Book Report
Book Report
You can't have everything that has the Boys' beautiful faces on it. If you did, you'd have to rent a storage locker for all the hats, pillows and other BSB marchandise that's flooding stores the world over!
Of course, there are the essentials - like CDs, videos and the hottest posters. You also need to fill your bookshelves, and there are quite a few books out there on the Backstreet Boys. After all, there's more
than one way to tell their story. Unfortunately, not all books are created equal. So which ones are worth the sticker shock? We review the highest-profile BSB reading material out there.
Givin' It Their All
This little book appears to have it all - more than 200 pages of BSB lore and history, along with everything from the Boys' romantic turnons to their future plans. But while Givin' It Their All is a pretty good
reference tool, there's nothing new here.
Author Sherri Rifkin's research consists of all the magazines you've already read and all the web sites you've already visited. The music, in particular, gets very little attention, with the focus instead being on personal
information. Unfortunately, even the bios are lacking.
What's most annoying is Rifkin's typecasting of the "funky five," as she calls them. Kevin is the "leader," Howie's the "peacemaker," etc. Of course, there's much more to the Backstreet Boys than these simplistic
labels, but the author doesn't seem to know that.
Hanging' With The Backstreet Boys
This slight paperback, printed on cheap paper and with only a handful of photos, is easy to overlook next to it's flashier, in-color competitors. But believe it or not, Hangin' With The Backstreet Boys by Michael-Anne
Johns offers the best overall take on Orlando's rockin' supergroup.
Written in a spare, clean style, this year-old bio charts the group's rise to fame with fascinating insight into how it happened, why it happened and what the Boys were thinking and experiencing along the way. We get
to hear not only from the Boys, but also from many behind-the-scenes players in BSB's world.
The second half of the book is devoted to fast facts and an extended Q&A compilation, with the questions ranging from the sill (Who's the bigges "scaredy-cat" of the group?) to the serious (What's the most important lesson
your parents have taught you?).
Although it draws a lot of material from old magazines, Hangin' also has original interviews. Even hard-cors BSB fans will find this little book well worth the price of admission!
The Heart And Soul Of Nick Carter
The Heart and Soul of Nick Carter by Jane Carter open with an introduction by Nick, in which the blond bomb thanks his fans for their support. Nick's thoughtfulness comes shining through in the brief opening, and this alone
(Nick in his own words!) makes the book a collector's item.
If only Nick had written the rest of the book as well. But instead, this is Nick's mom's tale, and much of it comes across as self-congratulatory - from the bullet points she offers mothers on how to make their children stars
to the endless anecdotes of her sticking up for the rights of nick and his younger brother, tiny singing sensation Aaron.
Usually, she isn't the least bit subtle about relating her sccomplishments as a mom, such as when she writed of R&B legend Diana Ross telling her how she was "impressed that Aaron was so 'normal.'" The reason for Aaron being normal,
Mrs. Carter says, is "I make sure ue is allowed to be a child." This is all quite admirable, but the sacrifices the family has made in the name of fame still hang over this story. Mrs. Carter is quite right when she says her sons
are happy and well-adjusted, but at one point, even she slips, admitting, "Aaron confesses, 'I wanted to become a pop star so I could spend more time with my brother.'"\
Fortunately, the 11-year-old dynamo had the talen to keep the family together.
Backstreet Boys Confidential
If you want a good BSB history lesson, take a look at Backstreet Boys Confidential by Angie Nichols. Ms. Nichols began covering the Boys when they were a new singing froup trying to secure a record deal by touring high
schools across the U.S. They hadn't even recorded a single when the author met them, and so they were more than happy to chat about their dreams and expectations with anyone who had press credentials.
Though it's now somewhat out of date and lack even the barest examination of BSB's music, Confidential does do a great job of tracking the group's rise to the top. The book gives a detailed bio of each Boy and shows how the group
marketed itself in the early days by concentrating on high-octane live performances.
It's Nichols' look at these tough early years that distinguished this entertaining book. The Boys' kindness and upbeat attitudes are no act, we learn. And their drive to succeed was unstoppable.
