She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs by Sarah Smarsh

Country music has always been a huge part of my life and Dolly Parton has always been an icon to me, so I was thrilled to see this book available on netgalley. The essay writing style flowed well with Dolly’s biography; I loved the personal touch Sarah added by including her personal stories. The level of research the author included was top notch, it just reiterated what I’ve always known, Dolly Parton is a badass. I learned so much I didn’t know, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the donations she makes to offer relief, and so much more that isn’t published because she doesn’t want it to be. The book is relatively short, sitting at 187 pages however, it’s jam packed.


Thank you netgalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for this ARC.

This is going to be a quick review, but I found this book's concept to be very exciting, but the execution as somewhat flawed. I feel like the author did a good job of portraying Dolly Parton in the way that she wanted to: a large-haired, strong, supportive, feminist. I really liked how we got to see Dolly Parton from this light, as when I think of Dolly Parton, I usually think of her as a very sexualized idol, who doesn't get the credit she deserves! I admire the author for even making this biography in the first place! I also enjoyed how we actually did receive a biography of Dolly Parton's life through her childhood, important relationships, and recent years.

What I did NOT enjoy about this book was the introduction. In the introduction, the author tries to show that Dolly does not serve as a white person, but is similar to a person of colour. The author may have been trying to create a good point with that symbolism, but we need not ignore Dolly Parton's identity as a white woman. I DID like how the author brought up Dolly Parton's Stampede and its ignorance when concerning slavery. I also did not like how the author tried to paint a picture that showed that all individuals above the level of poverty do not have any problems. I think that had the author explained her point on view more, we could've gained a level of understanding between her opinions and their relationship to this biography.

I did enjoy this book though, and gained some brand new insights on Dolly Parton's life and music.

A fantastic look at the life and impact of Dolly Parton. I read it slowly because I was continually looking up videos on Youtube based on the events the author was talking about. A great book for anyone interested in the impact of pop culture on society.