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Sanchez is unafraid to share her worst moments in this relatable and inspirational take on overcoming life’s unexpected obstacles.
Despite covering most of the significant bands of the time, Einarson tends to deal with time-worn material and offers few new insights in a book that may seem repetitive to most rock fans.
A treasure for those interested in music and women’s history. The easy-to-read narrative will appeal to a wide variety of readers.
This peek inside what it takes to become a Russian ballet dancer will inspire appreciation for Womack’s dogged determination to achieve her dream.
Stanfield captures the emergence and evolution of 1960s British blues that will captivate classic rock fans.
The short chapters make this a fast read, and the variety of musicians reckoning with their legacy means that this should have appeal for a broad selection of readers and fans.
Koehler is passionate and persuasive, but this scholarly work will probably appeal primarily to diehard Reeves fans and film students.
MacKinney’s level of research and analysis will likely appeal more to music scholars than casual readers. However, as the first complete history of the Shangri-Las, this volume should still draw interest from music historians and classic pop fans.
King brings erudition to sexploitation, grounding this work in film theory and exploring the subjectivity of taste. Less subjective are the movie stills used to illustrate his points.
This breezy oral history will appeal to most rock fans. The authors explore the festival’s impact on ’90s rock culture and provide intimate portrayals of the bands that Lollapalooza featured.
Little has been available heretofore about Crouch other than his 1974 autobiography Through It All, so Darden and Newby are to be commended for this title, likely to become the definitive exploration of this influential artist.
Caine has a wealth of wisdom, experience, and genuine positivity, and his fans and cinephiles will significantly enjoy his musings.
Slater’s thorough research and astute analyses of cinematic themes make this an exemplary biography of a filmmaking pioneer.
This attractively designed book, featuring film stills, publicity posters, and gorgeous photos of its subjects, is a valuable addition to the genre.
RuPaul’s many fans will want to check out his self-narrated memoir, which offers a candid and sincere account of his experiences, reflections, and growth.
An intimate glimpse of Presley’s experiences growing up in the shadow of her father Elvis. This memoir is a beautiful tribute to the enduring power of love and the complexity of human experience through enduring family bonds.
PREMIUM
The Glass Menagerie
A superb production, sure to delight longtime fans and those just discovering Williams’s iconic play.
PREMIUM
Dorothy Parker in Hollywood
The thorny, enigmatic Parker is a great subject, and Crowther’s flawlessly narrated account is recommended for any audio biography collection.
An enlightening account of the hurdles that women creators, performers, and artists have overcome. Vibrant, essential, and empowering.
Overall, Evers’s book provides a good analysis of Taylor Swift’s evolution as both an artist and a brand unto herself. A good choice for all academic libraries and public libraries with strong business collections.
Sensitively drawn and without hindsight judgment, Sen’s biography of Oberon depicts a determined woman who triumphed at a high personal cost.
Peacock’s lyrical writing will draw readers in and keep them interested. This memoir will appeal to those interested in one man’s experiences in several contemporary music spaces.
An indispensable resource for any musician or budding luthier getting serious about acoustic or classical guitars.
Best for serious students of theater or colonialism and violence studies, but may be challenging for general audiences.
PREMIUM
Monument Eternal
Coltrane’s winning spiritual exercise will appeal to readers looking for a wonderful memoir about music and personal faith.
A top-shelf audiobook production from a well-known actor and director with the staying power and talent needed to navigate the fickle Hollywood realm.
Practitioners in women’s and cinema history and general readers will appreciate information about this trailblazing pioneer.
A celebration of the healing power of family and dance, Holker’s memoir to show how to heal from tragedy without wrapping everything up in a neat bow.
A much-needed and meticulously detailed study of an under-explored aspect of 20th-century music in the United States. This is for jazz listeners, musicians, DJs, influencers, musicologists, and historians.
PREMIUM
Love You Madly, Holly Woodlawn: A Walk on the Wild Side with Andy Warhol’s Most Fabulous Superstar
Should interest pop culture enthusiasts and fans of Woodlawn and Warhol.
Arogundade charges that changes such as expanding the number of films nominated and internationalizing the Academy’s voting membership have gradually increased the cultural makeup in the still largely white AMPAS, with more improvements expected.
PREMIUM
‘Murder, She Wrote’
Public libraries may wish this enjoyable but optional purchase was a coffee table tribute book, while academic libraries may struggle to find an audience.
Despite Restall’s Bowie asides, this is a magnificent overview of John’s music and legacy; an excellent addition to the plethora of music criticism.
Hooker has survived more in his life than most people, and fans of his music and the blues will appreciate learning his story.
This timely retrospective on inner city reality as a cultural phenomenon will appeal to media scholars and crime show fans.
Like physical combat veterans, many on the front lines in Hollywood subsequently seldom talked about their efforts, which makes this book valuable.
PREMIUM
Lloyd Kaufman: Interviews
Kaufman’s shtick gets repetitive, but readers will gain insight into the world of no-budget cinema.
PREMIUM
Fearless and Free: A Memoir
This dialogue with Baker revels in her poetic and often humorous way of speaking. Pair with Chris Chase and Jean-Claude Baker’s authoritative biography Josephine Baker: The Hungry Heart.
This title is not merely essential for any collection on popular music or queer history. Savage’s ability to turn a wealth of information into a compellingly readable narrative should make this volume of interest to readers of all stripes.
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
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.
Recommended for scholars possessing the requisite musical background and for sophisticated readers interested in the relationship of the arts to the human condition.
Alford’s smart prose will captivate readers and leave music fans with thoughtful questions about Mitchell and her musical influence.
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.
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.
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.
Impossible to put down, this rollicking memoir is well-written and thoughtful and will have readers eager for the second volume.
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.
PREMIUM
What a Fool Believes: A Memoir
An underdog tale that is a must-listen for all jazz-rock and soul fans.
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.
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 interested in American classical music and Black history and culture will find much to celebrate in this outstanding book.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This distinctive title gives readers vivid insight into the lives of four fascinating cellists. It also pays homage to the uniqueness of cellos.
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