From the description it led me to think this was a biography and sharing tales of the people she wrote her songs about.. No so. The original piece this book was based on was four years old so it's not even up to date. It was interesting but behind the times.

She Come By It Natural by Sarah Smarsh reads like a collection of thoughtful essays about the rural woman’s place in the women’s movement by turning a feminist lens onto the life and career of Dolly Parton.

I suppose you could call this book half a biography and half feminist works. These essays by Smarsh are a excellent and insightful look into how the works of Dolly relate to social times and culture. As a self-proclaimed Dolly Parton enthusiast, there is a lot about Dolly’s background that I was already aware of and have read many times over in various different articles and books about the icon. What separated She Come By It Natural from the other Dolly books was the draw on similarities to Dolly’ life and lyrics to real women of the past and present. From sexual harassment, business, scrutiny of our bodies, there is some facet of Parton that makes her just like every women out there, but especially to the poor, working class women. There was a particularly interesting section about the how politicized the word feminist has become I recent years and how classist the whole movement can be.

At times, this book can feel a little jumbled, as if it was skipping around a bit. It’s a groove that you can easily get into though. It had a lot of excellent conclusions but also at times feel that it was really trying to drive something forward that didn’t quite fit how it was perhaps supposed to.

If there is any large take away from these essays is that feminism isn’t a one size fit all movement. It can exist in many different forms and is not just for the upper or middle class. And Dolly Parton is a shining example of this.


*Netgalley and Scribner provided me with an eARC copy for review!*

I really love the premise of this book. An explanation of Dolly Parton’s role as a hero to the working class, written by someone who grew up in similar circumstances as Dolly. But the balance between the two narratives felt off to me and I was left wanting much more.

The details the author shared about both her life and Dolly’s felt like they just scratched the surface. I assume that’s the case for Dolly because she’s a notoriously private person and most publicly available information about her is conjecture. But why didn’t the author go deeper on her own connections to Dolly?

Also, making no changes to the writing since it’s original publication in 2017 felt like a total cop-out. It’a 2020 now and we’re still basically letting Dolly off the hook for not talking politics and running a civil war reenactment dinner show?

This book is best suited for those who are much more comfortable with grey area than an I am. In so many ways Dolly is a progressive hero, and in other ways she falls short of that legacy. The premise of this book is inherently fairly political and yet the author doesn’t really deeply explore that dichotomy. Now that’s a book I’d read!

But I still liked reading about Dolly and was touched by some of the author’s own stories about her grandmother and I think Dolly superfans will enjoy this.

If I did half star reviews I’d give this 3.5 stars, but I’m rounding up because I like the idea and the promise of this book so much.

She Comes By It Natural is filled with intriguing tidbits about the life of Dolly Parton. If you aren’t a Dolly fan, you will after reading this book. She is an inspirational artist that has led an interesting life.

while I expected so much more from the title, I felt that it was going to be chock full of Dolly stories. A sort of biography interwoven with tales from the women who inspired her music
That is not the case and considering the original article were written four years ago, its a bit out of date. Definitely not something to read if you're expecting a biography, but still an interesting piece.

I was so looking forward to this one. It’s a small book and quick read. Thank goodness for that, because that was the best part about it. The author’s personal hostility in a couple of areas overshadowed what would have been a weak offering anyway. The title had potential and could have been a great look at how much Dolly Parton impacted, and still does, the country music industry, and how she has paved the way and been a great example and mentor for women. Unfortunately, it was poorly constructed and had nothing new about either Parton or women’s oppression in society. Don't look to this as either a biography of Dolly Parton's life or a book on feminism. Total miss.

This is an interesting look at the life of Dolly Parton through Sarah Smarsh’s lens of feminism. This is a pretty political book pulling in Smarsh’s opinions of how Dolly represents various policies and views to different people. I liked learning more about Dolly and the impact she has had on the people who fall into her fan base. It was interesting to view Dolly through someone else’s fandom vs my own.

Pair with the podcast Dolly Parton’s America for a more flesh out version of Dolly and what she represents.

This book collects a four-part series Sarah Smarsh wrote for No Depresssion and gives it some slight editing to flow as a book. Dolly Parton has said (as recently as the fantastic _Dolly Parton's America_ podcast that came out last year) that she doesn't consider herself a feminist, but Smarsh's look at her life and career does a great job of looking at the culture around Parton and the virtues expressed in her life and songs as a way to see that while she doesn't apply that title to herself, it's reflected in the choices she's made. Parton is savvy personality who definitely understands her public image, and the book makes multiple mentions of Dolly's autobiography (Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business) and both what it tells and doesn't tell about the singer as of 1994.

Smarsh is great at tying in the effects of Parton's life with that of other women of a similar place and time, and why they too wouldn't necessarily call themselves "feminist" but still show that through their actions. I liked that in re-editing this as a book, she chose not to try and update it with everything that's happened since the original publication of these pieces on 2017 -- there are a few footnotes with updates, but things like Ken Burns' equally fantastic _Country Music_ documentary which featured Parton in its chorus of voices only get a nod in the foreword. Rooting this in the culture of 2017 helps show why Parton's work is still relevant a few years later and why her influence has only continued to grow. The book is short - I polished it off in a little over an hour - but potent, and anyone looking to get a good picture of Dolly Parton's life and influence has a great starting point here.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to read this book via NetGalley and the publisher, but it was not exactly what I expected, and that's probably my fault.
I expected more comparison and discussion about Parton and analysis of her work in comparison with her rise from poverty. What we ended up with was more disjointed memoir. Smarsh seemed to ramble all over the place.
Parts of the book were excellent and I enjoyed very much, others not so much.
I liked the overall concept, but this one fell flat for me.

Finished this last night 9/28/2020 ...I got this from @netgalley and oh my goodness ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ everyone knows I lovvvvvve Dolly but seriously @sarah_smarsh brings her life out in a way that is so relatable and real!!! idk how anyone could read this and not love @dollyparton !!! So many Dolly-isms and Grandma Betty❤️ I loved the authors approach, views, and overall story telling - it speaks to so many real issues women face still today this brings up topics while presenting facts and also offering hope and possible solutions and at a minimum support !!! This book spoke to my huge Dolly loving heart - then in the back I learned the author is an ex-Hooters girl too and I really think that adds a different perspective to life and I think I did that too for many reasons similar to why Dolly does what she does .... absolutely loved this little gem!!! If you love Dolly get this - if you hate Dolly or just have no idea get this because it will educate you and challenge you because it is likely you have judged her by her jugs you know what I mean ... there is so much more than the outer package and if you can see beyond that into the soul you will likely be surprised and blessed in many occasions ...

This was such an original, refreshing take on feminism and the lower middle class woman's perspective. Through a combination of the authors personal experiences, Dolly Parton's history and her music, we get a vision of just how embedded feminism and the feminist movement is in the everyday lives of these women and all of those like them. If you are looking to add to your feminist book collection you need to pick this one up. I will be rereading this one soon!

Smarsh, National Book Award finalist for Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country in the World, returns with an in-depth and personal exploration of Dolly Parton and her role in standing up for poor and under-represented women. Throughout her career, Dolly Parton has upended societal norms, fought for what she believes in, and taken on strong female roles such as Doralee in 9 to 5 and Steel Magnolias. Smarsh highlights Parton’s songs, such as “Just Because I’m a Woman” and “Coat of Many Colors”, that validate a group of women long overlooked for their contributions to both society and the feminist movement. Her vision for Dollywood and then its implementation against the advice of her lawyers and others has been one of her greatest successes – her annual economic impact on East Tennessee resulting from Dollywood is $1.5 billion dollars. Parton’s decades-long ability to remain relevant and serve as an inspiration to many while staying true to herself and her beliefs is a bright spot in a world where those in the spotlight struggle to stay authentic. I thoroughly enjoyed this highly relevant and timely look at an icon who has both subtly and overtly left her mark on society and inspired others to do the same.

This book is outstanding. Smarsh is such a phenomenal and smart writer, and the ways she blends her own narrative with the stories of women both like and unlike her to make her points is brilliant. She manages to be both opinionated and objective at the same time, which is so difficult to do. Her homage to Dolly within the context of modern feminism and how it doesn't always look like what we want it to is something everyone should read.

I am a huge fan of Dolly Parton so I was excited to receive a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

To start - this book certainly is about Dolly to some degree but through the lense of how her music and views has impacted women.

It was an interesting take. I thought it was good but not great. If you are looking for a biography this isn't it but if you are aware of what this is in advance and like to read about other people's experience and how Dolly's music came to life in their world you will enjoy this.

I am giving this 3 stars but really would like to give it 3.5.

This is a collection of essays written about Dolly Parton, both her personality and her impact. I enjoyed it and certainly learned a lot about Parton, though it was slightly more academic than I would've preferred.

I read this book in one day--I did not really know much about Dolly Parton but have recently been impressed with all that I had heard about her literacy philanthropy and willingness to speak out about controversial topics. I was fascinated to hear her career set in the context of a sort of underground feminism. I also appreciated the stories of the author's female relatives and how Dolly's music shaped their lives. Lots to think about and maybe even to bring people together in fractured times.

This was a great story to show the strength of women who rise from poverty and less education. This book was originally published in a four-part series for The Journal of Roots Music, No Depression. and later was published as a book. The author takes a well know country music icon and gives insight into her early beginnings and how she has handled her fame and fortune. I am an avid fan of Dolly and was happy to read more about her life. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Dolly Parton is one of the most genuinely kind and decent people on the planet. Her philanthropy to her Eastern Tennessee roots, her literacy program, and her assistance to many families after the devastating fires around Gatlinburg are unprecedented. She embodied the American success story: a mountain girl who made it big and on her own terms. I'm not a fan of country music but I've always admired Parton"s tenacity, shrewdness, and flair for being herself. The only distraction in the book was Smarsh pontificating on her own political agenda, I skipped those parts and resumed reading when the narrative returned to Parton.

Sarah Smarsh uses the life and legacy of Dolly Parton to meditate on her own upbringing in a rural, working-class Kansas town as well as the contributions that women in country music have had on women's liberation. Readers will criticize the use of a figure such as Dolly who has rejected the "feminist" label in the past but this book goes beyond the need for such labels and shows the power and influence Dolly has had and continues to have on conversations around class and gender.

**I received an e-ARC from NetGalley for an honest review**

While the concept is good, execution falls flat.

The summary that made me want to read this book made it seem like the author was going to reference how Dolly's life influenced one of her songs, and that song then went on to influence someone else. In other words, I expected more Dolly.

I have to wonder if Dolly or her music were even necessary for this book, or if the author took her own views and merely picked Dolly's songs at random to make her points. It easily felt as if any female singer-songwriter could have been used.

Overall, this felt bland and like something I would have been forced to read by a TA (who probably wrote it) in a freshman comp class.