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Recommended for scholars possessing the requisite musical background and for sophisticated readers interested in the relationship of the arts to the human condition.
This retrospective of modern dance criticism by one of the field’s trailblazers contextualizes the evolution of the art form and how it has been studied. Recommended for collections specializing in modern dance history and scholarship.
PREMIUM
Doc Watson: A Life in Music
The combination of meticulous research and fluent writing makes this title important for anyone interested in Doc Watson or the evolution of old-time, traditional, and folk music over the past 90 years.
A provocative, insightful, disturbing, and well-researched indictment of Spotify, the music industry, and streaming platforms, which daily mine billions of data bits from users to maximize profits and churn out musical formulas. Highly recommended.
Alford’s smart prose will captivate readers and leave music fans with thoughtful questions about Mitchell and her musical influence.
Gaynor’s recent passing and the lack of other biographies on her should generate some interest in this volume, but it is primarily a surface-level recounting of her life and work.
PREMIUM
Hip-Hop Is History
A fascinating and exuberant account of hip-hop’s music and poetry, dances, storytelling, breakbeats, and the skills of turntablists. In audio form, Questlove’s sharply observant and vital music history lets listeners tap into the genre’s rhythms and beats and consider what the next decades of hip-hop music and entertainment may hold.
PREMIUM
What a Fool Believes: A Memoir
An underdog tale that is a must-listen for all jazz-rock and soul fans.
Shandell deftly uses a 21st-century lens to identify specific plays with progressive thought. Theater professors, students, and enthusiasts should take note.
Shields’s fans will particularly enjoy this engaging and down-to-earth memoir. It is also an inspirational and reassuring reminder to all women that even the famous must come to terms with aging.
This attractive and enlightening work is further enhanced by a bonus section of additional film stars, a thoughtful foreword by Jane Fonda, and excellent notes and bibliographic material. A must for film aficionados and historians.
PREMIUM
Heroes of the New Hollywood: Hoffman, Hackman, Nicholson, Pacino, Duvall, and De Niro in the ’70s
Lalande relies heavily on speculation tinged with Freudian analysis, yet his conclusions about the enduring power of these performances are well worth reading. This is a valuable exploration of these cinematic legends’ impact on film and popular culture.
Impossible to put down, this rollicking memoir is well-written and thoughtful and will have readers eager for the second volume.
PREMIUM
Under a Rock: A Memoir
A must-listen for fans of Blondie, music history enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the vibrant cultural landscape of the late 20th century.
PREMIUM
Journey’s End
Despite some difficulty in following the quickly spoken dialogue, this is a powerful production that captures the raw intensity of war.
Caplan highlights a treasure trove of vocalists and creators in this magisterial work that will prove immensely rewarding to serious opera scholars and those studying race relations and sociology in the 20th-century United States.
PREMIUM
Merchant-Ivory: Interviews
Raw’s astute selection of interviews creates a cohesive picture of the filmmakers’ unique vision.
A sure bet for Case’s many fans: a memoir that is as intriguing and mysterious as the artist herself.
The editors of this comprehensive tome laud the late Thomas Elsaesser’s New German Cinema as the only other complete treatment of this topic.
With a wealth of unpublished juicy material that celebrity mavens will devour, this is a moving and tragic story of how mental illness derailed a stellar career.
A welcome and long-overdue biography of an important blues figure, for fans, musicians, and researchers.
Readers interested in American classical music and Black history and culture will find much to celebrate in this outstanding book.
This engrossing account of a musician’s transformation is a testament to the healing process and will engage listeners who seek to express their lived experiences without fear.
Readers looking for a comprehensive or easy-reading book on Prince’s career will be better served elsewhere. However, those wanting to take a scholarly deep dive into Prince’s work and its impact on cultural, political, and social subjects will discover unique insights that have not yet been covered in other academic literature.
A well-written introduction to noir films and how the genre has continued to thrive as times changed.
Pop confectionery with surprising depth, much like its subject. For Swift fans and those who love them.
While Elvis generally credited gospel, R&B, and a few artists by name, he was fundamental in fusing aspects of American culture from disparate racial traditions when segregation was beginning to lift. His appropriation, explored here, remains polarizing.
These reminders of popular culture melodies covering nearly 100 years will foster wistful reflection.
There is much for general readers to absorb in this long walk through an art form that has been evolving for 500 years.
A generous reading of the works of a master composer and lyricist who reinvented the American musical.
Matheson is honest and self-effacing when discussing his personal life, and he provides valuable advice for those trying to get into the business. Yes, he does discuss John Belushi.
Filled with tidbits such as the origin of the famous golf swing and humanizing stories of regret over losing his first wife to divorce and his son to a car accident, Zehme expertly fully captures a full portrait of Carson.
Though never pinpointing the reasons for the explosive, major-label success of a rebellious band, which ostensibly distrusted corporate rock, Carlin assembles a solid, much-needed narrative of one of the major alternative rock bands that both complements and updates David Buckley’s 2002 R.E.M. Fiction: An Alternative Biography.
A candid and surprisingly touching memoir from the actor who created one of television’s most memorable characters.
With beautiful images and accessible writing, this is recommended for readers interested in modern ballet of the early 20th century.
Other than Perkins’s own 1996 autobiography, little has been published about him, and Apter admirably fills the gap with this detailed and emotionally charged biography.
This distinctive title gives readers vivid insight into the lives of four fascinating cellists. It also pays homage to the uniqueness of cellos.
PREMIUM
Autonomy: Portrait of a Buzzcock
Guitarist and songwriter Diggle’s engaging memoir will appeal to fans and music lovers alike.
This quiz book is suitable for circulation if answers are written on a separate piece of paper. An optional holiday purchase for public libraries.
Though his book is thought-provoking, Rowell never thoroughly explains the reasons for the fixation on older music beyond the obvious penchant for comforting nostalgia, easy access to past hits through technology, and corporate greed. An interesting but not entirely satisfying book for rock fans.
PREMIUM
Can You Hear Me?
This fascinating peek into the mind of a remarkable inventor is appropriate for family listening.
A solid pick for public libraries. Devotees of Ephron will find this volume delightful to delve into, while casual cinephiles will enjoy it as a thoughtful analysis of an influential writer-director and her various legacies.
Inviting multiple viewings, this book concurs that cinema is a properly communal experience that can benefit spirituality.
Tepper has fashioned a winning book on the unsung heroines of Broadway musicals that will be appreciated by readers of women’s studies and theater lore.
This academically written and accessible contribution to film history should please a wide range of readers.
Written more like a commentary on Fania’s cultural significance to Latin music and Nuyorican culture than an overall history, this work will be of interest to diehard fans of salsa and music professors.
A delicious serving of Tucci’s special blend of tasteful prose and sparkling wit that his fans and general foodies will savor.
Scholars and queer history readers will gain newfound knowledge and deep flamenco appreciation from Rodríguez’s comprehensive research. This significant contribution to dance scholarship is critical for all performing arts collections.
A fascinating look at an authentic Hollywood influencer, told with affection, honesty, and unprecedented access to the memories of numerous legends
PREMIUM
Dorothy Parker in Hollywood
Well-researched with many absorbing anecdotes and behind-the-scenes accounts, this thoughtful work will provide a fascinating and satisfying read for devotees of Parker and Hollywood history.
Fans will “soitenly” enjoy this entertaining and detailed look at Shemp’s career with and without the Three Stooges.
PREMIUM
The Silver Snarling Trumpet: The Birth of the Grateful Dead—The Lost Manuscript of Robert Hunter
Hardcore Deadheads or those interested in the cultural transition from Beat to hippie may find something of value here. Those looking for a more focused history of the beginnings of the Grateful Dead should turn to the early chapters of David Browne’s excellent So Many Roads: The Life and Times of the Grateful Dead.
This fluidly written book illuminates an influential era, asserting that the United States is a singular space where things can happen on a grand scale.
The strength of this memoir is MacDonald’s experiences traveling through the United Kingdom. Recommended for fans of MacDonald’s writing, Leatherface’s music, and the UK punk music scene.
Dion’s friendly and laid-back approach to writing makes this an easygoing read, appealing to rock and roll biography fans and self-help readers.
A laudatory biography that is a must-read for any fan of Randy Newman, popular culture, and the creative process.
PREMIUM
Rebel Rising
A funny, poignant, and relatable celebrity memoir that will surely garner Wilson more fans.
Nussbaum’s well-researched and philosophical discussion of the impact of reality television reveals the influence that it has had, not only on the entertainment industry but on society as a whole. Insightful, unsettling, and thought-provoking.
PREMIUM
A New Philosophy of Opera
An inspiring treatise that should provoke new interest in opera’s potential. For anyone involved with opera or who thinks they might like to be.
A thorough and thoroughly human history of a unique locale and era. For fans of American folk, jazz, and New York City.
PREMIUM
The SNL Companion: An Unofficial Guide to the Seasons, Sketches, and Stars of Saturday Night Live
This is a comprehensive ticket to learning more about every aspect of the late-night comedy staple and its storied history.
Nygard abundantly supplies suggestions for those in the business; casual readers will savor stories about the genre’s history.
Bouzereau persuasively shows readers the substance behind De Palma’s style while revealing how he connected to these films as a young gay man.
PREMIUM
The Spamalot Diaries
The backstage story of one of the most successful musicals (nominated for 14 Tony Awards and winner of three) will appeal to theater buffs and fans of Monty Python.
Well-written and thoroughly researched using numerous primary and family sources. Readers who enjoy comedy and entertainment history will find this particularly absorbing.
While not unearthing any major revelations, Blush’s nimble outline of the interplay between reggae and British punk will appeal to music fans.
Though tackling an often-told story, Leigh successfully recaptures the mayhem and exhilaration of the British invasion for readers of all types.
Lost loyalists will find vindication, but even detractors will be forced to admit that the show’s execution wasn’t as haphazard as the internet suggests.
Sawyers’s command of her subject and fluent style help her integrate various disparate elements into a convincing whole. This is a valuable sociological addition to the ever-growing Springsteen bookshelf.
Entertaining, but without original interviews or personal anecdotes, it might have a limited audience.
This updated biography adds to the currency of Bush’s work and will interest her fans and fans of music biographies.
Cohan successfully shines a light on Hepburn’s talent beyond the fashion icon stereotype, and her fans will appreciate the different perspectives he brings.
Thompson’s nostalgic book shows how an endearing film created an enduring legacy. Recommended for holiday and film collections.
PREMIUM
Joanna Hogg
A thoroughly useful text for cinema scholars plumbing the depths of Hogg’s work and a strong addition to UI’s “Contemporary Film Directors” series.
PREMIUM
Who’s That Girl?: A Memoir
Eve’s historic place in hip-hop is highlighted in this candid memoir that will appeal to both music lovers and fans of the artist.
PREMIUM
William L. Dawson
A valuable addition to the literature on celebrated music composed by Black artists and music education in the United States.
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