Am I Pretty When I Fly?: An Album of Upside Down Drawings

by Joan Baez

Like a long, funny letter from an old friend, an album of drawings by the legendary singer and activist for social justice, Joan Baez.


Since retiring from active performing, Baez has focused her formidable talents on painting and drawing. This collection of drawings shows another side of lovingly loose and charming sketches on reoccurring themes such as politics, relationships, women, animals, and family. Each section, organized thematically, includes an introductory piece by the artist. Baez approaches her line drawings as exercises in she begins drawing upside down—often using her non-dominant hand—without any preconceived notion of where the lines might lead her.



Beginning with her seminal debut album in 1960, Baez has been a musical force of nature of incalculable influence whose earliest recordings fed a host of traditional ballads into the rock vernacular. In 1963, she introduced Bob Dylan to the world, beginning a tradition of mutual mentoring that continued across her many recordings. As a lifetime advocate for non-violent social change, she marched on the front line of the civil rights movement with Martin Luther King Jr., shined a spotlight on the Free Speech Movement, took to the fields with Cesar Chavez, organized resistance to the Vietnam War, and inspired Vaclav Havel in his fight for a Czech Republic.


Am I Pretty When I Fly? reveals yet another side of a beloved icon.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

120 pages, Hardcover

Published April 4, 2023

About the author

American political activist Joan Baez sang folk.

People know highly individual vocal style of Joan Chandos Baez, a writer. This soprano features a three-octave vocal range and a distinctively rapid vibrato. Her topics deal with social issues.

People best know her hits "There but for Fortune," "Diamonds and Rust," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," and to a lesser extent, "We Shall Overcome," "Love Is Just a Four-letter Word" and "Farewell Angelina." After the 1960s, her music strayed considerably and encompassed everything from rock and pop to country and gospel.

She also performed "Sweet Sir Galahad," and "Joe Hill" at the festival of 1969 at Woodstock. Her passion, notably in the areas of nonviolence, civil and human rights, and the environment in more recent years lasted even longer than well-known early relationship with Bob Dylan.

She performed publicly for nearly a half century, released more than thirty albums, and recorded in at least eight languages.


Baez, a writer, especially in the mid-1970s, most often interpreted work and covered Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Jackson Browne, Paul Simon, the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, and myriad other persons.

In more recent years, she interpreted diverse writers, such as Steve Earle, Natalie Merchant, and Ryan Adams, and found success.

Reviews

[LeeAnna Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joan Baez has one of my favorite voices, and I’ve enjoyed her visual art as well. Her description of how visual art became an important part of her life before she began singing offers fans some insight about her. She divides her drawings into several topics, although they were created during a wide range of time in her life. The ink drawings seem simple, but they pack a strong emotional punch. I wish the text gave a little more context. I’m looking forward to her authorized documentary biography, I Am the Noise, coming out in late 2023. She’s an icon of the 60s, and as a woman in her 80s, she continues to be a strong role model for women.

[Rachel Van Amburgh · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are really quite profound! I had the privilege to hear Joan speak about this and have her sign a copy. I loved entering this world, and my respect for her many talents has increased so much recently in light of reading this, watching Woodstock all the way through, and of course, the essential docs—Don’t Look Back, No Direction Home, and Joan Baez: I Am A Noise. A very, very special human.

[Hannah Mora · Rating 4 out of 5]

“She was wild, they broke her, enough to make you weep”
Loved the section about human/animal relationships & the love story at the end was so cute!

[Thomas Kiernan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a treasure Joan Baez is. The last chapter of this book is beautifully sad and hopeful.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. A wonderful musician and she creates visual art as well.

[J R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was curious to read new book, Am I Pretty When I Fly? after seeing her on Stephen Colbert on April 12. Quick fun read and drawings by Baez.

Good read indeed

[Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joan Baez has retired from public performances and now spends her time creating art. This is a light-hearted whimsical book with drawings that were created upside-down with her nondominant hand. They're in the book right side up, but you can view them upside down if you wish.

According to the introduction, as a teenager, Baez taught herself to write backwards, and still does it as a form of therapy when she needs to get to the root of a blockage, or "calm the buzzing heat of a panic attack." Baez writes, " It's as though the appropriate wires cross in my brain when I write backwards, which allows information otherwise unavailable to surface." That might be useful information for other artists and writers.

Some of the written information in the book didn't connect to the drawings for me, but overall this is an interesting book, especially in light of the person who created it. Her drawings and their captions remind the reader of the concerns expressed in her music, issues that are still ongoing.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm surprised a book like this didn't come out years ago. I knew Baez was an active and talented artist (see the cover for Any Day Now) and these drawings have a Shel Silverstein quality to them. They're often minimalist with bizarre captions and, while I enjoyed this collection, I found (as with her autobiography) her commentary to sometimes be self-serving and arrogant. I don't think she has to prove anything to anyone anymore. Her resume speaks for itself, so why constantly remind everyone how great her drawings are? I found it to be kind of a turn off. Interesting collection, but not essential.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

These drawings were amazing, and the small of writing with each was so great! Who knew that Joan Baez drew and painted!? I recommend this book if you come across it your library. It's 100 pages. You can finish in an hour or less.

[Erin Kelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

It gives Shel Silverstien vibes but I feel very meh about it. For a hundred pages of simple drawings I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it but it felt very meh to me. May be influenced by the fact that I read an incredible graphic novel just before this.

[Alexandra Kern · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea Baez is an artist. These upside down drawings are sweet and touching. She is clearly a woman of many talents.

[Brielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

everything she touches is magic!

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whimsical drawings and commentary on a variety of topics including politics, gender, the environment, and being an outsider bring a smile to the reader’s face.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Interesting.

[Lucydallman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this beautiful, poignant and inspiring collection!

[kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

subjective ofc but i really enjoyed this!

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

next tattoos gonna be one of these

[Toby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The prophet draws

[gonza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wouldn't expect less from you, Joanie.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly poignant.

[Alyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrated book research continues.
Delightfully weird.

"Why tamper with magic?"

[Yael Veitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joan’s upside-down drawings are a little piece of her at her most playful: loose, whimsical, cuttingly funny, but still socially aware