Heartbreak Is The National Anthem

Description: You know the songs by heart. You've traded the friendship bracelets. You've worn the cowboy boots and the bejewelled bodysuits. Now, get the inside track on this generation's biggest super star - Taylor Swift. An intimate look at the life and music of modern pop's most legendary figure, Taylor Swift, from leading music journalist Rob Sheffield. A cultural phenomenon. A worldwide obsession. An agent of emotional chaos. There's no parallel to Taylor Swift in history: a teenage girl who turns into the world's favorite pop star, songwriter, storyteller, guitar hero, live performer, changing how music is made and heard. An all-time great on the level of The Beatles, Prince, or David Bowie. Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music is the first book that goes deep on the musical and cultural impact of Taylor Swift. Nobody can tell the story like Rob Sheffield, the bestselling and award-winning author of Dreaming the Beatles, On Bowie, and Love Is a Mix Tape. The legendary Rolling Stone journalist is the writer who has chronicled Taylor for every step of her long career, from her early days to the Eras Tour. Sheffield gets right to the heart of Swift and her music, her lyrics, her fan connection, her raw power. At once one of the most beloved music figures of the past two decades and one of the most criticized, Taylor Swift is known as much for her life beyond her music as she is for her hits-the most public of stars, yet also the weirdest and most mysterious. In the tradition of Sheffield's Dreaming the Beatles, Heartbreak Is the National Anthem will inform and delight a legion of fans who hang on every word from Taylor and every word Rob writes on her. Review: '[Sheffield] treats the enduring relationship between Swift and her audience with the respect it deserves.' The Washington Post 'Each dispatch is a perceptive close read of Swift's music and persona...Sheffield drops enough of his own backstage encounters with Swift to satisfy fans hungry for new material to incorporate into their own character sketching.' The New York Times 'Sheffield's writing is both relatable and lyrical, making this memoir a heartfelt tribute to the ways we navigate love and sorrow through song.' Glamour UK 'For the Swiftie in your life, this definitive account of the rise of pop megastar Taylor Swift by Rolling Stone journalist Rob Sheffield is a must-read.' Our Culture "[A] wonderful read." Buzz 'Sheffield is an intense, unapologetic fan of Swift, but this book is no glossy celebration. Surprisingly, it may be the first serious book-length discussion of Swift as an artist and cultural force.' Bloomberg UK 'Swifties won't be able to put this down.' Publishers Weekly '[T]he first serious attempt to place Swift inside a music history." Chicago Tribune 'An affectionate homage from an ardent fan.' Kirkus '[T]here will be plenty here for long-time fans, newcomers, and those curious about Swift's appeal in this accessible, thoughtful, and entertaining tour of Swift's career, music, and impact.' Booklist Author Biography: Rob Sheffield is a longtime contributing editor for Rolling Stone magazine, where he has been covering music and pop culture since 1997. He is the author of the national bestsellers Love Is a Mix Tape: Love and Loss, One Song at a Time; Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: One Young Man's Quest for True Love and a Cooler Haircut; Turn Around Bright Eyes: A Karaoke Journey of Starting Over, Falling in Love, and Finding Your Voice, On Bowie and Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.