Love, Janis: By Laura Joplin

Rating:
Summary: This book is an inside look at the life of a legend!
Review: I was born long after the days of Janis Joplin and her brand of hippie rock and drugs. But her music, once I discovered it, moved me in ways previously unimaginable. I found this book, written by her sister, to be touching and real. Janis was an extraordinary person, this book proves that. It also brings you behind the scenes, to her secert life that caused her so much pain.This book made Janis real to me. Laura Joplin did a fantastic job of educating the world about the one of a kind Janis Joplin and her turblent life. Her talent, like this book, will never be forgotten!

Rating:
Summary: A bit disappointing
Review: Janis Joplin is commonly portrayed as a woman struggling with her demons, but this book goes a step further by allowing Janis herself to speak through letters home. Her anguish and turmoil, as well as her innocent hopefulness, are heartbreakingly evident. Unfortunately, the book lacked cohesion. I found myself skipping entire chapters, such as the one on the early life of the Joplin pioneers, as it did not seem to explain how their lives shaped Janis.

It is evident through the writing style that Laura Joplin adored and lionized her older sister. So much so that she seems intent on placing herself in the context of Janis' life with passages like (paraphrased), "In March of that year, two days before my birthday, Janis did..."

Although the personal insights I gleaned through Janis' letters was revealing and poignant, this bio was far from the no-punches-pulled treatment that the book jacket claims it is. Read it only as an account of a younger sister trying to come to terms with the troubled life and early death of a beloved older sister.

Rating:
Summary: Great Bio
Review: This an excellent biography about the ENTIRE life of Janis Joplin. It is probably the first Janis Joplin book you should read if you want to learn more about her. It is told from a family member's point of view...in other words, the truth is told. I would think that this book would be the most reliable out of the 4 or 5 janis books that are out. Enjoy this book! it is well worth it.