How To Be Beyoncé

by Madison Moore

We’re in a Beyoncé moment. The pop sensation has more fans, more fame, and more cultural influence than ever before. But what makes her so iconic? Is she really that perfect? And why do we love her so much? How to Be Beyoncé isn’t a biography (mostly because nobody wants to get sued by someone who does everything so perfectly). Instead, it’s a meditation on her place in culture, why we love her so much, and what we can learn from her image and work-ethic so we can reach our own potential.

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction, Biography, 21st Century

42 pages, ebook

First published November 14, 2012

Reviews

[Katrina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I got this for free from Audible. I don't like or dislike Beynce but this book is like setting down with someone and just listening to them ramble on for an hour and a half non-stop. There's no real direction or point to this "book". It may as well just be a blog.

[Sami Wax · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the whole premise of the book, not to mention it was published on my eighteenth birthday.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got this free from audible as a valentine's present and it was TERRIBLE. I didn't expect great lit. but this was a muddled, insultingly inane bunch of nothing. YUCK. Less than not recommended.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

A waste of time

[M.R. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly, after going through this book, I am not Beyoncé.

[Matthew Turner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ughhhhh. What did I just read? I quit half-way through.

I really thought this was going to be a thoughtful consideration of the publicly celebrated. Those able to push certain cultural-hot-buttons at specific times. You know… with some research. And an effort to collect some diverse expert opinion.

Instead we get a fanboy rave.

Moore is so obviously biased on this topic, and his most well-referenced facts come from Urban Dictionary. The rest of the information is just plucked from… I can’t even guess where.

Some lowlights:

Don’t worry about setbacks “because if you work hard enough your day will come when the time’s right”.
Right. Because everyone who works hard becomes Beyoncé.

And, like, why do people hate Beyoncé? “Is it that she’s so good that people can’t believe it?”
That last sentence was a direct quote.

Another quote: ”If we are in a “Beyoncé Moment” it’s because there are currently no well-known contemporary mainstream pop singers who can hold a stick to Beyoncé. That’s because we place so much emphasis on autotune.”
OK, I think I’ll go read the comments section on YouTube for a more thoughtfully considered counterargument.

How did this get published?

[Rhonda Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of seven free books from audible in celebration of valentine's day, including "how to be Beyoncé" by Madison Moore. apparently, it's a take on what makes her so popular, and what we mortals can learn from her work ethic. another one I got was "a nerd's guide to being confident" by mark Manson. the content is self-explanatory.

this was the most curious of the free reads, which I listened to in an effort to read something while doing dishes. it was actually very good. let me just say, I'm no Beyoncé fan--I find her to have bare minimum talent, and to be oversexed and overrated. I know I'm in the minority. this 90 min audio does the impossible and explains rather scientifically why she is such a superstar. it answers questions and brings up valid points that even a Queen Bey cynic like me could appreciate. like how she could be considered the Michael Jackson of our time, and how she took tips and tricks from the likes of Tina Turner and Josephine Baker to become Sasha Fierce, and even how her lack of exposure makes her more mysterious. fabulous read.

[Vicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another Audible Valentine's freebie (yes I did listen to 4 of them in a single day at work -- it was a slow day!) I expected something more about pop culture in general, but this was pretty much pure celebrity worship. I enjoy Beyonce's music, but I'm not especially interested in her life outside her music. Interestingly, the story did go into that too, discussing how she's one of the few celebs to have kept her private life fairly private, and how recent forays into opening up (ie the HBO special, etc) seem a bit off because of that. The narrator wasn't great, which also detracted from the story. Would not recommend.

[Aimee (Book It Forward) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dumbest book ever. I only listened to get me through to my next Audible credit and because it was free. Thank God it was only an hour and a half long. The narrator was TERRIBLE! If you have a speech impediment, being an audio book narrator is not for you. Example, the word captivates was pronounced CAT-ivates. The book may have been cute had I read the paper version but the audio was so bad I cringed getting through it. Next!

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only got this free audiobook because I have a joke exaggerated obsession with Beyonce as well. I don't know what I expected, but got excited in the beginning of the book because he made it seem like it would be a discussion of certain celeb worship and its place in pop culture. What I got instead was a vapid, weird celeb worship book.

I agree Beyonce is talented but this book was almost creepy. Very little substance. I only gave it two stars for #beyzus.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not a sophisticated or hugely enlightening read, but it was fun. I generally like Beyonce but don't particularly follow her, so it was interesting to hear about bits of her journey and hypothesizing on why they happened the way they did. But it was basically a casual recounting on Beyonce's popularity by her #1 gay fan:)

[Ana · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I find the the role of a pop-star in society interesting, this writer did not really make me care about her character. I think that if I were into Beyonce, this book would hold my interest more. Still, the book in it's audio format managed to have fun moments.

[Kris Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting reflection on what Beyoncé means to popular culture. Not a huge fan of Bey but it was fun to listen to. The reader was really terrible, but this was free from audible so it isn't a loss at all.

[Daliso Ngoma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like other reviews have said, not the greatest of books but it was quite an entertaining look into Beyonce's life.
An outsider's view, at that.

Link-back to the other title in reference to it's reviews: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

[Alejandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't judge me. I got it for free from audible.

I'm not really sure why it is a book? It might as well be a blog post about how Beyonce has kept her life private, done all the right things media wise and fashionably to appeal to the masses, and is next to perfect.

I guess it was cute.

[Shelley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was free and I still want my money back!! I listened to the audibook from Audible, thinking "Eh, what the heck.. it's only 1.5 hours. It will probably be a fun enough read!". Not so my friends, not so. It is an hour and a half that I'll never get back! Don't bother with it.

[D.C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at just how a cute girl from Texas became Beysus. And how we mortals can emulate her in a smaller scale.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audible free valentines book number 2. Fun, just fun. Although I'm not a huge Besus fan I enjoyed the reflection on iconic celebrity status, branding, and conspiracy theory that this book offers.

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not a fan, but would have liked an interesting novel about the pop star. This book was not interesting. Short as it was, I did not finish it. Yawn

[Shawn Kass · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was free book for me and it essentially boiled down to a 2 hour read that glorified one singer and examined the social impact she has had and been subjected to. Not my type of read.

[Adrian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Crap. One-eyed fan full of uncritical praise. Tedious.

[Melissa Hunt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Needed a fluff book after the horror of Sarah's Key

[Tif · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my best reading day.

[Veronika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not being a Beyoncé fan, I found parts a little tedious. However, it was enlightening in other respects.

[Elise · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only downloaded this from audible since it was free. I should have known it would have been disappointing, but I gave it a listen anyways. The story rambles on in a weird and non-story like manor. I don't feel like I learned anything from this book, except that there's a reason this book was free.

The only redeeming quality this book has was the narration. The Narrator was the only reason I listened to the whole thing. He has a very nice voice.

[Melody · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the worst narrators.