Why am I passionate about this?

My research and writing about music, particularly country and other Southern genres, began with the "Louisiana Hayride", a radio barn dance in the post-World War II era that launched both Hank Williams and Elvis Presley to prominence. From there, I turned to the long-running PBS music showcase Austin City Limits, which now names a huge music festival as well. In both projects, understanding music encompassed larger contexts of region, media, and meaning, all of which bear on understanding Dolly Parton as a musician and songwriter; as Appalachian; as a recording, TV, and movie star; and as a global cultural icon. I’ve never known life without Dolly Parton in it. Of this, I’m glad.


I wrote

Dolly Parton: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life

By Tracey Laird,

Book cover of Dolly Parton: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life

What is my book about?

The book draws from five-plus decades of published interviews, articles, books, and media appearances, material that could generate a hundred…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Her Country: How the Women of Country Music Became the Success They Were Never Supposed to Be

Tracey Laird Why did I love this book?

Marissa centers on three contemporary songwriters, Kacey Musgraves; Maren Morris; and Mickey Guyton, to illuminate the experiences of country women more broadly during the twenty-first century. Facing closed doors and narrowed constraints, this trio carved channels for music business success, using new-century tools to reach audiences and ears. The industry-old guard was left to catch up.

The backdrop for their stories is the well-documented nosedive for women on country radio airwaves since 2000, but terrestrial radio matters less for this younger generation. Dolly’s own path-clearing journey inspired these artists. At one notable intersection of their stories and hers, Dolly’s surprise appearance onstage during an all-women performance at the Newport Folk Festival drew a reaction from musicians and the crowd alike. One close observer remembered it was like they had seen “f-ing Snow White.” 

By Marissa R. Moss,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Her Country as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In country music, the men might dominate the radio waves. But it’s women—like Maren Morris, Mickey Guyton, and Kacey Musgraves—who are making history.

This is the full and unbridled story of the past twenty years of country music seen through the lens of these trailblazers’ careers—their paths to stardom and their battles against a deeply embedded boys’ club, as well as their efforts to transform the genre into a more inclusive place—as told by award-winning Nashville journalist Marissa R. Moss.

For the women of country music, 1999 was an entirely different universe—a brief blip in time, when women like Shania…


Book cover of Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton

Tracey Laird Why did I love this book?

Musicologist Lydia Hamessley delved into Dolly’s songwriting corpus over the course of a decade, analyzing her tremendous output of songs, according to different categories.

“Coat of Many Colors,” for example, is the most beloved from among Dolly’s autobiographical songs. Lydia breaks down the harmony, and relationships between melody and lyrics to explain why the song works so well.

Songs about women’s lives, in another section, includes deeply affecting vignettes like “Down from Dover,” about a pregnant young woman’s despair after being abandoned by her lover and rejected by family.

Lydia’s book systematically unpacks the musical heart of Dolly’s creative genius, a quality that can at times be overshadowed in writings about her by the outsized nature of Dolly’s public persona.

By Lydia R. Hamessley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Unlikely Angel as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Dolly Parton's success as a performer and pop culture phenomenon has overshadowed her achievements as a songwriter. But she sees herself as a songwriter first, and with good reason. Parton's compositions like "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene" have become American standards with an impact far beyond country music.

Lydia R. Hamessley's expert analysis and Parton's characteristically straightforward input inform this comprehensive look at the process, influences, and themes that have shaped the superstar's songwriting artistry. Hamessley reveals how Parton's loving, hardscrabble childhood in the Smoky Mountains provided the musical language, rhythms, and memories of old-time music that resonate…


Book cover of She Come by It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs

Tracey Laird Why did I love this book?

This book positions Dolly as an icon for women’s struggles for equality and autonomy, through the lens of working-class women Sarah knew growing up. 

In songs like “Just Because I’m a Woman,” Dolly lays out issues of gender-based double standards just as clearly as any feminist analysis published in an academic journal, arguably, more clearly. Songs like “Eagle When She Flies” convey, in Sarah’s words, the “simultaneous vulnerability and deep power of women.” The first example was banned in its time on US radio, while many country radio DJs refused to play the latter during the early 1990s.

Sarah connects the dots and argues that Dolly’s feminism is embodied in her creative output and her actions, decade after decade. Dolly’s 2018 song “A Woman’s Right” makes a good follow-up.

By Sarah Smarsh,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked She Come by It Natural as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this Time Top 100 Book of the Year, the National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Heartland “analyzes how Dolly Parton’s songs—and success—have embodied feminism for working-class women” (People).

Growing up amid Kansas wheat fields and airplane factories, Sarah Smarsh witnessed firsthand the particular vulnerabilities—and strengths—of women in working poverty. Meanwhile, country songs by female artists played in the background, telling powerful stories about life, men, hard times, and surviving. In her family, she writes, “country music was foremost a language among women. It’s how we talked to each other in a place where feelings…


Book cover of Run, Rose, Run

Tracey Laird Why did I love this book?

Is there anything Dolly can’t do?

In 2022 she teamed with best-selling thriller author James Patterson on a novel about an aspiring country musician with a troubled past. AnnieLee hitchhikes her way to Nashville, but just as her musical career starts to gain traction, the demons from her past start to catch up.

Knowing Dolly co-wrote the story makes it hard to avoid reading her voice into the experiences of the youthful main character, but also into the voice of the older country music legend Ruthanna, who takes the struggling newcomer under her wing.

This book reminds you that Dolly, at her core, is a skillful storyteller.

By James Patterson, Dolly Parton,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Run, Rose, Run as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

From America’s most beloved superstar and its greatest storyteller—a thriller about a young singer-songwriter on the rise and on the run, and determined to do whatever it takes to survive.

Every song tells a story. 

She’s a star on the rise, singing about the hard life behind her. 

She’s also on the run. Find a future, lose a past. 

Nashville is where she’s come to claim her destiny.  It’s also where the darkness she’s fled might find her.  And destroy her. 

Run, Rose, Run is a novel glittering with danger and desire—a story that…


Book cover of Finding Her Voice: Women in Country Music, 1800-2000

Tracey Laird Why did I love this book?

This book is a classic. Along with the Smithsonian Collection of Classic Country recordings and Bill Malone’s Country Music, U.S.A., my own interest in writing about country music began here. 

When a senior scholar advised that country music lacked “respectability” as an academic topic, this book was among the small set of works that sealed my confidence to do what I wanted and figure it would all work itself out (Dolly does what she wants, too!).

In compiling biographical profiles of women in country music, this book also filled in a whole portion of history typically glossed over in most country music writing up until that point. It likewise planted seeds for future research and writing on the history of women in the genre, which continues to bear fruit today.

By Mary A. Bufwack, Robert K. Oermann,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Finding Her Voice as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From country's earliest pioneers to its greatest legends, this work documents the lives of the female artists who have shaped the music for over 200 years. Through interviews, photographs, and primary texts, this work weaves a complex tapestry of personalities and talent. It gets to the heart of the special bond female artists have with their audiences. People seeking to understand the context out of which mega-stars such as Shania Twain, Faith Hill, and the Dixie Chicks emerged should look no farther than this guide. Some of the women discussed include Dolly Parton, Wanda Jackson, Patsy Montana, Alison Krauss, Martha…


Explore my book 😀

Dolly Parton: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life

By Tracey Laird,

Book cover of Dolly Parton: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life

What is my book about?

The book draws from five-plus decades of published interviews, articles, books, and media appearances, material that could generate a hundred more remarkable moments with ease.

Consistent threads of Dolly’s life weave together: music, family, movies and TV, business, and philanthropy. Her apparently limitless well of creativity creates the strongest line, starting with a song written at age five and driving a lifetime of composition, performance, and collaboration. Dolly’s faith is another throughline, connecting to her creative energy (Dolly calls it her “God space”) and to that place she has come to occupy in the world: an icon of kindness, compassion, and acceptance, resonating far beyond the bounds of her bodacious, audacious, individual personhood. It is that person who emerges from the pages of this book.

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The Peace Puppy: A Memoir of Caregiving and Canine Solace

By Susan Hartzler,

Book cover of The Peace Puppy: A Memoir of Caregiving and Canine Solace

Susan Hartzler Author Of The Peace Puppy: A Memoir of Caregiving and Canine Solace

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm an accomplished author, award-winning writer, seasoned blogger, and savvy Public Relations Consultant, but my true passion lies in being a die-hard dog lover. Due to the demands of my current pack of Australian Shepherds, Seven and Paige Turner, I’ve built a rewarding career working from home, writing dog-centric books, blogging for diverse clients, consulting in public relations, and creating dog-friendly travel stories. I also launched the online shop, “Dog Travel Gear,” where I share tips and adventures with fellow dog lovers on the blog, “Paws on the Go.”

Susan's book list on life with dogs

What is my book about?

As one of 67 million Americans who serve as caretakers to their elderly parents, Susan Hartzler cared for her dad for three years, gaining profound insight into Parkinson's disease and the multifaceted challenges of caregiving. Throughout this period, Hartzler's rescue dog, Baldwin, a precious gift from her late mom, provided unwavering support.

This memoir offers a personal roadmap for those facing similar caregiving decisions. Thoughtful, tragic, and funny, it shows that, while demanding, caregiving can be a fulfilling endeavor, especially with a dog by one's side. The author's story will better prepare others in similar situations and encourage them to…

The Peace Puppy: A Memoir of Caregiving and Canine Solace

By Susan Hartzler,

What is this book about?

In a role 67 million Americans face as caretakers to their elderly parents, Susan Hartzler cared for her dad for three years, gaining profound insight into Parkinson's disease and the multifaceted challenges of caregiving. Throughout this challenging period, Hartzler's rescue dog, Baldwin, a precious gift from her late mom, provided unwavering support.

This memoir offers a personal roadmap for those facing similar caregiving decisions. Thoughtful, tragic, and funny, it shows that while demanding, caregiving can be a fulfilling endeavor, especially with a dog by one's side. Hartzler's story will better prepare others in similar situations and encourage them to consider…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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