Ehhh. This book isn't what i expected. I expected it would be new insight into this cultural legend's life before her untimely death. This book was not written with those close to her involved but still was an interesting read.

Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah
by Kathy Iandoli
Pub Date 17 Aug 2021
Atria Books
Biographies & Memoirs



I am reviewing a copy of Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah through Atria Books and Netgalley:



By the time she was twenty two Aaliyah had already accomplished a great deal. She had hit records, acclaimed acting roles, and fame that was just about to cross over into superstardom. Like her song, she was already “more than a woman” but her shocking death in a plane crash prevented her from fully growing into one.



Two decades later the full story of Aaliyah’s life and cultural impact is finally and lovingly revealed. Baby Girl features never-before-told stories, including studio anecdotes, personal tales, and eyewitness accounts on the events leading up to her untimely passing. Her enduring influence on today’s artists—such as Rihanna, Drake, Normani, and many more—is also celebrated, providing Aaliyah’s discography a cultural critique that is long overdue.



If you’re looking for a book that pays tribute to Aaliyah’s life and legacy, I would highly recommend Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

Great music journalist and an even better book! I grew up listening to Aaliyah yet didn’t know much about her. This opened my eyes and make me appreciate the time she was here.

This was a great biography about Aaliyah but i would have enjoyed appearances or insights from people that knew her.

I wanted to like this more than I did. Growing up, I was a huge fan of Aaliyah. She’s been gone for twenty years now, so I didn’t expect to learn anything new. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style or the way that the book was compiled. It’s also very obvious that this was written without the family’s consent. While I was glad to finally see a book about the life of one of the most impactful R&B singers ever, this left much to be desired.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Before I read this book, I knew very little about the singer Aaliyah. I remember seeing a few videos on MTV and her untimely death but that was about all I knew about her.
I really thought this was a good and complete biography of her life. I was very well researched and I learned a lot about her both good and bad. I would definitely recommend this book to any Aaliyah fan.

Let me start by saying that Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah was not the biography I was expecting. It certainly wasn't the traditional beginning to end life story of an artist.

At first, I wasn't sure I liked that but by chapter 3 I was really starting to see why it was so important to start this biography off with an important, upsetting history of R. Kelly's abuse of the many women trying to make it in the industry over the years. I was worried it would outshine the subject of this history, Aaliyah herself, but it was a very important narrative to lead with as he was, unfortunately, there from the very outset of her career--set up, by her uncle no less, to be the star that guided her. It turns my stomach even now thinking of the ways predators like R. Kelly groom their victims and their families, gaining trust and waiting for the exact right moment to begin secretly abusing that sacred trust.

If you've not already, delete his music from your catalog, unfollow him on platforms like Spotify and request that artist be blocked from your rotation. He doesn't deserve an ounce more of profit while he sits in jail for the hundreds of children he victimized. I digress, and it's easy to do so on such an inflammatory and important topic, which is why I now really get the choices Kathy Iandoli made when creating this very well research profile of the life of Aaliyah.

It was also a really great, quick history of hip hop and the 90s-oughts music landscape, cliques, and sound. It made me super nostalgic and halfway through I ended up playing all of Aaliyahs albums in the background while I read the rest.

Publication Date: September 29th, 2021

Thank you to @NetGalley & @simonandschuster for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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i am old enough to remember vividly the day Aaliyah died. It was gut wrenchingly sad to see a young soul pass so early, so accomplished but so much more life to live. Thank you for this foray into her life.

this was a beautifully done tribute to Aaliyah, I really enjoyed getting to know more about Aaliyah. I didn't appreciate that Aaliyah's family weren't involved in this book. It's still a good read.

I really wanted to love this more given the fact it was about my favorite musical artist when I was in high school. I knew about her relationship with R Kelly, which was too much of a focus, but he was not what made her talented and successful as a musical artist. Aaliyah was a positive voice for many especially her fans and she brought hope to many people in bad situations.

The rest of the book seemed like it was pieced together from past interviews. This book was also written clearly without the permission of Aaliyah's surviving family; it just seems like the presentation of her life was messy. I do like the book was positive even though there was WAYYY WAYYY too much R Kelly, that was still when the rest of the world was in the dark about who he really was as a person. This was a book about Aaliyah NOT R Kelly.

I enjoyed all the parts about Aaliyah and still recommend it to anyone who was a fan of her.

Thanks to Netgalley, Kathy Iandoli and Northwestern University Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 9/29/21

I was in seventh grade when Aaliyah died in a plane crash, and I remember my friends and I being completely shocked by her death. I enjoyed how this book gave me a fuller sense of her career and musical progression, something I wasn’t aware of since I was so young. The parts about her fruitful collaborations with Missy Elliot and Timbaland were a highlight.

With R. Kelly on trial, Aaliyah’s underage (and likely coerced) marriage to him was bound to come up, and I appreciated the way the author handled this painful subject. It’s ridiculous that the news painted a 14-year old girl as the sexual aggressor in the relationship - Iandoli does a great job discussing this topic.

I also loved hearing about how Aaliyah’s music continues to live on for a new generation of fans, despite its absence on many streaming services. Aaliyah will certainly not be forgotten.

If you like music-themed books, I’d definitely recommend this one! Thank you to Atria Books for my NetGalley ARC.

I want to thank the Publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, copy simply Beautiful written Author Kathy Landoli did a excellent job for Aaliyah legacy. Once I start reading could this amazing Bio down Author gave so much information by Princess of R&B I did not know.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

I am a fan of Aaliyah. I was excited to receive this book for review. It was a great read. Hard at times especially with the recent events in the press.

She was a shining star and will be lauded through the ages. Thank you for this book author.

I'm a huge fan of Aaliyah, so I just had to check this book out. It was very interesting and had a bit in it that I didnt know before. Well done by the author.