{"title":"Books by Ben Greenman","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781399621632","title":"Hip-Hop Is History","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Questlove radiates passion, knowledge, wit and profundity as he reflects on this ever-evolving art form' \u003ci\u003eGUARDIAN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor a young Black kid growing up in a musical family in 1970s Philadelphia, hip-hop was everything. He stayed up late to hear the newest songs on the radio. He saved his money to buy vinyl as soon as it landed. He even started to make his own songs. That kid was Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow, in this landmark book, Questlove traces the creative, cultural forces that made and shaped hip-hop, highlighting the forgotten influential gems and the chart-topping hits - and weaves it all together with the stories no one else knows. It is at once an intimate, sharply observed story and a sweeping theory of the evolution of the greatest artistic movement of our time. Questlove approaches it with both the encyclopaedic fluency of an obsessive fan and the unique expertise of an innovative participant. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHip-hop is history, and also \u003ci\u003ehis\u003c\/i\u003e history.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55205874499957,"sku":"9781399621632","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781399621632.jpg?v=1786019796"},{"product_id":"9780593872079","title":"This Dog Will Change Your Life","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES \u003c\/i\u003eBESTSELLER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA uniquely insightful, uplifting, emotional, and informative book that shows us how dogs make our lives better by making us better people, from the Dogist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe stunning hardcover of \u003ci\u003eThis Dog Will Change Your Life \u003c\/i\u003efeatures a custom-stamped case, endpapers, and a beautiful jacket.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eElias Weiss Friedman became known as The Dogist when he took thousands of photos of dogs and posted them online along with their unique dog stories. Even before he was The Dogist, though, he was \u003ci\u003ea\u003c\/i\u003e Dogist—a fervent dog lover, and an evangelist about the relationship between dogs and humans and the joy this bond brings us in the modern world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOver his decades of studying dogs and their people, Elias has arrived at a deceptively simple realization: \u003ci\u003eDogs make people’s lives better by making people better. \u003c\/i\u003eDogs improve us. They save us. They give our lives greater meaning and fulfillment. They teach us to become the best versions of ourselves. They help us understand our own identities, deepen our relationships, and remind us of patience, purpose, and commitment. We constantly seek those things in our human life, but so many of the answers are already right in front of us, in our dogs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book weaves together stories of the many dogs Elias has been lucky enough to know, both in his personal life and while doing his Dogist work. Told in a light tone that does not shy away from more serious issues (Elias is not above the occasional sentimental moment or dog pun), this book charmingly explores the ways that dogs are not just our family and our friends but also irreplaceable beings capable of generating boundless love and restoring balance to our lives.\u003cbr\u003eIn an increasingly alienating and divisive world, there is one clear remedy: the one with four legs that rolls over for belly rubs. Dogs can change our lives, and this book might just change yours.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":56292214571381,"sku":"9780593872079","price":23.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57682792939893,"sku":"9780593872093","price":22.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780593872079_76b10fa3-1d9d-4a98-94ee-c22670658c17.jpg?v=1792511642"},{"product_id":"9780571333264","title":"Dig If You Will The Picture","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDig If U Will The Picture\u003c\/i\u003e is a portrait of The Artist who will be remembered by many as the most seductive and enigmatic pop star of his generation. A year after Prince's death at the age of 57, acclaimed writer Ben Greenman brilliantly anatomizes the star's dramatic career and an aesthetic that at times seemed otherworldly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn thematically structured chapters that blend critical consideration of Prince's art with the author's personal connection to the music, this is a fitting memorial to a legendary performer: monumental, yet deeply intimate. Drawing on over 40 studio albums, a repertoire of 2,000 plus live shows, and close analysis of the unreleased highlights of the Vault, \u003ci\u003eDig If U Will the Picture\u003c\/i\u003e is the definitive book on Prince's work.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56292757864821,"sku":"9780571333264","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780571333264_3fa427d1-3ee3-4530-afce-e8902d0811ff.jpg?v=1786015071"},{"product_id":"9781455501373","title":"Mo' Meta Blues","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"You have to bear in mind that [Questlove] is one of the smartest motherf\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003es on the planet. His musical knowledge, for all practical purposes, is limitless.\" --Robert Christgau\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  A punch-drunk memoir in which Everyone's Favorite Questlove tells his own story while tackling some of the lates, the greats, the fakes, the philosophers, the heavyweights, and the true originals of the music world. He digs deep into the album cuts of his life and unearths some pivotal moments in black art, hip hop, and pop culture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  Ahmir \"Questlove\" Thompson is many things: virtuoso drummer, producer, arranger, \u003ci\u003eLate Night with Jimmy Fallon \u003c\/i\u003ebandleader, DJ, composer, and tireless Tweeter. He is one of our most ubiquitous cultural tastemakers, and in this, his first book, he reveals his own formative experiences--from growing up in 1970s West Philly as the son of a 1950s doo-wop singer, to finding his own way through the music world and ultimately co-founding and rising up with the Roots, a.k.a., the last hip hop band on Earth. \u003ci\u003eMo' Meta Blues \u003c\/i\u003ealso has some (many) random (or not) musings about the state of hip hop, the state of music criticism, the state of statements, as well as a plethora of run-ins with celebrities, idols, and fellow artists, from Stevie Wonder to KISS to D'Angelo to Jay-Z to Dave Chappelle to...you ever seen Prince roller-skate?!?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  But \u003ci\u003eMo' Meta Blues \u003c\/i\u003eisn't just a memoir. It's a dialogue about the nature of memory and the idea of a post-modern black man saddled with some post-modern blues. It's a book that questions what a book like \u003ci\u003eMo' Meta Blues\u003c\/i\u003ereally is. It's the side wind of a one-of-a-kind mind.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  It's a rare gift that gives as well as takes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt's a record that keeps going around and around.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56299669389685,"sku":"9781455501373","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781455501373_f7fb7e49-08ff-4aca-b489-1dc9c6a70ede.jpg?v=1786021009"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-ben-greenman.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}