Respect
The Life of Aretha Franklin
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4.4 • 51 Ratings
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- $1.99
Publisher Description
This "comprehensive and illuminating" biography of the Queen of Soul (USA Today) was hailed by Rolling Stone as "a remarkably complex portrait of Aretha Franklin's music and her tumultuous life."
Aretha Franklin began life as the golden daughter of a progressive and promiscuous Baptist preacher. Raised without her mother, she was a gospel prodigy who gave birth to two sons in her teens and left them and her native Detroit for New York, where she struggled to find her true voice. It was not until 1967, when a white Jewish producer insisted she return to her gospel-soul roots, that fame and fortune finally came via "Respect" and a rapidfire string of hits. She continued to evolve for decades, amidst personal tragedy, surprise Grammy performances, and career reinventions.
Again and again, Aretha stubbornly found a way to triumph over troubles, even as they continued to build. Her hold on the crown was tenacious, and in Respect, David Ritz gives us the definitive life of one of the greatest talents in all American culture.
Customer Reviews
Much About Nothing
The beginning of the book was more about everybody praising how great a singer she is/was. (We already know that...the reason for reading.). A LOT of name dropping. Most of the people are not familiar with those not in the music industry. The second half was somewhat better. It was hard sometimes to tell who was speaking. The interviews jumped around. I would not recommend this read.