I love Prince. When I saw this book, I got excited. It’s like taking a course in all things Prince. (chuckle)

Dearly Beloved is written by a superfan (chuckle). It’s interesting to read how someone else perceives lyrics and an artist’s intentions. We all receive music differently and Pamela Ayo Yetunde shares her view on how Prince’s music affected her.

“Why be stuck in victimhood when we can at least dance, have sex, or go nuts?” (p. 9)

It changed how she looked at the world. Now there is homework as the author recommends you first watch the concert film. Then there is music to listen to before each chapter so that you are aware of what exactly they are talking about when they refer to guitar strings and lyrics.

I should also say that I was “this old” when I learned that Prince was a Jehovah’s Witness and referred to religious text in his music. Mind blown. I also never really thought about what his songs said other than they were sexy as hell. (chuckle)

Yetunde breaks down 83 songs and how religion and sex were connected for Prince. How most songs were about the Kama Sutra and filled with his religious influences. Then the author goes further in explaining how we can connect in our own lives.

I don’t know if I believe everything written here (chuckle). It makes sense, don't get me wrong. I just don’t want to take everything as fact when Prince can’t tell us himself. I know some authors who get these deep discussions from fans about the meaning of an item in a story…and sometimes a towel is just a towel.

Dearly Beloved makes for an interesting spiritual read. It was nice visiting with Prince’s music again. I jammed the whole time I was reading this book.

***VERY UNPOPULAR OPINION***

I am a huge fan of Prince and was lucky to see one of his smaller performances, I will never forget that experience as long as I live...

I have read many biopics about Prince and this book is definitely at the bottom of the list for recommendation. I do not know the background of the author, who is clearly a fan, but her writing style is confusing and reads like a textbook instead of being an engaging nonfiction narrative (David McCullough, Nathaniel Philbrick, Elizabeth Kolber). The author needs some notes/classes to improve her writing style BIG TIME.

About the content. This had me a little angry! Tons of assumptions are made about what Prince supposedly did/did not do without any facts or proof to back up the author's thoughts! Supposedly, she teaches a class about Prince, this is absolutely insane to me! If she shares the same assumptions to her students as she does in this book, that is just bad and I would ask for money back about for the class.

Do not even get me started about the author's views on the personal life of Prince... SMH.

For these reasons and more, I cannot recommend this book. I do not even want to give this book 1 star.

Thanks to Netgalley, Pamela Ayo Yetunde and Broadleaf PRess for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 4/22/25

Dearly Beloved, by Pamela Ayo Yetunde, is a book I was very excited to be chosen to read. While there was a lot of information about one of my all-time favorite artists, the writing style was not enjoyable.
I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC ebook I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

As a Prince fan I went into this book excited, but as i began to read, and even when i skimmed ahead to other chapters I did not understand the book. A few moments of the text also got a bit repetitive as well, and this read a textbook (which may be the point??)

Great read! First read from this author. This book makes me want to read more from this author. Kept my attention and interest until the end.

Pamela Ayo Yetunde’s Dearly Beloved: Prince, Spirituality, and This Thing Called Life is a profound and beautifully written exploration of the intersection between the music, life, and spiritual journey of one of the most iconic figures in modern culture—Prince. However, Dearly Beloved may not appeal to all readers. For those expecting a more traditional biography or a linear recounting of Prince's life, this book might feel more abstract or philosophical. Yetunde’s focus on spirituality and her deep dives into the metaphysical aspects of Prince’s life may be challenging for readers unfamiliar with or uninterested in spiritual discourse. Nonetheless, for those willing to engage with the material, it is a deeply enriching and intellectually rewarding experience.

What an excellent dive into prince .

Not putting the symbol on a throne but certainly airing everything human and beautiful about the late star.

His beliefs are searched through his music lyrics and his life .

Sadly I only listened to a little big of prince but happly this book suggested concerts what songs to listen to when reading explanations on the songs.

dearly beloved Prince, spirituality and this thing called life by Pamela Ayo Yetubde. All thoughts and opinions written here are my own. I did not receive any compensation whatsoever for this review
I've always been a fan of different kinds of music and I think I've heard a few of Prince's songs over the years, but I found this book to be a little bit disappointing in that. I wish they had done it in audio format with some of his music that is referred to as background, particularly for new listeners. Who've never heard his music before. Pamela Ayo Yetubde is clearly a very devoted fan this I can appreciate and I can also appreciate the solemnness which she puts to devoting to constructing this work. But for someone who had only heard a little of his music or perhaps none at all for new readers, this book could be very confusing and not as enjoyable as it could have been. Like I said, I found it disappointing in general and I'm sorry because I also see that it's a very good piece of work in its own way.

In Dearly Beloved, Pamela Ayo Yetunde, a lifelong Prince fan and founder of the Theology of Prince project goes into detail about the messages of the more than 40 years of Prince's music and art. Dearly Beloved is for all who want a spiritual guide and for those who were fans of Prince and miss his music everyday.

Broadleaf Books provided an early galley for review.

I've been a Prince fan for more than two-thirds of my life, having discovered his music with the 1981 release Controversy. He is my all-time favorite artist and an important creative influence in my adult life. So, I was curious to see what this author had to say about his music. Turns out she and I have similar upbringings (around the same age - give or take a few years, raised in families where church was a foundation - for me the Catholic church). That means we're generationally speaking the same language.

Yetunde structures her study of his work very much like an academic course, complete with "homework" in the form of "listen along" lists at the start of each chapter. I like this approach as it puts the music front and center in the discussions. I also was comforted by depth of the catalog from which the songs were drawn. It speaks highly to the author's qualifications for this discussion (she is by no means a casual fan).

Where things might get tricky for some readers is in that Yetunde is taking her knowledge and experiences with spirituality and interpreting Prince's songs through those lenses. While not an issue for me, it is still coming across as her interpretations of his meanings. Since he is no longer with us, we can't be sure 100% what Prince meant by any given song. In fact, even if he were here, he likely would not give definitive answers (he liked to be mysterious). I like to think he, like many artists, enjoy leaving it up to the individual listeners to find their own meaning in the work.

Still, Yetunde gives the reader plenty of food for thought. If one has an open enough mind, one can appreciate the interpretations and concepts she is discussing. And, of course, you have to stick around for the Epilogue where she delivers her own Prince-inspired epic poem (I found it very inspiring).

As a avid Prince fan from his first album, For You, anything about him attracts me. I was really looking foward to this book, as Prince was always looking to enlighten with his music. This book I was so looking forward to reading. It just did not hit the mark for me. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my review.

This book was very well written. It gave Creedence to the symbolism between the music of prince and spirituality. The correlation is made by the author were pretty poignant..

This novel has provided a new perspective on the music that I grew up, listening to that Prince produced. It definitely provides insight and provokes thought into seeing music past just the lyrics and the instruments..

I thoroughly enjoyed this and I would recommend to anybody who’s a prince fan or just a fan of music in general.

Being a fan of Prince and believing that his music has a spiritual message, I was so excited to see this book. However I did not feel it was very well written and found it to be repetitive. Instead of suggested listening lists, the lyrics of the songs being discussed should have been printed with that section. I am guessing royalties were an issue but it would have helped the author make her points. I was very disappointed overall and would not purchase this for my library.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

I have been a huge Prince fan for years, thanks to my father who was also a huge fan and kept his music playing in our household as I grew up, opening up my eyes to his music throughout my teen and adult years until the artists' untimely death. I have read numerous books about Prince throughout the years, some just ok and some excellent. This book is the absolute worst of the bunch. It reads like a poorly written thesis, constantly warning of spoilers ahead, basing "fact" on personal assumption and opinion, and managing to be offensively sacreligious at the same time. I feel like Prince would be offended by the author's take on his religious experience, expression, and pursuits.

The whole thing is very confusing. It's written by a woman who is a Buddhist, raised as a Christian, teaching at a seminary, and incoporating Kama Sutra teachings into her classes there, maybe? It's all strange, written like it's taken straight out of a diary and quickly edited to become text, with helpful "spiritual" teaching at the end that you're supposed to do while listening to Prince music. Maybe these are just lesson plans for the Prince-themed class she teaches in seminary? Either way it was absolutely awful and if I could give it less than 1 star I would.

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!