Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing

This Janis Joplin biography is based on letters and interviews with friends and family. Every page is attractively laid out with colors and designs accurate with the 50’s and 60’s culture and era. The book takes us on a journey with Janis as she grows up in Port Arthur, moves to Austin, and ends up in San Francisco. We follow her music career, and her untimely death due to drug and alcohol addiction.

This book will satisfy the upper middle school and high school student. It isn’t boring or drab. It’s the exact opposite. The large text, bright graphics, and flow of the narrative will keep teenagers’ attentions.

Chapter 7: Moving From Fiction To Informational Books

This is quite a unique non-fiction book. Yes it is a biography, yes it does detail the era, the person, and the music culture, but it leaves out just enough information that it whets your appetite for more. It causes you to want to dig deeper in the music scene of the time, of the ins and outs of San Francisco, the culture, and more of Janis herself.

Angel, A. (2010). Janis Joplin: Rise up singing. New York, NY: Amulet Books.