Just like back in junior high school, when gobbling up biographies of Hanson and Jonathan Taylor Thomas was the norm, there's a new book all about Lady Gaga on bookstore shelves--Lady Gaga: Behind the Fame.
It's definitely unauthorized, and Gaga, or Stefani Germanotta, as she was born, didn't give the author any interviews or contribute at all herself. Instead, like those bios in the Teen Beat vein, author Emily Herbert simply gathered all the information she could find on the pop star, compiled it into over 250 pages and added a ton of pictures (32 pages worth).
It's sort of like a really expanded Wikipedia entry, if you like that type of thing, though Herbert's voice shows that she's definitely a fan, and the book isn't completely unbiased--it's a very revering tale of Gaga's 24-year-old life.
Readers learn all about what Gaga was like growing up (she went to the same school Nicky and Paris Hilton did--not quite the struggling artist some may think she is), her drug use (she used to do cocaine for the romanticism, not for the high) and the real story behind the whole, "Is she a he?" penis scandal (she's a she.)
While the writing is pretty rosy and perfect for teenagers who want to read a book containing vignettes about burlesque and drugs without getting in trouble by their parents, it's a little too cheesy for adult Gaga fans to really get into. And, if you're someone who's followed Gaga since she's burst onto the scene and learned stuff about her yourself, there's not a whole lot of eye-opening information.
That being said, the book gives a comprehensive look at the starlet's life and doesn't leave much out. And, the book might be a collector's item just for the pictures alone. There aren't any you haven't seen already, but having a bunch of her outrageous looks in your hands is pretty cool.
But, if you decide to pass on this biography of Gaga, the gal's only 24--there are bound to be many, many more in the future.
