Heartbreak is the National Anthem by Rob Sheffield will be released on November 12, 2024. It is published by Dey Street Books. I received a uncorrected digital galley courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book falls into the category of biography/ memoir and is a non-fiction title. It is 208 pages long.
I already wrote a pretty good amount about this book in this earlier blog post where I mentioned how I just started reading it and how my personal goal for 2024 was to understand Taylor Swift and her music in deeper way. I explained in my previous post that I am familiar with some of Taylor Swift’s work, but I hope to connect with it enough that I can watch the Taylor Swift Era’s concert on Disney+ and recognize most of the music. Taylor Swift is the icon of our time and I feel like she especially connects with her female fans. I hope to be able to participate more fully in the Taylor Swift conversation.
Below is the review that I submitted to Netgalley after reviewing the book.
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My Review of Heartbreak Is the National Anthem by Rob Sheffield.
I am a Rob Sheffield fan. I have several of his other books. It has been quite a few years since I was first introduced to Mr. Sheffield when I read his personal memoir called Love is a Mixed Tape, where he writes about becoming a young widower at age 31, but I still find myself thinking about it sometimes. His book Turn Around Bright Eyes: The Rituals of Love and Karaoke is the only reason why I would ever be willing to try to sing karaoke in front of a group of people.
You can imagine excited I was to find that he had written a book about Taylor Swift.
Taylor Swift is my personal project for 2024. I listen to the radio and I enjoy music but I have never invested the time needed to really get to know her work. As a sometimes-country music listener, I remember when she broke through in 2006 and I have followed her ever since, however I am still not what you would call a Swiftie.
In a word, I was delighted by this book. I am delighted by Rob and his enthusiasm for Taylor Swift. Reading this book has made my September better in every way. He taught me about Taylor Swift. Thorough him, I learned about her music and her personal tells. He taught me that Taylor is savvy and swift. She was raised by business people to have a good business sense. Taylor does nothing by accident, except when she takes that bait, and even then it might not be an accident. She is messy and can be excessive in emotion and reaction. She is human and almost always choses the wrong first single to be released from her albums.
Rob Sheffield has helped guide me toward the “must listen” songs and the ones I can skip. He has been a guide to help me get over my fear of her “more indie” albums. He has helped me see that Taylor is more than the Madonna or Brittany Spears of her time. For starters, Taylor’s ethos is about empowering young women not sexualizing them.
He has shown me that she is influencing an entire generation of young women who are independent and in touch with their emotions and abilities. They learn to play the guitar because of her. They learn the electric guitar because of her. Rob Sheffield also tells us that he can’t wait to see what these young women, some of whom are his nieces, will do when they grow up.
My only regret with this book is personal. I have not gotten through everyone of her albums yet so when he is describing her songs, I don’t always know them yet. However, when I do get there, I know that Rob will be there to be my guide and help me to understand what to look for and the cultural impact of those songs.
Every library will benefit by adding this to its collection as Rob Sheffield is the Taylor Swift scholar/ writer/ super fan of his time. He is author of the Rolling Stone’s, All 274 of Taylor Swifts Songs Ranked and is a Contributing Editor at Rolling Stone.
