Janice Joplin: Rise Up Singing

Angel, A. (2010).  Janis Joplin:  Rise up singing. NY:  Amulet.  This award winning biography of Janis Joplin a female rock star of the 1960's is well written.  It gives insight to her struggles as a young girl growing up and rebelling against the constraints of living in traditional bible belt Texas in the 1950's and how she found her voice. The biography is organized in a linear fashion beginning with her school years and continuing to her young adult life.  Not only is there a table of contents at the beginning, but at the end there is also a timeline from her birth to her death.  There is also a bibliography and an index in the back of the book, and photographs of Janis and entertainers she admired throughout the text.  I found the photographs helpful in bringing the facts to life and making you feel like you transcended back in time.  Middle school and high school teachers could use this book to teach biographies, musical history and non-fiction text structures.  One of the major strengths of this book is the authenticity of the facts provided by the author. The biography was based on letters and interviews with family and friends of Janis Joplin as well as previous articles written about her.