Being Britney

by Jennifer Otter Bickerdike

Part biography, part social history, Being Britney pieces together a collage of stories, interviews, legends and fan experiences to construct a definitive portrait of one of the biggest stars in recent history.

In her unique narrative, acclaimed music author Jennifer Otter Bickerdike provides a sympathetic yet objective re-examination of Britney's trajectory from girl next door to woman trapped by fame. Being Britney is the compelling account of a talented, troubled and talked-about modern icon, whose life, work and individual significance will be recognised for many decades to come.

'After years of being framed as a victim, Britney deserves to be celebrated as the fighter, inspiration and enigma she truly is.' - Jennifer Otter Bickerdike

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Music, Audiobook

320 pages, Hardcover

Published November 11, 2021

Reviews

[Sheree | Keeping Up With The Penguins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being Britney is nuanced analysis of Britney’s key career milestones, contextualising her career – in the vein of Sarah Smarsh’s She Come By It Natural, which did the same for Dolly Parton. Otter Bickerdike reflects on Britney as “both a creator and a creation”, looking at the collective pressures that formed a diamond. This was a quick and fascinating read.

My full review is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.

[The Reader Ignites · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you fan of Britney Spears? Yes/ No? But you’ve heard of her right? Of course you have and you probably know parts of her story even if you’re not a fan and that’s because Britney has been in the public eye for most of her life. Rightly or wrongly the songstress’ life has been out there for the world to see, not least because of the recent conservatorship and the #freebritney movement, but also because of her catchy pop tunes, many performances and her very public breakdown (who can forget the hair shaving incident or hitting the paparazzi with an umbrella night). However In Bickerdike’s novel, she recounts, not just the very public lows, but also the highs and in much more detail.

I’ve always been a fan of Britney. The seemingly perfect ‘Princess of Pop’ could do no wrong for so many years and was portrayed as a wholesome girl next door..until she wasn’t. This novel goes into all of that. Each chapter represents a piece of Britney’s life - the rise and fall and how it all came about. You’re probably thinking- we’ve heard all this before- yet I found myself learning lots of new bits of information. Background detail that only comes with lots of research and I could see here, that the author did just that. It was so interesting! One chapter led me to a recording of Britney singing Alanas Morissette’s ‘You Oughta Know’ live. It’s terrific and worth the YouTube search if you haven’t seen it before.

If you’re a fan of Britney or not, I thought this was well worth the listen to. A definite homage to the icon, I was not sure whether I’d actually be hearing anything new, yet I was pleasantly surprised and would recommend to fans and nonfans alike.

4⭐️ from me.

[Ally Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook in a day, very interesting! Been a Britney fan for years so love hearing about her life.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Britney broke I was deep in my "not like other girls" phase and hated her just on principal. Yeah. I'm aware how silly that is. To be fair. I was technically still a child.

Britney is only a couple of years older than me. So you could say that we have grown up together. I secretly enjoyed (Drive Me Crazy) Crazy while pretending to dismiss Britney on the surface. Took awhile before I openly enjoyed Britney music and that was still awhile after I had openly come around to pop music. How much of that was influenced by the media's portrayal of this woman or my own bias, I'm not sure I'll ever know, but what I do know was that I, and much of the world, were influenced by how the media did this woman wrong.

Being Britney is less a traditional biography and more a collection of essays on how Britney fits into our society and how she has influenced it, rather in her own hand or by what others did to her. It feels less exploitative than some media coverage of her life as if focus' less on the personal nitty gritty of Britney (and frankly, there is enough of that out there) and more of her position in society. The endless tightrope of girl next door and pop vixen. The impossibility of meeting all expectations placed on a woman in the spotlight, the unattainable perfection, the absolutely poised readiness of everyone to drag her down at the slightest misstep, the constant dismissal of her contributions to her career and pop music. Britney wasn't just done by her family and those around her. She was done wrong by the public and how we chose to consume her as a product as opposed to a real human being.

I wish the best for Britney. I'm a fan but I don't care if she never performs again or never puts out any music. I just want her to have a happy life full of the normalcy she wants.

[Tyler Zamora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I even begin reviewing this book, please note that I am a Britney fanatic. I’ve been a fan since I was 9 years old and I’ve never looked back. I’m always hesitant to pick up books about Spears, as her camp (and herself), are always closed lipped and in need of serious deciphering. I tend to take things with a grain of salt and while I did that with this book too, I also felt like Bickerdike treats her subject with care, admiration, and respect. That was the main reason I decided this book might be worth the read. There aren’t many biographies on Britney, but I do think this is by far the most comprehensive and up to date.

While Bickerdike does frame most of the book around the issues with Britney’s identity in relation to the media and her conservatorship, there are also glimmers of random facts and origin stories sprinkled throughout. It was especially nice to read the sections about Britney’s involvement with the creative process. Many people diminish her creative control (especially with her father’s overbearing opinion), but it’s clear that Britney also voiced her opinions on what she wanted, even when her record label, manager or father overrode her. In this way I think Bickerdike taps into something important. We are Britney in this aspect. We see ourselves in her as the underdog, the person who is constantly told no.

And while we’d fight to the death for the Holy Spearit, I think this strong connection to her actual person is sometimes reliant upon the image of Britney and not actually who she is. With that being said, I love Britney and have followed her throughout her entire career, but it’s undeniable that Britney is an enigma. In ways she always has been. One of my favorite quotes from the book states “it’s impossible to know her…we never knew her. We know her even less now. She is kind of unknowable.” In ways I think this is very true, especially in regards to her personal feelings. I do think we can know her best through her music and performances though. I know that’s how I fell in love with and connected to my queen. In ways this makes her more iconic as we are left to guess about her and connect to her in our own ways.

The only reason I didn’t rate this book with five stars is because I felt Bickerdike could’ve been more in depth. Her research was plenty, but a lot of it revolved around the same resources and she took a lot from the New York Times documentaries “Framing Britney Spears” and “Controlling Britney Spears.” While reading the book, I thought these were all sources that I could have easily grabbed. Where were the interviews with family, friends, business colleagues, etc? There were some quotes here and there, but they were always second hand from another source, never directly from any author interviews. To me, a true biographer offers new content to their biography. I will say that Bickerdike does offer a fresh perspective to the Pop princess’ story, but no new material. Some of the chapters also felt benign and an afterthought. The book also didn’t have a strict structure. It somewhat followed a chronological order, but not always.

Other than that, I thought Bickerdike took a very human approach to telling Britney’s tale. It definitely doesn’t feel like a complete Britney biography, but I think until we get Britney’s own autobiography later this year, titled “The Woman In Me,” this is the best we’re going to get. I do think fans of Britney will still have fun reading this book regardless. I know I did. I also found out a few fun facts I didn’t know. For instance, back in the early 2000’s, Destiny’s Child opened for Britney in Hawaii for one show. Could you imagine getting to see Beyoncé and Britney in the same show!? Dead! Also, I knew Britney had a thing for the royals, but I did not realize she sent actual correspondence to the prince. I won’t spoil the rest, but there’s definitely some fun tidbits and the book is well written. The only downfall is that it might just have you saying “gimme gimme more” when all is said and done.

[Booka · Rating 3 out of 5]

W książce "Być Britney. Blaski i cienie życia ikony pop" czytelnik może przyjrzeć się karierze Britney od początków, czyli już od pierwszych występów w programie "Star Search", następnie występom w telewizyjnym programie "Mickey Mouse Club", (gdzie zaczynały też później znane gwiazdy: między innymi Christina Aguilera, czy Justin Timberlake) po współpracę z Maxem Martinem i wylansowanie pierwszego przeboju "...Baby One More Time", dzięki któremu Spears podbiła serca fanów na całym świecie. Następnie, wraz z autorką śledzimy dalszy przebieg kariery Britney już po sukcesie pierwszej płyty. Obserwujemy jak przyjmują się kolejne hity z drugiej płyty, którą promowała piosenka "Oops... I Did It Again"; przez następne przeboje: "I'm Slave 4U", "Me Against The Music", czy też "Toxic", aż po płyty "Blackout", "Circus", "Femme Fatale" oraz hity takie jak: "Gimmie More", "Piece Of Me", "Circus", "Womanizer", "Hold It Against Me" aż do "Work B**ch" i jej płyty "Britney Jean".

Poza tym przyglądamy się pierwszym skandalom (jak np. "afera piersiowa), relacjom z jej największą rywalką Christiną Aguilerą, fascynacji kabałą, fatalnemu związkowi z Kevinem Federlinem, załamaniu psychicznemu oraz walce z paparazzi, którą Britney znosiła z różnym skutkiem. Autorka kreśląc historię księżniczki popu, poświęca uwagę nie tylko skandalom i kontrowersjom towarzyszącym karierze Britney, ale też ukazuje czytelnikowi Britney-bizneswoman, a to za sprawą jej prężnie rozwijającemu się perfumeryjnemu biznesowi. Omawia też pozytywny wpływ piosenkarki na środowisko LGBTQ+ oraz organizację #FreeBritney, która miała duży wpływ na poruszenie sprawy zniesienia kurateli nad Britney, którą to kuratelę sprawował jej ojciec Jamie Spears przez trzynaście lat.

Książka napisana jest lekkim stylem, dzięki czemu czyta się ją szybko. Dodatkowo mamy wklejkę złożoną z paru barwnych fotografii Britney z początków kariery. Jennifer Otter Bickerdike przez większość książki prowadzi narrację w sposób wyważony, obiektywnie, bez oceniania, dając czytelnikowi szansę na wyrobienie własnego zdania, co jest dużym plusem.

Britney Spears w tej książce jawi nam się najpierw jako nastolatka spełniająca swoje marzenia o wielkiej karierze, potem kobieta sukcesu mająca na swoim koncie wiele muzycznych przebojów i prestiżowych nagród i perfumeryjny biznes. Następnie widzimy nie tylko wielką gwiazdę, ale też normalną, zwyczajną kobietę pragnącą miłości i odrobiny spokoju, w końcu matkę zmagającą się z typowymi problemami, z jakimi boryka się niejedna początkująca matka. W dodatku samotną matkę...

Biografia ta zasługuje według mnie na ocenę dobrą. Dobrze mi się ją czytało, choć trochę dziwnie to brzmi w stosunku do kilku ostatnich rozdziałów, gdyż one dotyczyły opisów kurateli. Nie, tych rozdziałów nie czyta się dobrze, a to z wiadomych względów. Bardzo źle się czyta o tym, jak zniewolono człowieka wbrew jego woli. Tym bardziej źle się to czyta, kiedy widzimy, że do tego zniewolenia doprowadziła osoba najbliższa z rodziny. I nikt z rodziny Britney przez trzynaście lat nic z tym nie robił. To jest smutne. Ta książka pod tym względem jest smutna. Bo smutnym jest fakt, że to ludzie - zwykli fani - musieli wstawić się za swoją idolką. Bo głównej mierze to wola walki, ogromna siła i determinacja tych trojga założycieli organizacji #FreeBritney doprowadziła do rozpoczęcia jakichkolwiek rozmów w sprawie [najpierw] zmiany warunków kurateli. Do tej pory nikt z najbliższych: ani matka, ani siostra ani [tym bardziej] ojciec Britney - nie zrobili nic w tej sprawie. I boli, kiedy uświadomimy sobie, że zapewne jeszcze długo niewiele w tej sprawie mogłoby się posunąć do przodu, gdyby właśnie nie kontra zbulwersowanych fanów.

"Nie ma nic gorszego, niż sytuacja, w której najbliżsi, którzy nigdy cię nie wspierali, nagle piszą o twojej sytuacji, jakakolwiek by ona była, i dumnie deklarują wsparcie [...]. Jak śmiecie TERAZ obnosić się z tym, jak to się TROSZCZYCIE... Czy ktoś wyciągnął do mnie rękę, gdy tonęłam??? Raz jeszcze... NIE." (Britney Spears)

To jedna z nielicznych biografii o Britney Spears, jakie są wydane w Polsce. Dobrze napisana. Warto przeczytać, nie tylko przez wielkich fanów, myślę że każdy, kto chciałby choć odrobinę poznać historię Spears, niekoniecznie taką, jaką znamy z plotkarskich gazet, czy portali. Dla mnie lektura tej książki była też przyjemnym powrotem do moich dziecięco-młodzieńczych lat, kiedy to fascynacja Britney i wielki boom na jej piosenki była największa. Fajnie było odbyć tę podróż do przeszłości, znów poczuć klimat tamtych czasów. Oops... I Did It Again...

Opinia opublikowana na moim blogu:
https://literackiepodrozebooki.blogsp...

[Esthi · Rating 1 out of 5]

An utter joke of a book. This was clearly written up hurriedly to publish it during the height of the “Free Britney” media frenzy and as a result lacks depth, coherence or a thorough understanding of Britney or her situation.
The many chapters are short and apparently randomly thrown together to form a “book” when quite obviously not even these chapters would have been published as articles in any reputable magazine. To fill space, there are chapters about her different advertising contracts or her perfumes, how many records she sold etc. Also, there are some glaring factual errors and indicators that the author isn’t very familiar with Britney: when describing the got milk campaign that featured an image of Britney as a child, the author fails to recognise her. Of the chapters that deal with Britney as a person, they are often filled with meaningless anecdotes and background information about characters Britney has crossed in her career or that the author draws farfetched and unconvincing parallels or comparisons with - who cares about her opponent in Star Search when she was 11 years old?
Other episodes of Britney’s career are used as a starting point for pseudo-philosophical musings about society such as going from discussing Britney’s role in the Mickey Mouse Club to some entirely unrelated philosophising about the role of women in society. And when the author seems to remember that this is supposed to be a book about “Being Britney”, she quickly veers back to Britney, drawing some unconvincing parallel that is entirely ludicrous.
The most ridiculous instance of this is when the author discusses Britney’s professed virginity and explains that the aids epidemic just having passed in the early 90s to explain why people accorded so much importance to Britney’s virginity, going into big detail about the aids epidemic itself and then at the end very clumsily tries to tie it back to Britney saying that the discussion around her virginity didn’t prevent her from donating to the aids cause.
Another chapter, about Max Martin and his influence on Britney’s career, is basically a copy of a Rolling Stones article about the history of …Baby One More Time, using quotes by people involved.
There is an entire chapter devoted to discussing Britney’s alleged breast implants - putting into question if the public discussion at the time was appropriate (as was also done by some of the documentaries published before the release of this book…) but then also discussing it, giving room and time to speculations by others (such as Britney’s ex-boyfriend who also sold her love letters…) and discussing at length how her Crazy video was basically a display of her “new” breasts.

[Aki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ich weiß gar nicht genau, was ich von diesem Buch erwartet habe und ebenso wenig weiß ich, wie ich dieses Buch bewerten soll.
Es beschreibt das Leben einer jungen Frau, die schon früh im Rampenlicht stand.
Zwischen ersten Auftritten im Mickey Mouse Club, ersten Freundschaften und Absagen aus der Show - und Fernsehwelt wächst Britbey zu der jungen Frau heran, wie wir sie kennen.
Ihre ersten Hits hängen noch immer zwischen den Gehörgängen, auch wenn die heutigen Jugendlichen vielleicht kaum noch zu diesen Musik etwas sagen können.
Zumindest mein im Haus wohnender Jugendlicher kann es nicht. :D
Wir alle - die in etwa mein Alter haben, haben ihren Höhenflug verfolgt. Ihre Erfolge mit Hits wie "Baby, One more Time", "Oops, I did it again", oder "Lucky" sind heute noch auf fast jeden 99er Party zu finden. Der legendäre Kuss mit Madonna, der wochenlangen Gesprächsthema war oder ihre - gescheiterte - Ehe mit Kevin Federline.
Und dann der folgenschwere Absturz. Ich habe diese Bilder noch im Kopf, wie Britney mit kurzgeschorenen Haaren abgelichtet wurde. Ein Zusammenbruch, der eine lange Leidensgeschichte offenbart und einen noch größeren Leidensweg in die Zukunft mit sich bringt.
Obwohl es ihr niemand zutraut, kämpft sie sich zurück, wodurch auch die von Fans und Leben gerufene Aktion #freebritney eine große Rolle spielt.
Ich muss gestehen, dass dieses Buch nichts beeinhaltet, was ich nicht schon durch die Medien wusste. Ich habe nachlesen können, welche Rolle ihre Eltern spielen, wie sehr sie der ganze Prozess der Vormundschaft durch ihren Vater geprägt haben und auch, was es für Britney bedeutet, endlich frei zu sein und selbst entscheiden zu können, was sie tun oder lassen will.
Nicht immer kann ich mich persönlich mit ihren Entscheidungen identifizieren, trotz dass dieses Buch ein wenig von dem offenbart hat, was Britney durchleiden musste.

Das Buch ist ein Muss für Fans von Britney, die sich auf eine Reise in die Vergangenheit begeben möchte. Wer jedoch darauf hofft, etwas neues zu erfahren, was nicht schon längst durch die Medien bekannt ist, der wird am Ende vielleicht ein bisschen enttäuscht sein

[Isa ◡̈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessante biografische Ausschnitte und gut recherchierte Fakten über die Pop-Prinzessin und Sängerin Britney Spears

Rezension |
In ‚Being Britney: Die Britney Spears Biografie‘ schreibt die Autorin Jennifer Otto Bickerdike über das Leben, den Aufstieg, die Entwicklung bis zur derzeitigen Situation (Stand Nov. 2021) über die sog. Pop-Prinzessin Britney Spears. Das Buch enthält 41 Kapitel, Einleitung, Fazit und ein ausgiebiges Quellenverzeichnis auf 304 Seiten. Das englische Original erschien unter dem Titel ‚Being Britney: Pieces of a Modern Icon‘, was aus meiner Sicht den Inhalt besser als Titel zusammenfasst. In den verschiedenen Kapiteln werden von der Britney’s Kindheit und ihrer Entdeckung über Ihre Jugend und Disneys Mickey Mouse Club, die Beziehung zu Justin Timberlake, der öffentlicher Kuss mit Madonna, die (vermeintliche) Rivalität mit Christina Aguilera, über die verschiedenen Skandale und die Vormundschaft unter ihrem Vater auch Themen wie ihre Songs, Ihr Job bei The X-Factor, Bekanntheit und Umsatz mit Britney aufgegriffen. Im Mittelteil werden einige Fotos des Stars mit jeweils kurzen Erläuterungen präsentiert.

Meine Meinung | Eine sehr gut recherchierte Biografie über Britney Spears, die mir teilweise zu abschweifend und umfangreich war. Zum Teil werden Passagen über Sponsoren, andere Stars oder Themen sehr weit geführt. Ich hätte mir mehr Kerninformationen gewünscht und auch mehr biografische Details, wie Ihr persönliches Leben mit ihren Kindern und ihre tatsächliche Situation. Ich schätze, dass diese Informationen einfach nicht verfügbar sind und letztlich dreht sich auch die Biografie genau um diesen Kernaspekt Britney: Wie viel ist inszeniert, wie viel ist echt, wer ist Britney Spears, die wir als unschuldiges Teenie-Mädchen kennen (und lieben) gelernt haben und die sich seit Jahrzehnten in der Pop- und Medienlandschaft bewegt?

Insgesamt eine sehr informative Biografie mit einigen Längen, aber vielen Details zur beeindruckenden Karriere (Ruhm, künstlerische Erfolge, Profit und Langlebigkeit) des Stars, die geprägt ist, durch die Medien und deren unablässige Aufmerksamkeit auf einen Menschen, der dies seit mehr als 30 Jahren lebt.

[N9erz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eine gute Auflistung und Abhandlung für alle möglichen Events und Gegebenheiten die in Britney Spears Leben bis heute schon so vorgekommen sind.
Irgendwie auch wirklich interessant aber der richtige Flow fehlt. Es ist kein wirkliches Pro-Britney Buch, aber auch keine reine Faktensammlung die sich nur auf belegbaren Sachverhalten aufbaut. Irgendwo dazwischen werden teilweise Vermutungen angestellt um die Pop-Ikone dann wieder in den Himmel zu heben und auf ein Podest zu stellen. Irgendwie teilweise genau das, was jahrelang die Medien mit ihr gemacht haben. Doch wird dies hier einerseits selbst angekreidet ansdererseits irgendwie doch auch selbst getan. Scheinbar ist es gar nicht so leicht in diese Klischees und Schubladen zu Fallen bei einer Person die so in der Öffentlichkeit steht.

Zudem fehlt mir beim Lesen leider ein bisschen zu sehr der Flow. Die Kapitel sind sehr kurz, leider nicht wirklich chronologisch (ja sie beginnen mit ihrer Kindheit über die Jugend bis hin zu heute aber leider wird extrem oft vorgegriffen um dann wieder in die Vergangenheit auszuholen, wodurch sich viele Themen immer wieder abspulen), etwas zusammengeschustert und nicht wirklich flüssig und angenehm zu lesen. Zwischen Vermutungen und Zitaten werden Gegebenheiten eingestreut und so eigentlich nur bereits bekannte Daten und Berichte aus den gängigen Medien wieder mal aufgearbeitet. Wer sich wirkliche Hintergrundinformationen, Belege oder gar neue Erkenntnisse zu Britney erhofft, der bleibt leider auf der Strecke.

Eine angenehme und durchaus interessante Revue des Lebens von Britney Spears, der es aber leider an guter Lesbarkeit mangelt und die im Angesicht der Wiederaufrollung so vieler Thematiken sich immer wieder in sich selbst verstrickt, anstatt eine authentische Story rüber zu bringen, die sich wie ein komplettes Ganzes anfühlen würde.

[Nora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ich hatte mich auf eine Art Biografie über Britney Spears gefreut, die vor allem auch familiäre Hintergründe beleuchtet und in Zusammenarbeit mit Britney entstanden ist. Leider ist „Being Britney“ auch nur die Darstellung der Lebensereignisse der Pop-Ikone aus Sicht einer Journalistin. Mehr oder weniger chronologisch werden Erfolgsmomente und Tiefpunkte Britneys Karriere in kurzen Kapiteln unzusammenhängend aufgeführt, analysiert und verglichen. Dabei wird vor allem in den Archiven der Medien nach Zitaten gekramt. Aktuelle Stimmen sind kaum zu lesen oder werden als solche nicht klar deklariert. Insgesamt wirkt das Buch auf mich sehr oberflächlich und vor allem der Kampf von Vormundschaft vs. Free Britney kamen mir zu kurz.

Jennifer Otter Bickerdike beschreibt zwar an vielen Stellen, wie Britney Spears auch zum Opfer der Medien wurde und immer wieder durch diese kritisiert und mit Idealen verglichen wurde. Dennoch macht die Autorin hier im Prinzip nichts anderes. Auch sie vergleicht den Popstar mit anderen Personen der Öffentlichkeit und legt Maßstäbe an.

In den meisten Fällen kommt Britney dabei aber gut weg. Die Autorin zeichnet das Bild einer ehrgeizigen und talentierten Künstlerin, die für ihren Erfolg hart gearbeitet hat und zum Opfer der Medien wurde. Doch die Opferrolle wird Britney keinesfalls gerecht, denn nach jedem Tiefpunkt schaffte es die Sängerin, wie ein Phoenix aus der Asche aufzusteigen. Zuletzt durch ihren Sieg im Gerichtsprozess um ihre Vormundschaft.

Trotz all meiner Kritik empfand ich „Being Britney“ als nette Ergänzung zur „Framing Britney Spears“ Dokumentation. Aber mehr auch nicht. Wer kein Hardcore-Britney-Fan ist, wird sicher auch mit den Podcast- und Doku-Angeboten zufrieden sein.

Ich hoffe ja immer noch, dass Britney bald selbst in die Tasten haut und ein persönliches Buch veröffentlicht.

[Fivequotebookchallenge · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Leave Britney alone!" came the cry of a distraught young person who went viral in 2007 for the wrong reasons. Behind the cry lay something much more concerning; the wellbeing of a young starlet who was exploited by all elements of society. This is one of the main themes which has run through the life of Britney Spears; too much giving and too much taking by others.The exploitation led to her fall and was more a result of societies failures than her own.

The book covers important themes such as mysogism, mental health, sexualisation, conservatorship, tabloidism and commercialisation. Public figures sell a peice of themselves, and sometimes at the end, there is nothing left of them. Britney's case was unique in that she sadly had, until recently, little autonomy over her own life. But she is a survivor.

Autobiographies and biographies and hard work. Peoples lives rarely follow a definitive narrative, but most people would be generally familiar with Britney Spear's story. Britney's life is one which follows a clear narrative but this book in part reads like a collection of antedotes about the performer and fails to pull the reader in. You get a view on her life but was a little wide of the mark for me.

Recommended for fans of Britney and those aspiring to fandom.

Rating:  2.8 / 5

#fivequotebookchallenge

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bickerdine’s book offers an important feminist perspective- being one of the few Britney biographies out there written by a woman.

Reading this at times feels like a horrendous trip down the woman-hating media landscape of the early 2000s. This book is chock full of anecdotes, quotes, and interviews that highlight the cruel ways in which Britney was targeted.

Since 2020, the world has been rallying around the ‘#FREEBRITNEY’ movement: but it was only a decade prior that Britney was constantly ridiculed and mocked. For more than two decades, it seems as if Britney created headline news just by breathing.

And now, less than a decade on, (and mainly since the world has learnt of her conservatorship), it appears that the world loves her once again- just as they did when ‘Baby….One More Time’ first hit MTV screens.

Regardless, this book isn’t just about Britney. It sheds light on the terrifying misogyny of the early 2000s culture that many of us, as children, were raised in.

I have to say that this is a very important book, as far as unauthorised celebrity biographies go. This book is different. It is able to shed light on Britney’s creativity as an artist, her incredible stage performance, her determination and strength.

My favourite quote from the book:

‘Yet, when Britney has offered us a glimpse of her unedited self, she has been rejected or abused. Though she is applauded by her fans for being ‘authentic’, the ‘real’ parts of Britney are often too real for the wider public. They don’t want their star to look, act or sound like the person she is underneath the mediated polish because the likeness is too unsettling: she is a girl many of us know or embody ourselves’-p. 273-274

[Ciara K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this, I’ve always been a Britney fan right from I was a little girl. I remember even having one of the infamous Britney Barbie’s mentioned in this book when I was small as well. This tale of her career and life is sad. I know that Britney has recently come out and said about there being so many books and documentaries about her life that haven’t come from her directly but I honestly feel as if this one has done her justice. From the get go the author showed signs of how the press hounded Britney, the misogyny towards her, how bad the paparazzi were and hints at how they may have led to some of her mental health issues. This book certainly didn’t sugar coat any of the issues Britney faced and didn’t blame her in the slightest, which I appreciated. Many people are quick to tarnish Britney as her mental illnesses, even now that she is out of her conservatorship she faces criticism and conspiracy theories on the daily. But she has handled it well, this book shows so and shows the resilience that a strong woman can have. An enjoyable listen for sure, Team Britney 💜

[ksiazkolub.pospolity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Książka o Księżniczce Popu, będąca swego rodzaju laurką napisaną przez fankę. Mocno bezkrytyczna. Nie jest to też typowa biografia. Może bardziej próba przybliżenia fenomenu Britney, jej historii, w której sukces miesza się z tragedią? Wydaje mi się, że autorka bardziej skupiła się na karierze i życiu Britney pod kątem tego, jak była odbierana i traktowana przez społeczeństwo (zwrócenie uwagi na takie tematy jak mizoginia czy podwójne standardy). Dobry przykład tego jak show-biznes najpierw tworzy wielką gwiazdę, po to by później ją zniszczyć.
Myślę, że jest to całkiem udane podsumowanie życia Britney, nie tylko jako artystki. Poznajemy ją chronologicznie - od czasów Klubu Myszki Miki, przez wszystkie związki i skandale, kuratelę, aż po ruch #FreeBritney. Jeśli ktoś jest fanem, z pewnością już to wszystko wie, więc to bardziej pozycja dla kogoś, kto jest nowy w temacie.

[Klaudyna Maciąg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laurka wystawiona Britney Spears przez, jak mniemam, jej oddaną fankę. Napisana trochę na kolanie, jakby autorka koniecznie chciała zdążyć z wydaniem w czasie, gdy głośno było o uwolnieniu Brit spod kurateli ojca. Wewnątrz natkniemy się na zręczne przeskoki z wątku na wątek, ukazujące obraz krystalicznie czystej gwiazdeczki z paroma drobnymi wybrykami (maluśkimi wybryciątkami?) na koncie.

I ja to rozumiem – tezą było wyjaśnienie fenomenu księżniczki popu, z pokazaniem blasków i cieni jej życia. Czyta się to dobrze, bo kunsztu literackiego raczej tu nie uświadczymy – i fani z pewnością znajdą przyjemność w tej lekturze. Choć całkiem szczerze trzeba przyznać, że tylko jeden wątek – rozmów z bliskimi jednego z nieżyjących fanów Spears – może być tutaj "w miarę" zaskakujący. Reszta to fakty powszechnie znane, zebrane w chaotyczną całość. Coś, co chyba każdy z nas mógłby napisać.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm usually not a big fan of biographies, but this one is outstanding. The treatment of Britney throughout her life and career is disgusting to say the least, and it is so nice to see her finally coming out on the other side of it all. The way that she has been treated by people who should have cared for her is awful, and the way that the press treated her is truly vile.

I grew up listening to Britney Spears and I've always been a fan of her music. It was interesting to find out more about Britney's life, and I think this book did an excellent job at providing information which all the Britney documentaries failed to showcase.

Overall, a great read, and it is very well written. Also very educational. If you want to find out more about Britney Spears, this is the book to read.

[Mayad Tarabey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of Britney ever since I was little. I used to imitate her dances and perform her songs in my room and using my dolls. She’s always been a huge part of my life.
And just when I thought I knew everything about her, I was proven wrong.
I’ve voiced my opinion about how shitty the media treated Britney several times and I’ll say it again: the world owes Britney an apology.
From shaming her her relationships to her personal decisions, the media couldn’t give this poor woman a break. And this book, in my opinion, captures all of this in the best way possible.
Until Britney decides to write her own book or make her own documentary, this book is by far the best one to capture the major events and stories of Britney.
I love you Britney. 💕

[Sylwia (Allthesmallbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Z jednej strony - spoko, sporo ciekawych faktów i poruszonych tematów. Ja dowiedziałam się sporo rzeczy, ale byc może fani nie znajdą tam nic odkrywczego. Dosyć dobrze słuchało się tego w audiobooku :)
Z drugiej jednak - jak dla mnie nieco zbyt słodko pierdząca. Autorka nie kryje się z tym, że jest fanką Spears, co jest w porządku, ale momentami książce blisko do czegoś na kształt laurki 😅.
Britney zasługuje na dobrze opowiedzianą historię, jednak na pewno ta pozycja nie jest w pełni satysfakcjonująca.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is better than your average celebrity biography. The author has done a great job in telling the story of Britney in dept but also charting the changes in social attitudes towards women from the 1990s to now. The way Britney was treated was shocking but thankfully it looks like she has emerged well from her experiences. This book makes a good accompaniment to the Framing Britney Spears documentary

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Britney Spears is a pop star and a cultural force. She has dominated the headlines since the 2000s, which portray all of Britney’s sides, pop star, mother, Southerner, imperfect, and of course documenting all of the hard times in her life. This book is a look at the Britney phenomenon and is hopeful that Britney can live her life on her own terms now that she is an adult with power, and our of the conservatorship.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who knows me knows I am an HUGE Britney fan (since I was 7 years old to be exact!). This biography/analysis of social history is a re-examination of Britney's trajectory from girl next door to woman trapped by fame. As a society we all played a part in her various rises and falls, if Britney was a male would she have been treated like this? I enjoyed the nuanced analysis of society and how it was linked to her life. The pics were a lovely bonus as well!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
I'm fairly indifferent about Britney Spears, I think she's done some great pop songs, but the reason I read this book is to understand why she provokes such strong feelings in society. This book certainly answers that question. Although it's the media that hounded her and made her life a misery, they did it on the behalf of a society who loves to bring people down.

[Claire Jameson]

If you’re a fan of Britney DO NOT read this book. This is only my opinion. I stopped ready after chapter 10 so I didn’t finish it. To me it’s just one long spiel of snide little digs of Britney’s life and career. I really don’t get what all the 4 star and few 5 star reviews loved about this book. Not worth the £10 I paid for it. It’s now a charity shop item.

[Zaneta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Being Britney informative and quite objective. It really just stated the facts that we know about her life and the coservatorship without being too emotional about it, which I appreciate. Non Britney fans can't disprove anything in it based on their own dislike of the star, which makes for a good biography.

[Sarah Cole]

This is one for any Britney fan - big or small!

If you like Britney, even just a little bit or are fascinated by any part of her life...then this book is definitely for you!

This book follows Britney from her very beginning in the music industry to right now respectfully and without judgement.

We begin with her early auditions and Mickey Mouse Club scene through to her 'double denim' with Justin Timberlake, public breakdowns and finally her conservatorship and where she stands right now.

This book doesn't dwell on her rough times or point blame rather it's an insider's view into her journey as a successful business woman and celebrity. It highlights her successful purfume business, stats on her song sales, friends, love life, her children and partners.

There's quotes from so many sources and detailed notes giving this book a really personal feel and although sad in some parts, the positives of her life and her strength and those who do support her shine through.

Highly recommended could not put it down!

Thank -you Allen and Unwin for sending me a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

[Debra Brand · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at Britney’s life. It’s not just about Britney, but also what was going on in the world at that time. It is not salacious and sticks to mainly known facts but can we really know what goes on in someone’s life? Interesting comparison between the conservatorship she was under and the current state of women’s rights and human rights in general.

[Tina Towers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'v been reading this since January 2022 .
All I can say is I now want to read housemaid.. to have everything of your being taken away from you to not be able to be in control of your life . Not to be able to say no and everyone saying yes . 13 years she was controlled not even being able to be her true authentic self .. definitely an eye opener..

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was so disappointing, it was all over the place. There was no flow to it and each chapter jumped around the Britney timeline. Towards the end some of the chapters didn’t even have much to do with Britney and were going off on a complete different subject, like a whole chapter about Handmaids Tale was unnecessary.

[Tracey Cullen · Rating 2 out of 5]

more for people unfamiliar with britneys life

If you have followed britneys career over the last 20+ years you will know pretty much everything in this book. Interesting insight for someone who might not be familiar with britneys career and life