Lady Gaga: Behind the Fame

Despite having sold millions of records and becoming a household name through her own will and creativity, the fact is, Lady Gaga is still a relatively "new" celebrity, so I was somewhat skeptical about how informative (or necessary) a full-on biography could be at this point in her career. But intrigued as I am by her and her music, I picked it up with an open mind in hopes of learning more about the woman herself, getting behind the mystique she so carefully veils herself in publicly. Heavy with quotes and page after page of gorgeous color photographs, this is a great reference tool for fans. However, in the end I don't feel like I necessarily learned anything new or came any closer to understanding the "meaning of Gaga," so to speak. That's not to say it wasn't entertaining or well-researched, because it obviously was, but I felt like the author never fully broke through the wall that separates the reader from the subject matter. Lady Gaga's (aka Stefani Germanotta) privileged upbringing is glossed over in a matter of pages, and for as much as she mentions heartbreak and the love-vs-fame theme, no further details are given about her personal/love life. I guess I was just most interested in seeing the transformation from Catholic school girl to pop exhibitionist, but that connection was never clearly made. It's almost as if this girl fell right out of the womb as the Lady Gaga persona we know today. Then again, I get the feeling that's how she wants to be perceived. It's just too bad the author couldn't add a new spin on it to make her somewhat relatable. Humanized may be a better word. On the other hand, I can appreciate the attention that was paid to the music itself, which can easily be overlooked when writing about such an eccentric personality, so it does work as a really good resource in that respect. Plus it does paint a good picture of her dynamics within the music industry and the song-writing process. Mixed feelings aside, was it worth a read? Yes. The pictures alone are worth the price, lol, and it was fairly well-written with a heaping of interview material from the Lady herself. But I think we need to wait a few more years before we get anything real substantial as far as life stories go. Meanwhile we can sit here all day and discuss whether or not Lady Gaga truly is the loner workaholic who revels in the avant-garde, or just another pretentious, gimmicky pop tart, because this book sure doesn't help in deciding one way or the other. She's just as much of an enigma by the last page as she is on the first. Like I said, I suspect that's the whole point. Nevertheless I'll give it the benefit of the doubt with 4 stars because it is the most comprehensive Lady Gaga book to appear on the market so far.

As someone who considers herself one of Lady Gaga's little monsters, I was surprised that Herbert's book had plenty of facts I wasn't aware of and answered questions that have been the dispute of rumor and hearsay. She pulls most of her information directly from quotes in Gaga's interviews and seems to know what she's talking about. Who knew that not everything could be uncovered by hours spent trolling the internet? I appreciate finally having a detailed account of Lady Gaga's career from pre-Gaga to this January all in one narrative instead of assembled in my brain from a hodge-podge of articles. The best part of the book though is definitely all the photographs! Again, I was surprised to find unfamiliar images nestled among the iconic ones. Go get your claws on a copy!

This book is a well-researched and in-depth look into the life of Stefani Germanotta, aka Lady Gaga. Beginning with the history of her parents, Emily Herbert's exploration of the mysterious Gaga guides the reader through the artist's childhood: her upbringing amongst New York City's most elite children at an exclusive catholic private school. We follow Gaga through her short time at New York University, her drop out, and the burlesque dancing career that followed. Gaga's subsequent rise to fame is an uplifting and tumultuous story that is nothing short of inspiring. The biographer offers an intimate view of Lady Gaga's enticingly mysterious character and the creative mind that crafts the outlandishly fashionable performances that define her stardom today. She is truly a fresh face in the entertainment industry and this book does a fantastic job of squeezing her grandiose character into the pages of a paperback.

I bought this book because of the shiny cover and the loads of photos, but was please to find it was really well-written too. Really explores the enigma that is the brilliant Lady Gaga. Loved it.