Mary Gabriel (1) (1955–)

Read 40%, which I feel is enough. There's much less about Karl and Jenny's relationship here than I think I was led to expect, probably because there's not just a whole lot of surviving source material. Jenny comes off as entirely saintly, and the reader will be impressed that she put up with a lot out of her love for Karl, leaving behind an aristocratic upbringing for revolutionary penury and begging because Karl could not/would not earn money to support them, as such practicalities were far less important than the revolutionary struggle to remake society.

It's more interesting as a look at the personalities of Marx and Engels, especially as young men. Karl the extraordinarily intelligent, arrogant, abrasive intellectual who rubbed most people the wrong way, even those on his side, except for a small but extremely loyal circle of friends. Foremost among those being Engels, a womanizing playboy of the aristocracy who believed Marx was the one man who could accurately see the historical and socioeconomic processes as they unfolded and prescribe the communist remedy.

It's also a very good layman's overview of the politics and upheavals in Europe at the time.

Gabriel writes the book out of an obvious place of sympathy for Marx, though not uncritically. She's like a good friend sometimes wagging her finger at him for his faults.… (more)

This is a comprehensive biography of the impact that the queen of pop has had on the music business and in pushing the boundaries on pop culture in the modern era. Covers Madonna's early upbring, her rise to fame, her influences, all the albums that she has released with the major hits and associated videos, her various tours, fashion choices and partnerships with leading designers throughout her stellar career. Her impact to furthering womans and LGBTQ rights as well as furthering the sexual revolution is covered. While it took me a long time, about 4 months, to get through the audiobook as it is 42 hours' worth of audio, it was a for me, as a fan of her work, a worthwhile and pleasurable endeavor. Looking back at her performances and music videos from the 80s with the perspective of the 2020's makes it clear just how groundbreaking they were and are still influencing young performers and fans to this day, which is something that will continue for a long, long time into the future. Looking forward to attending a concert of hers in the near future to experience her, her band and dancers in a live performance setting.… (more)