Janis

Her Life and Music

By: Holly George-Warren

Narrated by: Nina Arianda

Longlisted for the 2020 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence

This blazingly intimate biography of Janis Joplin establishes the Queen of Rock & Roll as the rule-breaking musical trailblazer and complicated, gender-bending rebel she was.

Janis Joplin’s first transgressive act was to be a white girl who gained an early sense of the power of the blues, music you could only find on obscure records and in roadhouses along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast. But even before that, she stood out in her conservative oil town. She was a tomboy who was also intellectually curious and artistic. By the time she reached high school, she had drawn the scorn of her peers for her embrace of the Beats and her racially progressive views. Her parents doted on her in many ways, but were ultimately put off by her repeated acts of defiance.

Janis Joplin has passed into legend as a brash, impassioned soul doomed by the pain that produced one of the most extraordinary voices in rock history. But in these pages, Holly George-Warren provides a revelatory and deeply satisfying portrait of a woman who wasn’t all about suffering. Janis was a perfectionist: a passionate, erudite musician who was born with talent but also worked exceptionally hard to develop it. She was a woman who pushed the boundaries of gender and sexuality long before it was socially acceptable. She was a sensitive seeker who wanted to marry and settle down—but couldn’t, or wouldn’t. She was a Texan who yearned to flee Texas but could never quite get away—even after becoming a countercultural icon in San Francisco.

Written by one of the most highly regarded chroniclers of American music history, and based on unprecedented access to Janis Joplin’s family, friends, band mates, archives, and long-lost interviews, Janis is a complex, rewarding portrait of a remarkable artist finally getting her due.

Critic reviews

“I’ve been waiting for the right person to write the definitive biography of Janis Joplin! All fans should be grateful it’s finally here. Janis lives and breathes freedom and soul, and Holly George-Warren captures that spirit perfectly.”
— Rosanne Cash, four-time Grammy Award winner

“The definitive portrait of one of pop culture’s most misunderstood martyrs… In dwelling so sympathetically on her tangle of talents, contradictions, and mythology, Janis brings one of rock’s most enduring legends down to earth while holding her justly up to the light.”
— NPR.org

“Gripping.”
— Vanity Fair

“Revelatory.”
— Bustle

“Performs a service by stripping away a lot of the noise around Joplin... telling her story simply and well, with some of the tone and flavor of a good novel.”
— New York Times Book Review

“By far and away the most comprehensive and best-researched Joplin biography. It’s an extraordinary life, set to a legendary rock death arc, but the triumph of Janis is that George-Warren understands that the evolution of Joplin’s artistry is what matters most. Janis blossoms as she finds her voice onstage, and her act becomes something of great beauty. So too does George-Warren’s book.”
— Charles R. Cross, New York Times bestselling author of Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix

“Impressive... Like Joplin herself, Janis delivers the most thrilling sort of pathos.”
— Texas Observer

“Empathetic and thrilling. Like an investigative reporter, George-Warren has tracked down every detail of Janis’s young life and influences, and with loving care she has given us rare insight into this genius musician.”
— Kate Pierson, The B-52s

“Exceptional.”
— No Depression

“Illuminating… A top-notch biography of one of the greatest performers to emerge from a brilliant era.”
— Kirkus (starred review)

“This superb biography captures singer Janis Joplin’s complex essence... Anyone who enjoys a good biography will appreciate this exceptional work.”
— Library Journal (starred review)

"Author, Grammy nominee, and college professor Holly George-Warren offers an incisive and compelling portrait of musical legend Janis Joplin." —AudioFile Magazine

Wish this was accompanied with music examples

I loved this book but I think it should have had segments that played the music that they were talking about. That would have made this awesome. The narrator was so good and sounded like Janis so much I kept thinking it was Janis talking. They could have found a better narrator with the Texas accent and all her attitude, just great!

A beautiful book, perfectly read

I have been listening to Jimi, The Doors, The Dead and Janis for quite a few decades, and not until this book did I realize how little actually knew about Janis' life. This book starts with her childhood and takes you all the way through her superstardom, and along the way planting seeds of imagination and reigniting a desire to listen once more to her music with a different perspective, this newfound knowledge helped me better understand her drive, her pain, and what drove her from Texas, into music, drinking, playing live, and being JANIS JOPLIN.

Just wanting to be loved and accepted.....

A window into the life of a soul struggling for love and acceptance. A mirror into which everyone should look to better understand what makes us each who we are. An example of a magic we all possess.... and the tragedy of a self-destruction.

Heartbreaking

I wish she was still here to share her voice with new generations. So sad.

A tragic tale…

Really in depth, but also still entertaining telling of her tragic life and struggle with demons

My Oh My! What an incredible woman what an incredible loss

I could barely stop listening to this book. The narrator was incredible at delivering the story. Many times I could see the picture so clear I felt as though I was right there 20 yrs before my time. What an incredible story, what an incredible woman, I cried like a baby during the last 20 minutes of the last chapter. Just wow, wish she were here today.

Excellent rendering of a Brilliant performer.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator has Great pacing & captured Janis' unique inflection perfectly. At times it eerily sounded like it was Janis speaking. I enjoyed the historical aspect of this as well.

Janis lived hard

it was a great learning lesson. I learned a lot about this great woman

Excellent New Biography

While I knew quite a lot of this material having read everything I could about Janis Joplin, Holly George-Warren brings a fresh perspective, while Nina Arianda brings a very listenable narration, and an engaging vocal presence. Well done.

Know Janis

A memorable telling of the conflicted life of JJ. Author succeeds with intensely-researched details about Janis and those who impinged on her short life. A sad story because she needed more love and caring to provide her with support for all she contributed to American musical art. Listeners who are acquainted with San Francisco and Marin County will emotionally resonate with her love of these areas.