YALSA Award for Excellent in Nonfiction for YA 2011
Rock singer Janis Joplin is one of those 60s rock stars who died young, leaving a huge legacy (think Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison) of music that still resonates with today's teens. Janis grew up in a middle class family in Port Arthur, Texas where girls were expected to marry their high school sweethearts and everyone listened to Pat Boone. But Janis pushed the limits and listened to the blues. Odetta, Bessie Smith and Leadbelly were her idols. She drifted in and out of college, hitchhiking and spending time in Austin, Greenwich Village and California; drinking, taking drugs and playing small gigs. In the San Francisco of 1966 (the "summer of love") she teamed up with Big Brother and the Holding Company and threw herself "headlong into the 'hurricane', giving the band --and the music --everything she had" (p.38) Pushing her voice to the edge, she developed her trademark raspy, rough and raucous sound (and image). We get to know Janis as someone who was outrageous yet needy. Someone who wanted somebody to love. As Janis sings in Piece of My Heart, "Come on come on - take another little piece of my heart now baby". She died of an accidental overdose at 27 years of age in 1970.
This book is very attractively put together with great photos and colorful marginal designs that fit the psychedelic time. The photos make the book. Included are pictures of her from high school where she was part of the Future Teachers of America and the Slide Rule Club -- as well as pictures of her bare breasted in a bed with the partially nude long haired members of her band, album covers, concert posters and Rolling Stone covers.
I'd recommend this book for high school. Janis had an Mexican abortion in 1967 when the procedure was still illegal in the U.S. The book of course talks a lot about Janis's drug and alcohol addiction, including the facts that she periodically tried to quit using and that drugs eventually killed her at a young age. Interestingly it does point out that, at the time, a lot of these drugs (speed, LSD) weren't even illegal. The obvious way to introduce this book to young people is to play some her music - Piece of My Heart, Mercedes Benz, Down on Me, and Bobby McGee are among my favorites.
8 comments:
This book sounds like one students would really like because music is something that really appeals to young people. I love her music and listened to it all the time with my dad growing up. I will have to read this one.
I think once kids realize how Janis was a rebel they will be hooked. Who doesn't love the bad boy or girl? It always helps when the music is great and she had her share of struggles. I really like the contrast of her being a member of the Slide Rule Club and Future Teachers of America with her better known hard partying musician persona!
Michelle, I was thinking the same things as you while reading this post. The fact that she was a rebel, and also the side of her that would be in the Slide Rule Club would spark someone's interest to find out more about her.
I second that, those are also my favorite Janis Joplin songs and music always interest kids (and adults). I too thought it was interesting that she was part of the Future Teachers of America in high school, what would her life have been like if she would have become a teacher? What kind of teacher would she have been?
I like your hook Dr. Berg. Students really like reading about famous people...and Janis Joplin embodies that "rebel" singer that they so easily identify with.
Like my classmates have said, it's amazing that someone who was such a rebel was in Future Teachers of America and the Slide Rule Club! Your hook idea would undoubtedly get students interested. I took a history of rock class my senior year of high school, and I think it would have been great to have a book like this to read when we were learning about her music. This is definitely going on my list!
You are so right-the pictures and the layout of the book are excellent! hopefully, others will now pick it up and read it!
Using music to hook the students would definately get them interested in the book. I think it's great for students to see people who have struggled, but also had a great legacy.
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