The childhood and young adult life of Ellen Cohen, who took the name Cass Elliot and launched herself into music fame. Opposite experience of the previous graphic novel I just tried. I’m not a huge Mamas and the Papas fan, I do like a lot of their hits, but some of the other songs just sound a bit- discordant to me. But every song noted in the back, I knew and now I have all their music stuck in my head on repeat. I even opened a playlist afterwards to listen to more. So, Cass as a young girl adored her father who was really into opera, while working as owner of a deli (they were rather poor). She had emotional issues in childhood that turned into overeating, and struggled with her weight the rest of her life. She didn’t let the judgement others put on her for appearances stop anything. Ran at her dreams full throttle, hitting everything with enthusiasm and flair. She had an amazing voice, wanted to sing and be a hit on the stage, and she made it- even if her group was only together for three years. The book chronicles all the ins and outs of her attempts to get into the music business, early groups she played with that broke apart or rearranged themselves, arguments with her bandmates, a wild trip to the Virgin Islands, her love triangle with two co-musicians (basically her infatuation with Danny was never returned), and their eventual falling out. I found this story very engaging, with lively and vivid illustrations- all black-and-white line drawings but the faces are so expressive. You get an instant sense of the characters’ personality and emotions in the moment. Anybody interested in music history or this group, individual in particular would appreciate this book I think. I certainly came away from it with a great admiration for Mama Cass, who did her darndest to achieve her goal, in spite of all the difficulties. She was funny, vivacious and larger than life.
By the same author as Layers.
Borrowed from the public library. Completed on 7/8/24.
