Ariana: The Biography

by Danny White

Ariana Grande captured the hearts of a nation with her One Love Manchester concert.

Less than a fortnight after a terrorist killed twenty-two people at her Manchester show, the petite princess stood tall at her tribute concert that united and healed a shaken nation. She was the emotional core of a powerful evening that reminded us all of music's redemptive power.

But who is Ariana Grande? This candid book traces the US pop star's story from her childhood in Florida, through her teenage years on Broadway and Nickelodeon, and onto her gleaming pop career which has seen her described as 'the new Mariah Carey'.

This unauthorized biography of the songbird tells her eventful and inspirational story in full for the first time, and shows how she became an award-winning, chart-topping pop idol, as well as an empowering inspiration for a generation of girls.

It reveals that there is more to Ariana than the celebrity we all think we know, explaining how her smooth transition from a squeaky-clean teenage pop product to a sophisticated, bold artist was powered by a restless and resilient personality.

A must read for all her fans, this is a full, unflinching portrait of a pop sensation and inspiring, uncompromising woman - the small, sassy girl with the ponytail who conquered the world.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Music

255 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 19, 2017

About the author

Wilford Daniel (Danny) White is a former quarterback and punter for the Dallas Cowboys and an American football coach in the Arena Football League. He has been the color commentator for Cowboys games on Compass Media Networks' America's Team Radio Network since the 2011 season.
A graduate of Westwood High School in Mesa, Arizona, he didn't receive a lot of notice while being the starter at quarterback, because back then he was a better baseball prospect.
Frank Kush, then the football head coach at Arizona State University, helped convinced Bobby Winkles, the school's baseball coach, to sign White to a scholarship with the provision that he would also play punter for the football team. During those early years Kush gave him a chance to improve his skills as a quarterback, which eventually would lead him to become the starter midway through his sophomore season, ending up throwing for 6 touchdowns in a game against the University of New Mexico.
White went on to have a stellar career as a quarterback and punter, compiling a 33-4 record, winning 3 Fiesta Bowls, setting 7 NCAA passing records and being named All-America in 1973, when he lead the nation's second rated total offense. He finished with 6,717 passing yards, 64 touchdowns, 42 interceptions and averaged 41.7 yards per punt.
Besides having his jersey retired, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, the State of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame and the Arizona State University Hall of Fame. In 2000 he was named Arizona Athlete of the Century by the Arizona Republic.

Reviews

[Emily Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every year on Christmas Eve my parents used to give me an annual, but when I outgrew annuals and they were no longer being sold for anyone over a certain age (because they were far too childish), my parents started buying me a book every year instead. This year I got this - an Ariana Grande biography. I didn't even know it existed, but it goes to show how well my parents know me. I love Ariana, and I have since she first appeared on my TV as Cat Valentine in Victorious. ''She's going to be a huge singer one day,'' I would think to myself as I watched the odd time she would belt out incredible vocals mid-episode. And I was right. This book just demonstrates what a journey she has been on, and how much more she has to experience in the future. Ariana's life is fascinating; from a regular girl from Florida who loves plays and music to a world-wide known celebrity with three albums to her name. She has had an incredibly journey and this book just makes me incredibly proud to be a fan of hers. I challenge you to read the chapters about the Manchester attack and not cry or at least get emotional - seriously, it's impossible! I read this book within less than 24 hours because even though I knew almost everything it was saying anyway (I've been a fan for a while) I still enjoyed reading all about her life, hearing about what her childhood was like and reading how far she has come since being the innocent, giggly red-head on my TV screen every day to being the sexy, confident woman whose albums are blasted out on my CD player everyday. This is a must-read for anyone interested in Ariana Grande or anyone who is a fan of hers because this truly highlights her journey so far, and is an effective reminder of how proud Arianators should be of their idol...

[Cat Dick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Book!

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Ariana enough to have read this bathroom lecture. I enjoyed it fine for the most part, and did a cry during the Manchester chapters, but while I can accept fluff content (what else was I expecting) I noticed some factual errors that felt too blatant to give this a higher rating.

[Vikas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice read and since it's an unauthorized biography it does its own thing but paints a nice enough picture of Ariana's life and it was a fun read. I like Ariana and it was nice reading about albums and songs. I am not well nowadays so might add to the review later.

People who don't read generally ask me my reasons for reading. Simply put I just love reading and so to that end I have made it my motto to just Keep on Reading. I love to read everything except for Self Help books but even those once in a while. I read almost all the genres but YA, Fantasy, Biographies are the most. My favorite series is, of course, Harry Potter but then there are many more books that I just adore. I have bookcases filled with books which are waiting to be read so can't stay and spend more time in this review, so remember I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me think about how things will always get better and to stay strong when the book was talking about the one love manchester attacks: “Cherish every moment even if your stressed out or hurt… there’s always tomorrow and it always gets better.”
The writer is teaching us about how things will always get better and to make the best out of something bad because whether you see it or not there is so much to be positive for, or in Ariana’s case where she had the bombing at her concert she made the best out of something by giving up her time to raise funds at the benefit concert and seeing the fans who got injured in the attack and giving spending time with them.
In my opinion, you need to stay strong because it will get better and a lot of people are struggling so I think it is important for people to know this.

[Aisling yesandduck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it, but I had the updated version, so the first old part went in to so much detail, but past 2017, it really didn’t mention that much at all. If left out the success of 7 rings and we can’t be friends (wait for your love), and it left out completely the Sweetener World Tour, which was the height of her career, really. Otherwise, an informative book.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This unauthorized review is a good and profesional one in the way that the majority of biographies written about famous people are mostly about gossip. But not this one. Danny White succeeds in creating a real believable biography that allows you to get to know Ariana a bit more. It includes the most important aspects that surrounded Ariana until that time and it focuses on her music and on the process of doing an album. What I have to highlight the most about the book, is undoubtedly the chapter regarding the Manchester attack and the later One Love Concert. It gives you goosebumps, it is incredibly well described and explained. Also, I like the author’s writing style, there are many parts written beautifully as 'And if there is a moment in Ariana’s life to take from this chapter, it should be the moment she stood on the stage at the One Love concert, healing the wounds of a heartbroken nation..'

The reason for the fifth star left is because it could have included a few pictures more and that I felt that in some parts of the book the author takes too long talking about other people such as Scooter Braun or Justin Bieber when one paragraph could be enough.

But all in all, the book is a fantastic biography that you can read in just one afternoon and get to know Ariana better, which in the end, is the purpose of the book.

[Mariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Im so obsessed the moment i saw this bcoz im a fan of Ariana. I bought it immediately.

I just finished reading it an hour ago, It took me whole night to finish this book. Now i kinda know Ariana, it bought me to another side of her that i didnt knew her. This book impressed me but there's still some part missing that i want to know about her... (her relationships, veganism) It also lack pictures, lots of fans would enjoy this more if there's more pictures of her.

4 stars bcoz I dont like the cover of the book. Im not a fan of hardbound books with dust jacket cover. Its a very very pretty cover but why its only paper? Ariana fans like me would appreciate a very pretty efforted book like this, bcoz a famous person's face doesnt approve on a glossy dust jacket. Fans would love it if it was in good shape

Otherwise its affordable and its a great collector book for Ariana's fans---- but I suggest Arianators should buy the latest biography, this one is released 2017.

[Raelyn Forsey]

I didnt think it was possible, but I love this human being even more, since I read about her phenomanal existence. I love you Ari!!!!!!!!

[Hazel Lam · Rating 1 out of 5]

she is just a snob :(

[Martyna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okropne tłumaczenie. Czasami nie rozumiałam już sama co ja czytam. Sama treść była przedstawiona w ciekawej formie.

[wir..ksiazek · Rating 5 out of 5]

świetna. nie umiem tego pcenic inaczej

[india ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

[Brianna Roberts · Rating 1 out of 5]

I learned a lot that I didn't know about Ariana but it was so boring and I didn't get into the book like I normally do.

[Blanka Bugaj · Rating 4 out of 5]

To pierwsza biografia jaką przeczytałam, a fakt że zrobiłam to w 3 dni wróży pozytywnie na moja opinie! Skupmy się na tym, dlaczego książka ma AŻ 4 gwiazdki a potem dopiero opowiem czemu ma TYLKO 4 gwiazdki. Bardzo podoba mi się to, że mimo iż nie jest to autobiografia to czuje jakby Ariana pisała sama o sobie, a to wszystko dzięki temu, że aktor dokładnie zgłębił temat. Jesteśmy we wszystkich etapach kariery Ariany, od dziecinstwa, po Broadway, granie w serialach na Nickelodeon i jej trzy płyty, kończąc na zamachu w Manchesterze. Dlaczego trzy płyty, skoro artystka na swoim koncie ma ich 6? A no dlatego ze ksiazka powstała w 2017. Niestety to daje nam pierwszy z dwóch minusowych punktów dla ksiazki, czyli to że w Polsce została wydana dopiero w 2021 roku. Wiec jesli jestescie z Polski i chcecie ją przeczytać, liczcie sie z tym że nie poznacie calej kariery Ariany, tylko jej spory kawałek. Jednak to jest tylko i wyłącznie wina polskiego wydawcy i nie ujmuje książce absolutnie niczego, ale jak już oceniać, to wszystko. Jeszcze na chwile przejde do dobrych rzeczy w tej książce, czyli tego, ze kazdy numer z kazdej płyty był dokladnie oceniany, przez co moglismy je troche bliżej poznać, a to zdecydowanie na +! Dobrze, a jaki jest drugi punkt minusowy? To, że musieliśmy czytac o opiniach na temat albumu przez 5 stron, a właściwie to ocen krytykow. Moze komuś sie to podobalo, ale mi nie przypadło do gustu, bo jesli slysze o takich ludziach pierwszy raz w życiu, niby mam napisane TO SŁAWNY KRYTYK ZNANY Z SUROWYCH OPINII, to co mi to da tak czh siak? Nie rozumiem trochę po co TO było, ale dobrze. Tak to cała biografia naprawde mi sie podobala, jesli chcecie poznac blizej Ariane i dowiedziec sie sporo o niej a przy okazji pooglądać piekne, unikalne zdjecia to to pozycja obowiazkowa!

[pennyroyal_tea · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 /5 -ish

Ariana by Danny White is a the biography of American Pop star Ariana Grande.

Well let me just start this review off by saying, I had high hopes for this book and it didn't quite get there. Firstly, I already knew most of the things mentioned in the book so it was more of a revision. I would even say it was boring. It was more or less like an essay that you would write for a book report.

On the plus side, it had some lovely photographs and there were some parts of the book that I want to read over and over. Especially the run-through on the tracks of her albums.

Overall, it didn't meet my expectations but I would recommend this to someone who is a new fan or just wants to know more about Ariana.

[Lace]

I finished it, finally! Danny White sure knows how to write a boring autobiography!! It was all very waffley; he repeated himself soooo many times, like I get it Scooter Braun is her manager—at one point it felt like I was reading “Scooter” by Danny White instead. And I think he wrote “13” a gazillion times. He also went off on random tangents about Justin Bieber for some reason?? White also points out the Piers Morgan probably wouldn’t do a pop concert? Like yeh, no shit, he wouldn’t do a pop concert. It read less like an autobiography and more like a dull Wikipedia page with many inaccuracies. That being said the Manchester chapter felt important and well researched.

[Rebecca Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a very repetitive book. I understand that it is an unauthorised biography, and it goes over the Manchester bombings, but a lot of the information was regurgitated at the end, and it was very repetitive when it came to reviews of her work. I am a big fan of Ariana Grande, and this book has made me appreciate her career up to 2017, but I feel like it would have been better if Ariana Grande herself wrote it (if she has written her own biography I would love to read that as well!)

[A Sad Pigeon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bunch of incorrect information, and it follows a very predictable, boring structure. New album, list of track-list with a bunch of lame, re-used adjectives to describe each song, and some quotes from music websites about the album. However, the book is very good and descriptive in describing Ariana’s early life. If only the author hadn’t gotten lazy after that portion.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5⭐ moja pierwsza biografia, którą przeczytałam, a do tego osoby, którą uwielbiam i znaczy dla mnie naprawdę dużo, czyli Ari☹️💛 książka naprawdę interesująca, ciekawa, zawiera dużo informacji, ciekawostek, faktów...jest to naprawdę dobra książka, jeśli chcielibyście poznać bliżej Arianę i jej życie 💛 więc jak najbardziej polecam dla ciekawych osób!

[Michelle Jolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an arianator, I really enjoyed reading this book and reading about her childhood and the start of her career! It goes to show how hard stardom really is and also how enjoyable it is. This book touches on the Manchester Arena Attack back in 2017, which truly shows that Ariana has a heart of gold!

[Moon Ariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

5,5/5 ⭐️
CUDOWNA KSIĄŻKA! Naprawdę wiele można się dowiedzieć wiele o Arianie, min wiele ciekawych informacji z jej dzieciństwa! Chociaż jestem już długo w fandomie, naprawdę dużo było informacji o których nie wiedziałam. Jedyny minus to może być to że książka kończy się na informacjach na początku 2018 roku, ale nie ma co się dziwić, bo jednak to stara książka. Ale polecam ją każdemu, czy nowemu czy staremu fanowi Ariany!

[Etna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soo good so detailed

[Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting if you are a fan. Learnt a lot about Ariana that I didn’t know

[Ksenia Woran · Rating 3 out of 5]

the whole book consists of quotations. very difficult to read

[Roses.And.The.Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.75 ksiażka ktora byla niesamowice nudna i totalnie nie spodobal mi sie styl pisania autorki

[Nathan Holton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a book about Ariana Grande, I was always going to love it.. it had loads of information I never knew about her.

[Bubble Star Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5. I love Ariana so much!!!
This was a Feb pick!!! I loved the Ariana pictures!!!

[Abbi Westhead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to keep stopping reading for a bit as it wasn’t written in the best way
Still interesting though

[Caitlin Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was quite good but in some parts of the book I felt like it was dragging on abit but in this book you will find out so much about ariana grande.