This biography chronicles the train-wreck life of Janis Joplin. She was different from her 1950’s peers in conservative Port Arthur, Texas, dressing like a beatnik when the other girls wore bobby socks and poodle skirts, getting a reputation that horrified her mother. She was by all accounts a wild child, challenging her parents but craving their love; they were unhappy when she claimed that they threw her out of the house, which apparently wasn’t true. The book brings a sense of immediacy to her time in San Francisco, with all of the drugs sex, and rock’n’roll of the late sixties. (It’s a wonder anyone who was living that life there survived at all). Betrayals, money chicanery, and egocentric narcissists were more prevalent than love and peace in Janis’s world. She drank too much, smoked too much, and turned to heroin to dull her pain. Her statement, “Man, I’d rather have ten years of superhyper- most living than live to be 70 by sitting in some goddamn chair watching TV” wound up being sadly prophetic.

I was never much of a Janis Joplin fan, but I was intrigued by this book. It taught me that despite having more than her share of demons, Janis Joplin was still an immensely talented musician.

I received an ARC from NetGalley. This book was very touching. It was like looking behind the curtain into Janis' life. She was so troubled and very lonely. She seemed to be surrounded by people and yet still alone. This isa must-read for any Joplin fan. She was truly a legend

In the sea of lit regarding the queen of Rock, this is right up there with the best! With interviews from people that were there, who knew her, this is one of the best bio's I've read on Janis!

This is a well done biography which is clearly based on much input from Janis's sister and brother. But I fear I already know too much about her, and I wasn't totally caught up in it. Good for those who don't know much about her.

Not having much interest in Janis Joplin, but curious about this book-- it was a great read! I felt like I was in the front row of a movie theater while reading this book. I enjoyed it.

Since I saw the movie The Rose , way back in the late '80 - and I just dated myself - I began listening and appreciating Janis's singular voice and music.

That movie made me curious , as it was loosely based on her tumultuous life .

Through the years, I read few articles and saw TV clips of Janis performing but always wanted to know more of her as a person , as a woman , as daughter and as an artist. The complete psychological makeup of who she was and how she became Janis, the persona , the Icon , the world knows.

This book gave me front row seat to her story . It is far-reaching ,detailed and fascinatingly written and it seems objectively researched.

Remarkably, by the end of the book, you feel , as you have been Janis lifelong friend.

I received an early copy of Janis , at my request from the publisher, Simon & Schuster via NetGalley and am leaving my voluntarily and unbiased review.

As a huge Janis Joplin fan, I feel like I’ve read just about everything having to do with her life and music. However, this was very well written and researched. You could tell that the author sincerely enjoyed writing about Janis and it shows

Janis: Her Life and Music is a biography and cultural retrospective about the life and impact of Janis Joplin. Due out 22nd Oct 2019 from Simon & Schuster, it's 384 pages and will be available in hardback, ebook, and audio formats. Author Holly George-Warren is a well known culture writer, producer, and music consultant.

This is a competently written factually based chronological biography of the iconic singer. It begins with a family history going back several generations and provides information about Janis' parents' families and her early childhood in Texas. This biography covers her adolescence and school years extensively. There is a lot of minutiae included (and I found it interesting), but it's not always seamlessly woven into the rest of the narrative. There were some places in the book that I found myself wondering what the significance was; it often seemed included for verisimilitude. I have no doubts about the veracity of the factual claims in the book. The book is meticulously researched and there are exhaustive references. Possibly one of the best aspects of the book for me was as a basis for further reading. There are good footnotes and sources for further reading that will keep the audience going for many more hours.

The early eARC I received of the book for review purposes doesn't contain the images to be included in the book, but from the notes and credits describing them, they seem to be impressively complete and extremely plentiful. Much of this book's value, in my opinion, will come from the photos and documents of Janis' life and career.

Well written, sometimes dry, I did enjoy the book but wasn't completely enthralled. I believe the inclusion of the photographs and documentation to come in the final release, along with the author's competent prose will elevate this book.

Four stars.

As a Janis fan, I am always looking for more. There is alot of information, interviews, etc., but nothing too new or revealing in this book.
There is lots of information, some of it has already been covered, so a little different perspective is interesting.

Gleaning all the background one can find about Janis is a project, this will add little new.

As a fan of Janis Joplin since the early 70s, I have read almost every book written about her. They have all been written by people who knew Janis. I know that the author of this book never knew her, and was relying on previously published interviews with Janis, films with her in them, photographs and, as evidenced in her extensive bibliography and acknowledgements.

I did not read very much in this book that had not been covered in previous books about Janis Joplin. It is well-written and researched, but there are no personal anecdotes or new information offered up that, if you know much about Janis, that will surprise or intrigue you.