Madonna

School Library Journal

ea. vol: photogs. CIP. Messner. Aug. 1985. PLB $8.79; Wanderer/S. & S. pap. $3.50. Gr 6-8 Like politicians, successful young rock performers are careful about their public images, and they know how important it is to assemble a marketable, easily recognizable look and sound. Talent is not enough (sometimes not even a necessity). Consequently, it's not hard to understand Madonna's intense annoyance when an autograph-seeker asks her, `` `Are you Cyndi Lauper or Madonna?' '' and it's also not hard to understand why these two brief biographies offer occasional hype (``Wham! is the ultimate expression of style.'' Roll over, Elvis) and rather streamlined portraits of their subjects. Readers see only the slightest hints of Madonna's frantic sensuality here, and as for Wham!, `` `Everything we do is tongue in cheek' '' say they. Nonetheless, the authors do make some thoughtful observations, descend to superficiality only now and then and will leave readers with a general sense of how these people pushed their way into the limelight. All major information comes from secondary sources (uncited). There's no index or bibliography; the discography and videography are current through mid-1985. Black-and-white photos are sometimes muddy, seldom well-chosen or relevant. Buy for consumption. John Peters, New York Public Library