Janis Joplin’s transformation from member of the high school Slide Rule Club to rock star is documented with insight into her personal choices and public persona. From the opening chapter revealing a young Janis attempting and failing to fit the traditional expectations of her hometown of Port Arthur, Texas, readers are given a sense of the woman whose interests (African American singers, the blues), and style (brash, outspoken, unrepentant) set her outside mainstream society, but who always sought attention and approval. Despite occasional enrollment at college and university, Janis couldn’t ignore the pull of her talent and inevitably drifted back to the music scene and the self-destructive behavior to which it was so closely linked. Janis’s risk-taking lifestyle is put within the context of the 1960s, acknowledging the open attitude toward sex and drug use prevalent among her peers and fans in the music world. Janis’s family was also important to her, and she maintained a regular correspondence with her parents and sister despite making choices they didn’t condone. Information about Janis’s bands and her evolving public image is covered both in the narrative and visually through numerous photographs, album and magazine covers, and promotional posters. Detailed source notes, a timeline, and a bibliography are included in Wisconsin author Ann Angel’s inspired biography. (Age 14 and older)

Forty years after her death, Janis Joplin remains among the most compelling and influential figures in rock-and-roll history. Her story—told here with depth and sensitivity by author Ann Angel—is one of a girl who struggled against rules and limitations, yet worked diligently to improve as a singer. It’s the story of an outrageous rebel who wanted to be loved, and of a wild woman who wrote long, loving letters to her mom. And finally, it’s the story of one of the most iconic female musicians in American history, who died at twenty-seven. Janis Joplin includes more than sixty photographs, and an assortment of anecdotes from Janis’s friends and band mates. This thoroughly researched and well-illustrated biography is a must-have for all young artists, music lovers, and pop-culture enthusiasts.