{"product_id":"didnt-we-almost-have-it-all-9781419752971","title":"Didnt We Almost Have It All","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In this stirring work, journalist Kennedy reexamines ‘all that Whitney was and all that she was never able to be’...the author both celebrates the legendary singer’s inimitable talent and offers a rousing critique of oppressive systems still at work today. This is a must-read for fans.” * Publishers Weekly, *starred* review *\u003cbr\u003e“A collection of unsparing, deeply personal essays on the singer’s life and career that arrives 10 years after her death...Kennedy’s book, unlike so many before it, is not a gossipy biography but a collection of often powerful meditations on Whitney’s life and the culture that failed her”. * The Washington Post *\u003cbr\u003e“A decade after Houston’s death, journalist Gerrick Kennedy celebrates the music legend’s triumphs in a judgment-free exploration of her life following a foreword by Brandy.” * InStyle *\u003cbr\u003e“A candid exploration of Houston’s talent, dysfunction and fame beyond the tabloid headlines...It seriously considers her impact on music, pop culture, race and the author’s own life as a queer Black man.” * Los Angeles Times *\u003cbr\u003e“By contextualizing her career, this book is far from a simple biography or tell-all, and feels like, what Wills described as ‘a collective apology’ to a beloved icon.” * The Grio *\u003cbr\u003e“The great strength of this book is that Kennedy—who sees Houston through the lens of the Black Lives Matter, #MeToo and LGBTQ+ movements o f the last decade—refuses to pass judgment. Instead, he seeks to understand Houston’s struggles as evidence of a woman who shouldered an enormous burden—not just as a pop icon, but as a deeply devout queer Black artist forced to inhabit an unforgiving premade identity...Thoughtful reading for Houston fans and music historians alike.” * Kirkus Reviews *\u003cbr\u003e“Kennedy’s winning argument invites readers to focus on Houston's triumphs: the ceilings she broke and the pathways she paved. Particularly impactful is Kennedy’s work to locate Houston's legacy in a historical-cultural context, retrieving, for example, the no longer-sung, racist third verse of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’—which she breathtakingly performed in 1991—and contemplating the meaning of a Black woman performing the national anthem at such a profound level.” * Booklist *\u003cbr\u003e“Tackle Didn’t We Almost Have It All...and you can expect to see things you already know, but you can also expect to be delighted. It’s a fan’s book, for sure, and reading it might be the greatest love of all...There’s a lot of introspection in it, as well as a shift in how we think about our celebrities.” * Jacksonville Free Press *","brand":"Abrams","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49408075694423,"sku":"9781419752971","price":12.34,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/didnt-we-almost-have-it-all-9781419752971","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}