{"product_id":"why-karen-carpenter-matters","title":"Why Karen Carpenter Matters","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003eIn her book \"Why Karen Carpenter Matters,\" Karen Tongson explores the tragic life and legacy of the iconic singer, delving into her chart-topping music, the impact of her eating disorder, and her significance for people of color, LGBTQ communities, and those outside mainstream culture. Tongson combines memoir, history, and cultural criticism to highlight the dynamic relationship between artists and listeners. \u003c\/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n                                                            \u003cstrong\u003eFormat\u003c\/strong\u003e: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\n                              \u003cstrong\u003eLength\u003c\/strong\u003e: 160 pages\u003cbr\u003e\n                              \u003cstrong\u003ePublication date\u003c\/strong\u003e: 04 November 2021\u003cbr\u003e\n                              \u003cstrong\u003ePublisher\u003c\/strong\u003e: Faber \u0026amp; Faber\u003cbr\u003e\n                          \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA PITCHFORK MUSIC BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA radical, literary, and intimate insight into one of the twentieth century's most vital vocalists.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTongson serves up a number of astute observations about fantasy, projection, longing, normalcy, and aberrance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMAGGIE NELSON\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDeftly weaves memoir, history, and cultural criticism to highlight the dynamic relationship between artists and listeners.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePITCHFORK\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the 60s and 70s, America's music scene was marked by raucous excess, reflected in the tragic overdoses of young superstars such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. At the same time, the uplifting harmonies and sunny lyrics that propelled Karen Carpenter and her brother, Richard, to international fame belied a different sort of tragedy - the underconsumption that led to Karen's death at age thirty-two from the effects of an eating disorder.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Why Karen Carpenter Matters, Karen Tongson (whose parents named her after the pop icon) interweaves the story of the singer's rise to fame in the 1960s and 70s with her own trans-Pacific journey between the Philippines - where imitations of American pop styles flourished - and Karen Carpenter's home ground of Southern California. Tongson reveals why the Carpenters' chart-topping, seemingly white-washed musical fantasies of normal love have profound significance for her - as well as for other people of colour, LGBT+ communities, and anyone outside the mainstream culture usually associated with Karen Carpenter's legacy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis hybrid of memoir and biography excavates the destructive perfectionism at the root of the Carpenters' sound, while finding the beauty in the singer's all-too-brief life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEngrossing. . . a triumphant delight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e4COLUMNS\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHeartfelt. . . excellent. . . breathtaking.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEXCLAIM!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWill.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n                            \u003cstrong\u003eWeight\u003c\/strong\u003e: 162g\n                            \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimension\u003c\/strong\u003e: 129 x 197 x 20 (mm)\n                            \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN-13\u003c\/strong\u003e: 9780571369003\n                            \u003cbr\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eEdition number\u003c\/strong\u003e: Main\n                          \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Karen Tongson","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback","offer_id":44097029505274,"sku":"9780571369003","price":6.41,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0522\/4297\/2845\/products\/8ee75c03444e6d954f5d2bc2131b614a.jpg?v=1637123108","url":"https:\/\/shulphink.com\/products\/why-karen-carpenter-matters","provider":"Shulph Ink","version":"1.0","type":"link"}