Angel Standing by: The Story of Jewel

Anyone who loves Jewel is going to love this book because it give so many facts about her life and it shows that not everyone starts out with a road paved in gold.you have got to take chances to get where you want to go .

Anyone that's followed Jewel's career, fan or no, would have a tough time disputing the facts detailed in Angel Standing By. As a former member of the music industry, who watched the rise of this San Diego songbird from her days playing in coffeehouses and punk festivals (even though she didn't fit in, the crowd received her well), I'd say this book tells the whole story, heartbreak, hardship and all. Maybe some of these facts are hard to hear, but that's what makes it so compelling. Jewel probably didn't agree to participate in this book because she didn't want to sully her image, but all it does is show her to be the complete, complex human being she is.

I never realized, until I read Angel Standing By, how difficult Jewel's life was previous to her becoming a star (can you believe she had to steal toilet paper from fast food restaurants?!). I never realized how precariously the foundation upon which her stardom was built - late to an audition with Atlantic Records, she almost never got signed. If it hadn't been for the persistence of her rather green A & R rep, who just believed in her the way some people ardently profess faith in to a god, Jewel would have been slinking back to oblivion in the San Diego coffeehouse scene. I never realized how much impact her love affair with Steve Poltz, nearly twice her age and already a scenemaker in San Diego band the Rugburns, had on her own career and visibility ... culminating in their shared songwriting of "You Were Meant For Me." And these are the minor points... All the inside stories, all the behind-the-scenes insight that could make you feel like you truly know this songstress, are in this book. Maybe diehard fans close to stalkerdom already know these stories, but for the rest of us, Angel Standing By is a must read. You can never really understand Jewel's songs (much less her poetry) until you understand her.

This biography of Jewel brings her to life as no one has before -- all of the people who brought her to fame, all of the places she had to play before she got there come to life as though you're reading a really great novel. I learned so much about the music industry, and read this in one sitting. I couldn't believe all it took for her to become who she is today. Such an inspiring story!

Not like ordinary biographies. This one explains what it's like to learn how to play guitar and sing in front of people. I feel like I know her so intimately that she'd recognize me if she saw me on the street!