MAY 2019 - AudioFile
Narrators January LaVoy and Sullivan Jones smoothly trade chapters of a collection exploring the influence of pop star Beyoncé. Jones voices the peppy, more lighthearted contributions, while LaVoy is the steady-paced voice narrating more academic pieces. Together they explore a wide range of topics from the artist's rise as a household name to the marital conflict that became front-page news. Fans of either (or both) Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z, will enjoy this audiobook because of the way it explores the details of their lives. LaVoy and Jones are excellent choices to deliver these meditations on black identity and hip-hop's first couple. M.R. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
12/24/2018
Chambers (The Meaning of Michelle) collects 19 insightful essays celebrating the cultural power of Beyoncé. Contributors— academics, designers, and journalists among them—each address different aspects of the singer’s fame, glamour, and political savvy. In “Getting, Giving, and Leaving,” political scientist Melissa Harris-Perry compares Beyoncé’s notion of feminism to that of privileged white women, writing “Beyoncé FEMINISM is to Becky feminism what purple is to lavender.” For designer Maria Brito in “The Art of Being Beyoncé,” the performer has “found a way to give new meaning to the power of the image.” Elodie Maillet Storm, who works for Getty Images, sees Beyoncé as both social media influencer and “a woman and artist” able to exist without “wanting or needing permission.” In “All Her Single Ladies,” Kid Fury highlights Beyoncé’s importance to him as a gay man: “I felt embraced.” The writers in this collection all agree on one thing: Beyoncé is a “reflection of power and possibility,” Chambers writes, for black women and for all those who feel marginalized by mainstream culture. Entertaining and illuminating, this essay collection will please readers no matter their Beyoncé fan status level. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
"This collection of critical appreciations, compiled by a Times editor, assesses its superstar subject on the basis of her music, fashion, feminism, business skills, and more." —The New York Times Book Review
"[An] insightful essay anthology." —InTouch Magazine
"As if you needed another reason to love Beyoncé, this anthology of essays in appreciation of the superstar will give you at least 20 more. Chambers...weaves together voices of the famous, brilliant and thoughtful." —AMNewYork
"A pop culture must-have in libraries that serve older teens and new adults." —School Library Journal
"Reading this book feels...a lot like attending a sorority gathering when the sisters shout out their love, admiration, and respect for a polished performer who epitomizes the best of contemporary African American female culture and values." —New York Journal of Books
"Actors, academics and critics unpack the impact of a megastar in a collection of essays edited by Chambers. The group meditation on one of the world's greatest living icons features pieces by writer-producer Lena Waithe, comedian Kid Fury and scholar Brittney Cooper and examines Beyonce as a paragon of black female power, the model she sets for what a modern performer should be and more." —Time
"If Beyoncé is your queen (as she should be), your bookshelf needs this collection of essays dedicated to the legendary lady." —HelloGiggles
"Entertaining and illuminating, this essay collection will please readers no matter their Beyoncé fan status level." —Publishers Weekly
"With such a dynamic ensemble of opinions and reflections, the collection will be sweet reading not just for Beyoncé's superfans, but also for activists, feminists, and budding vocalists. An uplifting and resounding ovation." —Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal
03/01/2019
In this collection of 19 essays, compiled by author and New York Times archival storytelling editor Chambers, academics, journalists, social media personalities, designers, and other contributors expound on the majesty of Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter. Author Luvvie Ajayi attributes Beyoncé's greatness as an entertainer to the singer's desire for perfection, as seen in the hours spent "every day, practicing" for "25 years" and evident in her powerful 2018 Coachella Festival performance. Producer and actor Lena Waithe says that Beyoncé's effort to show how "we're all made of the same stuff and on the same boat" makes her so admired, down-to-earth, and approachable. Author and professor Brittney Cooper says that the singer changed rap and hip-hop's negative perceptions of black women when husband Jay-Z admitted to having affairs. His decision to publicly take responsibility through his and Beyoncé's music and tours was a catalyst that made it possible "for a different kind of cultural conversation" to occur. Perhaps one of the first seriously published biographic reflections of the performer often referred to as "Queen Bey," this compendium of carefully curated pieces reveals the modern-day activism and feminist mystique behind the actions on and off-stage of a contemporary icon. VERDICT A pop culture must-have in libraries that serve older teens and new adults.—Sabrina Carnesi, Crittenden Middle School, Newport News, VA
MAY 2019 - AudioFile
Narrators January LaVoy and Sullivan Jones smoothly trade chapters of a collection exploring the influence of pop star Beyoncé. Jones voices the peppy, more lighthearted contributions, while LaVoy is the steady-paced voice narrating more academic pieces. Together they explore a wide range of topics from the artist's rise as a household name to the marital conflict that became front-page news. Fans of either (or both) Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z, will enjoy this audiobook because of the way it explores the details of their lives. LaVoy and Jones are excellent choices to deliver these meditations on black identity and hip-hop's first couple. M.R. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2018-12-09
A diverse chorus of voices praises the acclaimed songstress and cultural icon.
Chambers (The Go-Between, 2017, etc.), the editor of the New York Times archival storytelling team, who, in addition to her own books, has co-authored books by Michael Strahan, Timbaland, Robin Roberts, Eric Ripert, and Marcus Samuelsson, collects essays from distinguished professionals in entertainment, media, and social activism. In an introduction celebrating the "fire in her belly, the almost otherworldly level of focus and ambition in her eyes," Chambers lauds Beyoncé's "soundtrack of power and possibility," which buoyed the editor through unexpected life changes. Nigerian author and speaker Luvvie Ajayi rhapsodizes over the singer's immense cultural influence and celebrates her memorable, career-defining performance at the 2018 Coachella Festival. Data journalist Meredith Broussard's graphic biography of "Bey" vividly combines art and geographical statistics. The perspectives Chambers assembles are delightfully manifold and aptly representative of Beyoncé as a veteran entertainer and an influential cultural icon transcending age and social status. YouTube sensation Kid Fury commends Beyoncé on how much her inclusive productions have consistently impacted the gay community. Other contributors examine Beyoncé's referential, allusive artistry, her evolving feminism, her Instagram account, and career comparisons to the upper echelon of female rappers, and there are fair-minded criticisms of her "Formation" and "Lemonade" albums. Collectively, these well-balanced essays amplify the popularity and reach of Beyoncé's music and persona across generations of women (and men). The anthology closes with award-winning journalist Caroline Clarke attesting that while perfectionism can be a common trap for girls, when it is applied to superstars like Beyoncé, it makes her "a pretty damn good role model for my daughter or anyone, including me." With such a dynamic ensemble of opinions and reflections, the collection will be sweet reading not just for Beyoncé's superfans, but also for activists, feminists, and budding vocalists.
An uplifting and resounding ovation.
