Janis Joplin: Rise up Singing

Janis Joplin: Rise up Singing

By: Ann Angel

Angel, A. (2010). Janis Joplin: Rise up singing. New York: Amulet Books.

Summary:

Ann Angel hits the nail on the head with her biography of Janis Joplin. Janis Joplin: Rise up Singing is  a poignant look at one of Rock N Rolls legends and queens. The biography focuses mainly on Janis's high school life through her untimely and early death at the age of 27. Ann does not censor the reader from the highs and lows of Janis's life. She discusses and describes her many enemies in life; such as her experiences with drugs and alcohol and her desperation to be the girl that fits in. There is not a major focus on Janis's life before high school as the biography is more an ode to chronicling the development of her singing career. The book interweaves bold illustrations that resemble the 60's era and uses these graphical elements to move the reader deeper into understanding Janis's life. Each chapter is brilliantly named for the sections of Janis's life with titles like "spreading her Wings" and "Cheap thrills, Drugs, and Self Destruction". Ann uses full page color photos, interviews with close family and friends (primarily Janis' sister Laura), and a helpful timeline to bring vividness to Janis's already turbulent life.

Response:
With such a true depiction of the evils (drugs and alcohol) that ultimately ended Janis's life this biography would best be suited for high school age students. Teachers could draw their students into non-fiction text using this biography; displaying to them that biographies do not have to just be black and white paragraphs of facts. It would be an asset to having students look at the possible consequences of living the life of a rock n roller in the 50's and 60's to that of our current artists in the 21st century.