Becoming Beyoncé

The Untold Story

By: J. Randy Taraborrelli

Narrated by: Allyson Johnson

Length: 19 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

A Billboard Must-Read Fall 2015 Music Book

The first comprehensive biography ever published about America's favorite living pop icon, Beyoncé, from New York Times best-selling biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli.

Beyoncé Knowles is a woman who began her career at the age of eight performing in pageant shows and talent contests, honing her craft through her teenage years until, at the age of 16, she had her first number-one record with Destiny's Child. That hit-making trio launched Beyoncé's successful solo career, catapulting her, as of 2014, to number one on Forbes' annual list of most wealthy celebrities - the same year she made the cover of Time. Becoming Beyoncé is not only the story of struggle, sacrifice, and what it takes to make it in the cut-throat record industry; it's the story of the great rewards of such success and the devastating toll it often takes on the human spirit.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2015 J. Randy Taraborrelli (P)2015 Hachette Audio

Awesome book

Absolutely loved it!! It was a long audio but really well researched and provides an inside look at her life.

I LOVED IT!!!!

This book brought me so much joy to get to know her better! She is Amazing

trust me it's mostly about Matthew Knowles not Bey

first of all instead of naming this book The Making of Beyonce please name it the making of Matthew Knowles it was more about Matthew Knowles that Beyonce trust me if your if you are a true Beyonce fan nothing in this book will be new to you, I would say buy it if you are a Matthew Knowles fan lol

Meh, just okay

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It was interesting for what it was everybody wants to know about Beyonce and what goes on in her life. It really didn't talk about much more than I already knew from watching specials on her on TV and her music documentaries and such so it wasn't so surprising only a few things about the early years in specifics I did not know.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Well I was just expecting it to be a little jucier. I really wasn't that interested in hearing about her parents, or Lindall loser, but I guess it's part of her life and you need the whole story to understand the whole person Beyonce. It did surprise me to hear that it seems like jay z does love her more than it appears but I see why because they're trying to live a very private life it's also surprising that he cheats who would cheat on beyonce what a dip shit.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Allyson Johnson?

Sure.

Was Becoming Beyoncé worth the listening time?

Well considering that it took me about 3 & a half weeks to read but that's only because this has been a busy time for me. It was worth it to satisfied my curiosity of the book and that's just about it.

Good Job!!!

This was an interesting read. J Randy Taraborrelli also wrote the book for Michael Jackson. There was so much more information revealed in that book, however this was a nice audio book and I'm surprised I got through it so quickly.

The narrator made this difficult

I would encourage Audible to use a narrator who can familiarize her or himself with the Hip Hop dialect more authentically. I have heard many of the people in the book talk in interviews and while there is a Southern accent, the narrator made them sound uneducated and more "urban" than they really were. It sounded like she based her voice on what she thinks Black people sound like. It was borderline offensive.

This book didn't really tell me any new revalations but it was somewhat entertaining. I was intrigued with the team of people involved in Beyonce becoming a star. It was ok. Way too long, but good listening on road trips.

Queen Bey!

What can I say about this book?! It was like listening to the life of Diana Ross or Michael Jackson. With respect to them of course. Beyonce has lived a FULL LIFE already. It was really interesting to learn how hard of a worker she is. She truly does go all out since she was a kid. But really, if you are a fan...or even just curious. This book goes from birth (maybe even before birth) to almost present day. A very well written timeline. I am pretty sure she is behind the writings of this book. I doubt it is unauthorized. It was too detailed and done in great taste. What I loved about the book was truly the info that I never knew, about her mom, her family, her upbringing, Destiny's Child. As well this book did not hold back. Obviously, Lemonade was not out. But it did touch on just about everything we hear about in relationship to Bey and her lifestyle. The craziest thing though I heard was that she has a camera crew that follows them taking photos and video for her personal collection. That sounds a bit excessive...but she is a diva! I liked her much more after listening to this book. You cannot help but have respect for her and artists in her league. She worked her way to the top...along with her family. Her talent is undeniable but you get a sense from this book that it took a ton of determination. Makes sense why not all artists make it. Furthermore, She is truly a loyal girlfriend. In all her relationships she has been tested and even though she is absolutely a pretty girl, she was very much a good girl, quiet, patient. Interesting to learn this about her. But then again, her mother has quite the tragic love history herself. Anyways, a great and fascinating book. It was much more interesting than I expected it to be and much more about her as a person as well as an artist. Which was nice! Good book to listen to on a trip! Fun and light. Definitely a good book for fans of music in general...or of hard work ethic! Right up there with any business book in some respect.

Extensive

This was a very long and extensive audiobook. One could say it was more so a biography on Beyoncé and Mathew Knowles.

There was much focus on the beginning of her life and career but not much on her most recent years. Beyoncé being as sheltered as she is, I'm sure there is not much one could dig up on her most current life. I learned a lot about how she entered the industry, the many controversies the surrounded her, and of course, her first love.

Overall, it was certainly worth the almost 20 hours.

One thing to note, the reader mispronounces Beyoncé many times in the book.

The reader was HORRIBLE!!! Almost offensive!!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Beyonce's life story is amazing.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Becoming Beyoncé?

All of it was memorable. Impossible to pick just one.

How could the performance have been better?

Yes. The performance was appalling.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

A remarkable Life.

Any additional comments?

I can't stress enough how bad the reader was!

Tell me something I don't know

A better narrator would of made this story so much better... Not some old white lady