Soul Survivors: The Official Autobiography of Destiny's Child

by Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams

It must be a part of human nature to love drama. We never would have sold as many records -- and we never would have been this popular -- if our member changes did not happen. Up until that point, we were squeaky-clean nice girls who couldn't get on the cover of any magazines. --Beyoncé Knowles

They're beautiful, they're talented, they're bootylicious . . .

From first kisses and broken hearts to pillow fights and legal battles to losing friends and finding strength in God, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams share it all. Their example of survival has made Destiny's Child one of the most beloved, bestselling female groups ever.

Here for the first time, the three share the struggles that have made them stronger, from Beyoncé's battles with weight loss and shyness, Kelly's coming to terms with growing up without a dad, and Michelle's triumph over grade-school bullies. They've grown up under the media microscope, and have had to deal with lineup changes and media rumors. Now they set the record straight.

The demands and drama, the schedules and scrutiny -- from the tour bus to the dressing rooms to backstage at awards shows, Beyoncé, Kelly, and Michelle talk about what it takes to be successful. Whether it's changing outfits in the rain, changing their hair color, or changing a name, they've done it.

Don't be mistaken, they're not a prefab group of young girls -- they're smart, independent women with a lot of soul. When these ladies had only minutes of studio time to work with Wyclef Jean to remix one of their songs, they didn't stress, they just started singing faster -- and the result was a unique sound that put them on the map. Everyone has caught on to the Destiny's Child groove -- Whitney Houston, Bono, and Michael Jackson have all given them props, and the King of Pop himself serenaded them with a rendition of “Bootylicious.”

Beyoncé, Kelly, and Michelle take you behind the scenes of a video rehearsal at which Aaliyah rewound their practice music, to the set of Austin Powers 3, where a starstruck Beyoncé felt anything but foxy before auditioning for the part of Foxxy Cleopatra, and backstage at the Grammys, where a last-minute costume change fiasco nearly kept Michelle from going onstage.

With total honesty, these soul survivors not only dish the details of their past, but share their hopes, plans, and dreams for the future.

Genres: Biography

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2002

About the author

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles, commonly known as Beyoncé, is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, actress and product endorser. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled to various performing arts school within the city. She was exposed early on to singing and dancing competitions as a child.

Knowles started her musical endeavor alongside her childhood best friends, and rose to fame in late 1990 as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child. Although they went through public turmoil, including lawsuits and lineup chagnes, Destiny's Child had successfully dominated the music industry, recognized as the world's best-selling female group of all time. After a series of commercial successes with the group, Knowles released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, in June 2003, becoming one of the successful albums of the year. It also spawned the number-one singles "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy" and earned Knowles five Grammy Awards in a single night in 2004; it established her among successful female artists in the United States. The disbandment of Destiny's Child continued her pursuit as solo, releasing her second album, B'Day, and spawned the UK number-one singles "Déjà Vu" and "Beautiful Liar", as well as the worldwide hit "Irreplaceable".

The success of her albums established her as one of the marketable artists in the industry. Knowles branched out to the film industry, starring in such Hollywood films as the 2006 comedy The Pink Panther and the 2006 musical film Dreamgirls, which earned her two Golden Globe Award nominations—one for acting and other for Dreamgirls' soundtrack "Listen". She had launched her family's own company and products, including House of Deréon; she had signed on to lucrative commercial deals, including one with Pepsi. These business ventures she have undertaken benefited her charity works.

Aside from co-producing songs, Knowles is recognized as one of the most successful female song-writers. Her involvement on her career, however, is often a subject of public scrutiny. She has been with long-time boyfriend Jay-Z since 2002, though they have been discreet to the media about their relationship.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't a real review because Soul Survivors isn't a real autobiography. This book is just for the Destiny's Child superfans. I bought this book the day it came out in 2002. Even back then I wasn't reading it to learn anything new about Beyonce, Kelly and Michelle because this book is just a scrapbook of interviews and photos.

Things that I found interesting rereading this 18 years later:

- Lots of talk about Christianity
- Lots of talk about being role models
- Kelly states that she will never make inappropriate music....(Kelly Rowland's best songs are about sex.)
- No mention of Beyonce's then boyfriend... Jay-z
- Also Beyonce says she only listens to clean rap music....Really Bey???
- Beyonce mentions that she doesn't wake up like this and she says she's not flawless...BLASPHEMY!

I think you all know I'm a Destiny's Child and Beyonce superfan. I own every Destiny's Child album, dvd and most of the magazines they were in. I also own all Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowlands albums(even if I've never listened to some of them). Destiny's Child and Beyonce are the only fanbase I've ever been apart of. I tend to be a fickle fan so you know my love of Beyonce, Kelly and Michelle is real and strong.

Overall the book was fun and nostalgic. This book is only for Destiny's Child superfans and only to be read for nostalgic reasons.

No rec because I feel like you know if this book is for you or not.

I LOVED IT!

[iänỳ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah...the pictures were nice. Nothing special that we have not seen on the E network. I read it by chance.

[Sanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, so I probably could never recommend this book to anyone, but since I'm a HUGE Destiny's Child fan, of course I loved it.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am blown away!

First, I have to say that I’ve been looking for this book for years! Couldn’t find it anywhere. Then I walked into a vintage bookstore in my city that I frequented as a child and it seemed as if the book was there just for me. I bought it brand new! Now after having read it, it definitely looks used lol.

This book came out in April 1, 2002. I read and finished it shortly before its 23rd birthday! But reading it and now knowing what all these young women have accomplished is truly, truly a testimony and so inspiring.

I was under the age of ten in DC’s popularity, so everything they talked about is “new” to me (“new” because I’ve researched things like Latavia & LeToya leaving, etc. but to see DC3’s opinion on it and other things like the rumors and what have you was refreshing).

Being that all of DC3 (I believe the most vocal is Michelle) don’t really talk about themselves much anymore, this book really shed some light on so much and why they are the way they are now.

I learned so much about Kelly & Michelle that I did not know before. Being Beyhive, I knew some things about Bey (whether it be her documentaries, the books I’ve read from her, or the interviews I’ve watched), but to “hear” it from her was so eye opening!
I knew she’s always been introverted and didn’t like talking about herself, but I see more as to why she keeps to herself.

This goes for all the women, but it’s really “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” for Bey and to read what she had to say about the rumors and whatnot really made me proud of her. Even if she no longer does that.

In her most recent doc, “Renaissance,” she says turning 40 made her enter her “idgaf era.” And as I read this autobiography, I definitely saw where she did gaf and I’m so glad that after all these years, she doesn’t care anymore.

It was beautiful to read everything that the girls achieved since the writing of this book.

I find myself inspired even more by them.

Ohhhhhhhh!!!!!!
I think it’s important to note that I love how DC3 keeps Jesus Christ first. I love that so much.
People call Bey a witch all the time. They say everyone in the music industry are a bunch of devil worshippers. But these women are true testimonies to what God can do. As someone who also keeps Jesus close to my heart, that’s why I love DC3 so much, because how often do you see devout Christian’s in the industry?
Sure, people say that the girls have changed in that regard, but nah.
Especially Bey, of course. The witch allegations began around Lemonade. I believe we all have a dark era. People say Jay changed her, butttt, nah, I think she changed Jay. It’s not up for debate. That woman loves Jesus and she keeps God first. Not gonna get into her and Jay’s marriage because that’s not what this book was about, but based on this book (and the countless documentaries, interviews, books, etc.) I know that Bey is still a devout Christian. That’s what I love so much about her.

I recommend this book to all DC fans, Beyhive, Rowland Stones, and Michelle fans. Or even if you just want an autobiography to read, this book is for you.

There’s so much that I want to say, but I’ll just keep it cute. This review is long anyway. Just know that I’m blown away and whenever I need to feel inspired, I’ll pull this book out of my library again.

[Michelle Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

sent away as gift

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Alright, I’ll admit it upfront: this is a deeply biased review because I am obsessed with Beyoncé. Somehow, despite this, I only recently stumbled across the existence of this book. I hunted down a used copy and devoured it in two days.

Published in 2002 at the height of Destiny's Child’s fame, Soul Survivors: The Official Autobiography of Destiny's Child is a snapshot of three young women—Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams—telling their side of the story. Beyoncé, Kelly, and Michelle each share their individual backgrounds, the group’s formation, and the long, often painful road to success. It’s full of personal anecdotes, tales of hard work, and reflections on the very public drama that surrounded the group’s lineup changes. Considering the time it was released (before social media, before YouTube, before celebrity documentaries were mainstream) it actually makes a lot of sense that they wanted to tell their own story through a book. It was one of the only ways they could directly reach fans and try to control the narrative.

As a fan, I loved it. I loved the access, the transparency, and the sense of raw honesty they offered at such a young age. For anyone who thinks they had an easy path to fame, think again. More like 6 years of grueling rehearsals, performances, and pitching themselves to music executives before someone finally gave them a chance. This level of detail is especially striking when you contrast it with Beyoncé today, now known for her fierce privacy. Reading this book felt like a rare time capsule into a young and vulnerable version of her.

But I won’t pretend it was perfect. In fact, there were two major flaws that made it a painful (or hysterically cringy) read at times.

First, the writing style...yikes. It’s soooo dated, full of early 2000s slang and stream-of-consciousness rambling. It reads like something written by... well, 21-year-olds. Whether that’s a product of the era, their age, or just weak ghostwriting, I often found myself chuckling at how cheesy it sounded.

Second, the relentless need to appear squeaky clean. The book is saturated with references to God, blessings, and church. It starts to feel less like autobiography and more like image management. There’s a clear effort to present themselves as morally upright, devout Christians who rise above all drama. It gets exhausting, especially when it seems to be used to justify every decision or paint themselves as the unproblematic heroes of every situation. At one point they went on a whole tangent about only listening to "clean" versions of songs. Clearly their standards have changed since then. I have a strong feeling that while many of their core spiritual beliefs remain, how they define it is very different as they've grown and matured.

Even though I was rolling my eyes at their tone, it's hard not to read those efforts with empathy. These were very young, ambitious, curvy Black women in an era where the popstar image was white and stick thin. Beyonce kept sneaking in comments about how many diets she was on after the label kept telling her to lose weight. Tabloid stories and rumors would make the group out to be “ghetto” or difficult to work with, lacking any real evidence to support that - they all had pretty humble and shy personalities early on, and grew up with middle class professionals as parents (they went to private school!). But they were Black, and so the stories had to fit the narrative of what people expected. It's the almost opposite of what white female popstars often had to go through... you know the typical story: a teen popstar faces backlash when she enters into adulthood and starts acting like an adult (Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, etc.) For Destiny's Child, they were always assumed to be more mature, sexy, and confident (along with the negative stereotypes that come with those things), when in reality they were just mild, young girls trying to pursue a dream and learning lessons along the way. The constant defensiveness in the book likely comes from being endlessly criticized by an unforgiving industry. It’s sad, but telling.

In the end, the book isn’t a brilliant work of literature, but it is a fascinating piece of pop history. For fans like me who want every last detail (even the biased, over-edited ones), it’s a fun, insightful read. Just don’t go in expecting objectivity or polished prose. Go in expecting to hear these women’s stories the way they wanted to tell them.

P.S. Can my elderly friends explain what it means to communicate with someone via a "two-way"? Is that like an ancient text message? Thanks.

5.0 —One of the best I've ever read! It will be burned into my brain. If there were any flaws, I didn't care. I would recommend to everyone.
4.5 —I loved this! It was very memorable. There weren't many flaws. I would recommend to anyone.
4.0 —I really liked this. It probably will be memorable. There may have been some minor flaws. I'd recommend to fans of the genre.
▌3.5 —I mostly liked it. It might be memorable. There were some notable flaws. I'd recommend to fans of the genre.
3.0 —I somewhat liked it. It might be memorable. There were significant flaws. I might recommend to people who like similar books.
2.5 —I was underwhelmed or unimpressed. It wasn't memorable. It had significant flaws. I might recommend to people who like similar books.
2.0 —I was disappointed. It wasn't memorable or it was memorable for the wrong reasons. It had major flaws. I probably wouldn't recommend.
1.5 —I did not like this at all. It was memorable for the wrong reasons. It had so many flaws. I wouldn't recommend to anyone.
1.0 —I hated this. I wish I never wasted my time on it. I would actively dissuade people from reading this.

[Chantel · Rating 5 out of 5]

its a really great book

[Sabrina Yussff · Rating 5 out of 5]

How i can read it ? Any help ?

[janie love · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love it

[Zion · Rating 4 out of 5]

This got four stars because I’m a fan. Otherwise this book is so deeply boring & dull apart from the odd snippet here & there. But the pictures were nice and the book quality is great. As a huge Beyoncé fan I knew most of this already but it was nice to see it written and see some quotes in there

[De'Nae · Rating 5 out of 5]

It reads like a teenager's diary. Still I gave it five stars because they are my favorite group.

[Tzaitel:) · Rating 4 out of 5]

vale prometo que ja paro però esque estic obsessed

[Bre · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my family members lended me this book when I was a little girl. Who didn't love Destiny's Child? Well I did and this book was good to learn about their lives coming up. It has some nice pictures of them in it as well.