Peasreads: New Kids on the Block 40th Anniversary Celebration Selena Fragassi

 Description

A must-have for every New Kids fan, this beautifully designed volume traces 40 years of the groundbreaking boy band through photos, interviews, and all the fascinating facts.

Donnie, Danny, Jonathan, Jordan, and Joey: they are Boston’s own New Kids on the Block, an iconic boy band that sprang to the top of the charts (and into the hearts of millions of global fans) in the 1980s. Though each of the “kids” and the band itself has faced their ups and downs in the four decades since they came together, they continue to release new music and maintain a loyal fanbase lovingly known as “Blockheads.”

In New Kids on the Block 40th Anniversary Celebration, music journalist and proud Blockhead Selena Fragassi delves into the band’s origins—from their manager Maurice Starr bringing them together and their earliest influences—to their biggest successes in the 1980s and ’90s, to their continued achievements today and the lasting legacy they’ve left in the boy-band canon. Along the way, readers will also explore:

 

The creation of NKOTB’s biggest hits, such as “Please Don’t Go Girl” and “You Got It (The Right Stuff)”

The fan culture that built up around the band, from the small gigs and mall tours of their earliest years to their inaugural fan convention in 2023

NKOTB’s influences, from R&B to pop, and their place in a boy-band history that begins with the Jackson 5 and continues in the modern day with bands like One Direction and BTS

The lasting legacy of a band proudly celebrating their fortieth anniversary

Step by step, through interviews, photos, and sidebars full of fun facts and trivia, you’ll learn something new about the band on every page. This book is the perfect companion to your everlasting love for NKOTB!

My thoughts:

Nothing makes you feel as old as being around for 40 years of something right? However, here we are. 40 years since "Please Don't Go Girl" hit the airwaves on the radio. This book drips nostalgia, in a good way. Stories and facts that we soaked up as we poured over every Tigerbeat (and others like it) magazine article we could find. Photos from tours and behind-the-scenes exclusives that we would rip out of those magazines and cover our walls and lockers with. "Bring Back The Time" indeed. This book also has content from when the band got back together and started doing sold-out shows and sold-out cruises again.

If you're a diehard "Blockhead" you may know a lot of what is in this book but you're going to get yourself a copy anyway. Just like you're going to visit Wahlburgers whenever your travels take you to a location that is lucky enough to have one. You might even take a copy of this book with you on the next cruise or during the tour for an autograph. 

The photos in this book are nice and crisp. Many I haven't ever seen and some I haven't seen since I had to take everything off my walls and be an adult. The layout is fun and colorful, but not childish. There are some stories and tidbits that the author put together nicely. It's a great way to condense a 40-year anniversary into one special volume.

*The only thing I did not like is the "Jonathan's coming out" section. I just didn't think it needed to be there. Hopefully, it will shed some light on how things were in the 80s-90's. On the AIDS crisis which is mentioned. 

I don't know. I just didn't think it was relevant when a simple story about Jonathan and Harvey would have been more fitting. Like was done for the other bandmates. Maybe I'm just fiercely protective of all LGBTQIA+ members. Maybe I'm too sensitive.

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I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was under no obligation to give a review. All opinions are on my own. I am disclosing this per the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”