Told by over 40 people in their own words and voices, we are not just reading about Tupac's life, achievements, and death, but we are immersed in his world and those he touched. I very much enjoyed this storytelling approach and found the book read very quickly. Several times while reading I stopped to watch the trailers for his movies, or listen to some of his music.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Great read. What if he had lived? The greatness he would have surely become. I think he would have changed the world. He reminds me of Dr. Huey P Newton. Powerful, bold & intelligent. He too was trying to educate his people.

Tupac is a legend to so many, and this book tries to give a voice to his legacy. I still struggle to comprehend how much he accomplished in his short 25 years. Glad I was able to read this oral history of his life that Sheldon Pearce wrote with so much reflection and compassion.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC of Changes. Presented in an interesting, oral storytelling format, Changes provides information on the early life of Tupac and his murder. I found that this book took longer to read than usual, and I think it could’ve been tightened up with more editing. There’s not much new added to what is already out there about Tupac, but it is a good addition to the collection.

Unfortunately I did not have enough time to read this book and am unable to provide an honest review.

I want to first ,Thank the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC copy. This book was a awesome read I learn so much about Tupac that I didn't know. And the Music industry what I take from this book never judge a book by its cover.. Tupac was more than Music its so sad how the Media paint to be a Thug he was more than that. I highly recommend this novel you will learn so much.

This book coincides with the 25 anniversary of Tupac's death. The book goes on to describe a charismatic young man who had multiple challenges in life and went on to become one of the greatest rappers of the 20th century, if not all time.

I am definitely a Tupac fan. I listened to his music back in the day when California Love was on the radio but I did not appreciate the lyrical content of his music until much later after his death. You can tell how much he cared for his family in his song "Dear Mama." This is reinforced by a story in the book where 12-year-old Tupac's theatre ensemble group takes up a collection to buy him a birthday gift and he uses it to buy groceries for his family instead.

Everyone in this book describes meeting him that you just knew he was going places. While his stage and screen presence were clearly powerful from my perspective with his poetic songs and he was actually quite the actor, although I have not seen the much lauded throughout the book, Juice. I have seen others of his movies and I no doubt believe the accounts of his talents in this book.

This is a must read of every Tupac fan. It is sad he was killed before his prime but he certainly left his mark on the world.

I do not know how to write this review. I’m still so sad that he’s not in the Carribean, on a boat, chillin. I’m #stillwaiting for him and #aaliyah to show up on a private jet. #conspiracytheorist

CHANGES is good. It came out last month and I missed talking about it.

Here are the readers/non-readers I recommend this to:

✨If you are anywhere near my age (42), you will love this book.
✨ If you like rap or any other genre music
✨ If you like movies
✨If you’re obsessed with the 90’s
✨ If you like true stories told by the people who were there
✨ If you want to understand the importance of living your life like you’re on your last breath.
Cause a LOT of people are!

I’m thinking if you’re compiling lists for the holiday season, you should add this one as a novel gift for someone who is NOT A BIG READER. ESPECIALLY IF THEY DON’T NORMALLY LISTEN TO AUDIOBOOKS.

The book itself is a fast, fun, informative listen. I was #gifted an ebook copy by the publisher but found it on audiobook.

I’m so glad I did!

The audiobook is told by a full cast with varied narrators all with beautiful, unique voices. Not only does it make you feel like you’re sitting in a room with all your friends reminiscing over a passed loved one, it makes you fully understand Tupac’s impact on all of those around him.

He truly is and will continue to be missed.

Thanks to #sheldonpearce for compiling these interviews and to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for the amazing opportunity to read this early in exchange for my honest review!

This is more of an experience than reading a book. 10/10 recommend!!
5 atars

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of Changes by Sheldon Pearce that I read and reviewed.
Unfortunately, I could not get the vibe of this book. I am a huge Tupac fan and I have read a number of his works and things about him but this one did not do it for me and I was not even able to finish. I felt the author was trying to throw something together because of the anniversary of Tupac’s death and the recent success of the song changes so he went and looked for whomever he could find and threw a book together.
This book is only worth two stars form me because to was a waste of my time.

Changes is an oral history of Tupac Shakur's life and legacy, perfectly timed for release of the 25th anniversary of his death and 50th anniversary of his birth. The title references a song of Tupac's that became an anthem in worldwide protests last year. It became so popular (again) that it charted on iTunes. More than 20 years later and Tupac's music of systemic racism, policy brutality and mass incarceration still applies.

Sheldon Pearce delivered one of thee best accounts of Tupac's life. Instead of a traditional biography, he interviewed dozens of people to offer an oral history. He didn't include tons of well-known celebrities either. Readers are gifted with rare insight and fresh stories from lesser-known people close to the rapper/actor/activist. We hear from a high school teacher, music executive, childhood friend, fashion designer, a juror and a pen pal.

With music-related books, I like to play the songs mentioned. This practice made Changes even more enjoyable to read. He was a legend before his time and the lyrics remain relevant today. What a genius and true talent Tupac was. Well done, Sheldon Pearce, in telling his story in an unconventional way!

Happy Belated Pub Day, Sheldon Pearce! Changes is now available.

~LiteraryMarie

As much as I loved Tupac I was disappointed in this book only because I know all the stories in it! A great read for anyone that loved music and historical reads based on facts. If say it's more like memories collected from colleges and friends. Good for new readers on his life.

Changes is a fresh perspective on the life and death of Tupac Shakur. Author Sheldon Pearce does a great job getting together accounts of his life from people in his life from early childhood until the day he died and how Tupac’s life has been a big influence on the hip hop world.

What made this book great also is it's one downfall. Pearce shares quotes from those who had knew Tupac Shakur in an oral history format. The fact that the book is a stream of quotes allows us insight into various relationships or interactions that Shakur had with people from various portions of his life (teachers, friends, those who worked with him) and give us a deeper understanding of who Shakur was from many different perspectives. However, the quote based format did at times make the narrative difficult to follow. All in all, the benefits of having those various perspectives outweighed the difficulty there was at times with filling in the gaps or transitioning between speakers.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley.

For as much as I love learning new information about Tupac , I really had a hard time following this book for the first 75%. The stories are all over the place, the interviews are labeled as to who is talking but they do not state how they are involved in the story.

I did like reading stories I have not heard, as some books can be repetitive. I think a little organization would be great for this story overall.

I am a diehard Tupac fan. Therefore, almost any book written about him is a must read for me. Unfortunately, I found
Changes: An Oral History of Tupac Shakur
by Sheldon Pearce minimally satisfying at best.

Although the book is written in chronological order, the contents within each chapter are disjointed and patchy. Each page contains the thoughts of multiple people as they share stories from a particular moment in Pac’s life. While the idea of writing a book with multiple perspectives interchanging on each page may sound good in theory, it failed horribly in execution. This unorthodox writing style made for a very unconnected read.

Throughout the book I experienced a mixture of boredom and frustration. It felt like a bunch of people got together and wrote random thoughts about their experiences with Tupac. They weren’t even good stories at that! Ok, maybe one or two had the potential to be good. But because they were broken into multiple pieces throughout the book, it was hard to really appreciate that individual’s narrative.

One of the potentially good stories was by the fashion designer Karl Kani. Kani told how Tupac did a photoshoot for Karl Kani clothing. Tupac did the entire campaign for free because he wanted to support the black business. The only request Tupac had was that “thug life” be featured in the ad (swipe). Pac even paid for all his own clothing, and never accepted anything for free. I thought that story was dope. It also shows how business savvy Tupac was. At such a young he was very aware of branding! Kani said Tupac’s campaign was one of the most iconic shoots his clothing brand had ever done.

Another story I found rather interesting came from Richard Devitt. Devitt was a juror in Tupac’s rape trial. He actually shared some very disturbing information about how they (the jury) came up with a guilty verdict. That story pissed me off! Based on the jury’s findings, there was no way Pac should have been found guilty.

Overall, I would have enjoyed this book much more if each person’s story wasn’t broken into pieces and scattered throughout the book. As much as I would love to give this one 5stars in honor of Tupac, I simply cannot. Therefore, it’s 2stars for me.

An intimate account of Tupac Shakur’s life and tragic death. Written in the tradition of an oral history, the story is told based on personal accounts of witness and friends who knew him.  While it felt like some voices were missing in this rich retelling, the book is a refreshing reminder of the artist and genius that was Tupac, it will hopefully offer new insights and appreciation for his life and his work to his generation and new generations of people yet to discover his work.

This book was a fantastic revival of Tupac from those he worked with and had interacted with. I enjoyed the book even though there was not anything in the way of new information. The book read very quickly, had I not been working and running around I could've finished this in one sitting!

Tupac was and still is a great voice in the world of rap and Black culture. I remember when he died. I remember my mom calling me upstairs from my room as I was getting ready for school when Kurt Loder was reporting it on MTV that morning. I stood in the living room crying. This man was so artistic and grounded that his life meant something to many many people. His art is still appropriate today, which is a sad reminder that not much has changed in our world in 25 years.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!

Changes is a dope and fresh look at the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur. Sheldon Pearce provides readers with a raw and unique look at the legend that is Tupac.

I am and will always be a fan of Tupac and to say I have seen all the documentaries and interviews about his life and music would be an understatement. And yet this is unlike anything I have read or seen before. I was so intrigued by the accounts from close friends, acquaintances, and celebrities. I felt like these accounts were so personal and intimate and didn't focus too much on his life as a celebrity but rather on the person.

I give Changes 5 stars. I feel like fans will enjoy getting to know Tupac at his youngest and understand who he was and how he became the rap legend that he still is to this day. Sheldon Pearce also wrote this book in a way that is like a conversation piece which is so engaging and just pulled me in.

Changes offers an oral history of the late, iconic hip hop artist Tupac Shakur. This book didn’t offer much new information or perspective on Pac. There’s eye opening commentary from the likes of writer Justin Tinsley and scholar Mark Anthony Neal. On the flipside, I questioned why certain people were contributors to this book when there are far more insightful and interesting people who actually knew Tupac and his family well enough to speak to his legacy in a more meaningful way. At times, this book felt like a “this is who was available” list of people to talk about Pac. (I honestly skipped most of the Greg Kading parts because i don’t trust his information). This book is just decent at best because with the treasure trove of information about Tupac that exists, this book doesn't really add anything to the conversation or uncover or discover anything about the multifaceted human being that Tupac was.

I absolutely loved this book. Had no idea how good it would be going in, kept my expectations low, but it exceeded them and more. Would definitely recommend to anyone.