Creating in Critique-land
Full confession: reviews are scary! The good ones are embarrassing and the bad ones crush. Yet again and again I find myself in industries where critique and rejection are cornerstones. Still, creativity is my IKIGAI. No matter how far I run, I always return to the stage, the book, or the mic. I always endure the process.
The first review for the new book, Ordinary Days: The Seeds, Sound, and City that grew Prince Rogers Nelson, has been released by Kirkus.* It is lovely and it confirms that we accomplished what we set out to do.
Ordinary Days is not an expose. In fact, the original manuscript never mentioned Prince’s name! Instead, this book is a simple story about an ordinary boy who, with music, mentors, and community, overcame tremendous obstacles to become—not just famous or wealthy—but whole. Time will tell if other reviewers will “get it” but Prince “fams,” Minneapolitans, hard-knock kids, and creatives will.
AJ
* “Founded in 1933, Kirkus has been an authoritative voice in book discovery for more than 90 years. They review more than 8,000 books per year and distribute their reviews through Kirkus Reviews magazine online through KirkusReviews.com and their weekly email newsletters. Their magazine, published twice a month, has a large readership of librarians, booksellers, and publishing professionals, while their website and newsletters are dominated by consumers looking for books to buy.”