Looking for Fame: Lady Gaga by Paul Lester

Looking for Fame: The Life of a Pop Princess: Lady Gaga by Paul Lester

Release Date: September 1, 2010
Publisher: Omnibus Press
Pages: 192

I know this different than the books I normally review, but I am a fan of Lady Gaga so when I was offered this for review, I decided to try it.

Lady Gaga's style might be outrageous, but her music is catchy! And somehow, she's made her intense style work. But she wasn't always Lady Gaga--she first started as Stefani Germanotta.

This electrifying biography explores Stefani Germanotta's rapid rise to global stardom in the guise of the outrageous Lady Gaga. Hers has been a triumph achieved with the help of wild image-making, infectious pop hits and a teasing strand of ambiguous sexuality that has turned her into a gay icon. At heart it's the story of a unique self-made phenomenon - a Madonna for today. As an adoring fan of Freddie Mercury and David Bowie, Lady Gaga took the essence of 80s glam an reinvented it for the digital age. Commercially successful and critically accepted she shot from obscurity on Manhattan's club scene to worldwide fame in just a couple of years. This is the in-depth examination of her high-speed rise in the fame game, reported with a mix of admiration and sharp journalistic insight.

It was interesting to learn more about how Stefani became Lady Gaga. No story about one's ascension to fame has been without struggle and sacrifice, and Stefani's was no exception. Many have criticized Lady Gaga and her insane outfits, but no one can say that Lady Gaga hasn't become a huge pop icon today!

I thought this biography was pretty good; it wasn't too long, there are some color photos detailing Lady Gaga and some of her outfits. Looking for Fame seems to focus more on how Stefani actually became famous (ie getting discovered, people she met, recording sessions, etc) instead of focusing on what factors helped her shape her image of Lady Gaga. You'll definitely learn more about Lady Gaga reading this biography, but of course not every question you have will be answered! But that's one of the things that makes Lady Gaga so interesting, isn't it? She may make statements with her music, costumes and music videos, but there's still some room for your own interpretation too!