Diana Ross, among others, profiled and analyzed in new book Shine Bright

[Spreadinglove21]

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/...KhiL5WX&rank=1

I'm in the midst of reading Shine Bright by Danyel Smith, a long time music and cultural critic. The book is a celebration and analysis of Black women singers of the 20th century. Smith also mixes in raw emotionally intense personal memoir growing up in a home with a mother with an abusive boyfriend and Smith details how the music of such singers as The Dixie Cups, Dionne Warwick, Cissy Houston, Whitney Houston, Donna Summer, Peaches, Marilyn McCoo, Aretha Franklin, and others helped her through as well as examining their own lives and careers and cultural impact.

Diana Ross has a chapter devoted to her which I read earlier this week. Smith talks about how Lady Sings the Blues soundtrack was frequently played in her home growing up and she goes into some detail about Diana's solo debut album, I"m Coming Out and Endless Love. She also discusses how Diana's unapologetic ambition has helped make her a divisive and controversial figure.

Book is quite interesting and well worth reading. I'm up to the chapter on Donna Summer and how her song State of Independence helped the author in her college years in the early 80s at UC Berkeley.

[reese]

I'm in the midst of reading the book as well and coincidentally, I'm just beginning the Donna Summer chapter.

Sad to say but I'm not enjoying it as much as I thought it would. I'd like a little more of the entertainers' stories and a bit less of the writer's.

[Spreadinglove21]

I agree with you Reese. Book is a bit disjointed, but there's enough in terms of both observations about the artists and her memoir that's keeping me reading. Maybe it will all come together later.

[PeaceNHarmony]

I'm in the midst of reading the book as well and coincidentally, I'm just beginning the Donna Summer chapter.

Sad to say but I'm not enjoying it as much as I thought it would. I'd like a little more of the entertainers' stories and a bit less of the writer's.

Interesting to hear, Reese. I harbored that fear when I first read about this book. I think I'll pass on buying it and have my library bring it in. Let us know more as you proceed -

[reese]

I agree with you Reese. Book is a bit disjointed, but there's enough in terms of both observations about the artists and her memoir that's keeping me reading. Maybe it will all come together later.

The book is actually titled SHINE BRIGHT: A VERY PERSONAL HISTORY OF BLACK WOMEN IN POP so in hindsight, I can see what the author was going for. I think I was expecting the book to be more like David Nathan's THE SOULFUL DIVAS. I didn't read many of the reviews of SHINE BRIGHT because I didn't want to learn too much.

Currently I'm reading the chapter on Deniece Williams and Jody Watley. My opinion still stands but I will admit that the author has had an interesting life. It would make a great book without reference to the various singers.

[Spreadinglove21]

I finished the book. Chapters on Aretha and Whitney, and on Janet Jackson were interesting. And outro was well written. But I felt the book was something of an unfocused mess with too many agendas going on. She doesn't really go into much depth about any of the artists and their music; her personal memoir sections can be searing but some details are left out, such as when and how did her mother finally get that abusive boyfriend out of her life, and what was the impact of the mother keeping that man around so long on the relationship between the mother and her daughter? And while the book has an admirable goal of wanting to celebrate and give overdue credit to Black women in music, at times it makes the book more of a cheerleading fan project. I'm glad I read it, but the book was surprisingly shallow when its aim seem to be going for something more. I'll have to think more about this book to figure out if I'm just missing something, or if the book was, or a combination of both.