested in the 60s.
More on the blog: http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2010/09/nonfiction-monday-janis-joplin.html
More on the blog: http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2010/09/nonfiction-monday-janis-joplin.html
jessalynn_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this up when it made YALSA's shortlist for the Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults (what a mouthful!) My sister has been a Janis fan for as long as I can remember, and certain of her songs are completely linked with certain memories for me, so reading the book had me pulling out her music and singing along. I didn't know much about her life, and Angel's biography provides just enough information to give you a sense of both her personality and the time and culture in which she lived, without ever overwhelming the reader with information. Short enough to read in one sitting on the couch, but enough depth to come away with a new appreciation for her music. The book also has a fantastic design with easy-to-read columns and the rest of the page taken up with psychedelic designs. The pictures were fascinating, but I would've liked just a few more (although that may have been an issue of getting rights).
nerfherder86's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this look at Janis Joplin's life and career very much. I hadn't known much about her, so it was interesting to see where she started and what influenced her (like Bessie Smith, for example). The book is thorough and while written for young people, it doesn't shy away from discussing tough issues such as Janis' drug and alcohol use, and mentions her many relationships with both men and women (just glancingly so on the latter). I thought it was very well done; not too detailed but with historical context given so that kids today can get a good idea of what life was like for young people in the Sixties, and how Janis wanted to fit in yet be the center of attention too by acting out and being so "out there." It is a beautiful book, full of photos and album covers and the page design has great colorful swirls that fit in with the psychadelic era. I now want to go listen to all of her music, since I had really only been familiar with "Me and Bobby McGee" and a few others, and I feel like I got to know her through this book.