Dolly Parton Reading List by Jayne

JayneB+ Reviews / B- Reviews / Book Reviewsautobiography / Biography / non-fiction / Reading lists4 Comments

Ain’t Nobody’s Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton by Martha Ackmann

A larger-than-life new biography of country music legend and philanthropist Dolly Parton.

In Ain’t Nobody’s Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton, Martha Ackmann chronicles the life of an American Original. From her impoverished childhood in the Smoky Mountains to international stardom as a singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman, and philanthropist, Dolly Parton has exceeded everyone’s expectations except her own. During a time when the Beatles set the standard for contemporary music, Dolly appeared on a local country music television show that her high school classmates thought was pure cornpone. The day after her high school graduation, she boarded a bus for Nashville, but record executives turned her down. One said her voice sounded like a screech owl.

When Dolly finally got her foot in the door, her talent and focus catapulted her to the top of country charts, the pop world, and movie stardom. Yet her success came at a price. Shunned by many in Nashville who saw her ambition as a betrayal of her country music roots, Dolly became the target of death threats, lawsuits, and a judge who threatened to throw her in jail. She nearly collapsed on-stage and later succumbed to depression that pushed her to the brink, but she refused to be counted out and came back stronger than ever developing Dollywood, the amusement park that became the economic engine of East Tennessee, and founding the Imagination Library that provides free books to children around the world. Her philanthropy to health organizations led to creation of the Moderna COVID vaccine. And, finally, she returned to her roots, recording bluegrass albums that became the most celebrated of her unparalleled 60-year career.

Ain’t Nobody’s Fool is a deep dive into the social, historical, and personal forces that made Dolly Parton one of the most beloved and unifying figures in public life and includes interviews with friends, family members, school mates, Nashville neighbors, members of her band, studio musicians, producers, and many others. It also features never before seen photographs and unearthed documents shedding light on her family’s hardscrabble life. More than anything, Martha Ackmann’s fresh and animated new book proves Dolly Parton knows just who she is and she ain’t nobody’s fool.

Dear Ms. Ackmann,

Who doesn’t like Dolly Parton? I mean seriously, who could not at least admire this woman for what she’s overcome and who she’s made herself into and then what she’s given back? Watch the YT video (Dolly Parton performs Jolene at Glastonbury – BBC) of Dolly playing at Glastonbury in the UK, see the enormous crowd there to enjoy her music, listen as she tells them what a thrill this is for her then ask if they know her song “Jolene.” The crowd roars before guitars begin the famous intro. As Dolly kicks off the lyrics, listen closely as the crowd begins to sing them with her. The camera pans the stage and then the crowd who are swaying and clapping, before we see the security guards lined up and doing a synchronized dance. The performance, and video, end with the crowd cheering and clapping as Dolly cheerfully says, “Well thanks for singing along with me. I heard you out there!”

That feeling is what I wanted to get from this book. Sadly, it’s not. The book takes an academic approach, with detailed quotes and references throughout, which shows the depth of research but the result is more workmanlike, more textbook. And while it’s well researched. I still felt like a lot was skimmed or left out. Time was spent on the backgrounds of people in Parton’s life that I felt ought to be spent on Dolly. But, fair enough, the interviews show why Dolly is so beloved by so many.

There seemed to be a bit of a distance between the subject and reader. I wanted more of Dolly’s sparkling personality and bubbly friendliness. Instead it’s sort of dry. I did enjoy learning more about what she’s done for and given to others. Dollywood has pumped almost 2 billion dollars into the economy of eastern Tennessee along with providing tens of thousands of jobs to the area (and will pay for tuition for Dollywood workers). Dolly has provided over 270 million books to foster childhood literacy. Two hundred and seventy million. These and many other reasons are why she’s such an icon, a national and international star. This book will give facts but somehow I didn’t sense that it captured Dolly’s exuberance. B-

As one fans said “The world needs more Dolly.”

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Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones by Dolly Parton, Holly George-Warren, and Rebecca Seaver

A beautiful celebration of Dolly Parton’s iconic sense of style through entertaining personal stories and 450 full-color photographs, including exclusive images from her private costume archive

In Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones, global superstar Dolly Parton shares, for the first time, the full story behind her lifelong passion for fashion, including how she developed her own, distinctly Dolly style, which has defied convention and endeared her to fans around the world.

Featuring behind-the-scenes stories from Dolly Parton’s life and career, and the largest reveal of her private costume archive, this gorgeously photographed book spotlights her most unforgettable looks from the 1960s to now. The sky-high heels, famous wigs, bold makeup, eye-catching stage clothes—she shares them all. Along the way, Parton discusses memorable outfits from her past, from the clothes her mother would sew out of feed sacks (including her “Coat of Many Colors”) and the bold dresses and hairdos that shook up Nashville, to the bunny suit on the cover of Playboy, evening wear at Studio 54, costumes from her most famous film and TV roles, and the daring styles that continue to entertain and inspire today.

Filled with candor, humor, and lots and lots of rhinestones, Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones is a shining tribute to one of the most beloved musicians in history, a treasured keepsake for anyone who loves Dolly Parton, and an indispensable guide to forging your own path to beauty and confidence.

Review

In this book you’ll see how, as a young artist, my self-confidence was enhanced by developing my own Dolly style and then sticking to it. I didn’t care about trends. Instead, I worked hard to look the way I pictured myself. Although my style has evolved as the years have gone by, I’ve stuck to the motto “To thine own self be true” over the past six decades—and still do. Much as the fictional characters that populate my songs uncover essential truths about me and the people I’ve known, my clothes and makeup also reveal the real me. Maybe they’re both “made up,” but they reflect my innermost self, my own personal truth.

From a young age, Dolly knew what she liked and what she wanted to wear. Poverty made her creative with what she had but when she left home to chase her dreams in Nashville, she could finally express who she really was through clothes, hair, and makeup. Missteps were made along the way. Dolly laughs at photos of herself with teased up 60s hair wondering if she was wearing it or if it was wearing her. But as long as she’s comfortable and wowing the audience, then it’s her style. Butterflies are a favorite and typify Dolly’s love of flash and color. 

When you dress up for a performance, it makes the audience feel good. You come to a show, you want a show ! You want something up there that’s going to catch your eye. You want to be wowed! And I want to wow the audience. They come to see me look a certain way. I want to really dazzle them if I can.

Makeup and wigs are as much a part of Dolly’s style as her intricately beaded clothes and over the years she’s worked with friends and family as well as the best costume designers in Hollywood. There are sections with remembrances of photographers and makeup artists who’ve “Dollyed” her up and captured her on film. During one live show costume change, Dolly’s new French designer was horrified when he zipped up her already skin tight pants and the zipper came apart. Frantically sewing her into the pants and accidentally stabbing himself with the needle, she made him laugh with her description of what might go wrong. “[Dolly] looked at me and said, ‘Robért, those pants are so tight that if I fart, my wig is gonna blow off.’ I’m in pain, and sewing, but now I’m crying and laughing!”

I try to work out the kinks before I go onstage, but I can’t always control what happens out there. I have to consider what not to wear as a performer who’s playing different instruments. I’ve had so many mishaps! I’ve had to stop and tell an audience, “My hair’s hung up in my rhinestones!” Learning the hard way, I’ve had to tell my designer, “Let’s not put rhinestones hanging back there.”

The loving tributes from the skilled people who have helped Dolly show who she is while she’s entertained us are testimony to how downhome, friendly, and likeable she is. The photos that fill the book are amazing. My eyes cross and my head hurts just thinking about the amount of handwork and how many beads and rhinestones have gone into making these dresses and costumes.  

  I hope that as you gaze upon my life in clothing, it will inspire you to develop, and celebrate, your own sense of style. Whoever you are, be that! And enjoy your journey behind the seams.

Dolly is a legend and here we can see how much work has gone into crafting her image to accompany her heart and joyous spirit. B+

Isn’t a star supposed to shine? That’s what stars do. They shine.

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Jayne

Another long time reader who read romance novels in her teens, then took a long break before started back again about 25 years ago. She enjoys historical romance/fiction best, likes contemporaries, action- adventure and mysteries, will read suspense if there's no TSTL characters and is currently reading more fantasy and SciFi.

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