Love Reckless Daughter? Readers share 100 books like Reckless Daughter...

By David Yaffe,

Here are 100 books that Reckless Daughter fans have personally recommended if you like Reckless Daughter. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of There Was a Time: James Brown, the Chitlin' Circuit, and Me

A.J.B. Johnston Author Of Kings of Friday Night: The Lincolns

From my list on rock ā€˜nā€™ roll in the 1960s.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up with the music of the 1960s. Going to packed, pheromone-heavy dances featuring The Lincolnsā€”Nova Scotiaā€™s most popular and most soulful bandā€”were a huge part of my teenage years. Those experiences implanted a deep love of R&B, and somehow or other pointed me in the direction of becoming a writer. Itā€™s a bit of a mystery how it all works. In any case, of all my books, none was as much fun to work on as Kings of Friday Night. It has received lots of love, including from readers who grew up far from the time and place I write about. Long live local bands! And live music everywhere!

A.J.B.'s book list on rock ā€˜nā€™ roll in the 1960s

A.J.B. Johnston Why did A.J.B. love this book?

Alan Leeds does a wonderful job presenting his eyewitness experiences as part of the James Brown entourage in the 1960s and beyond. The reader canā€™t wait to find out what happens next in the riveting story he presents of Soul Brother No. 1, the ā€œhardest working man in show business.ā€ Itā€™s a fascinating tale, which presents Brown as an innovative musical force, determined artist, forceful businessman, and unpredictable personality. Itā€™s a behind-the-scenes look at the Chitlinā€™ Circuit when soul music was taking off as a dynamic new genreā€”as recalled by a young, Jewish kid from Queens who joined James Brownā€™s team and learned the music business at the hand of the performer who mastered it.

By Alan Leeds,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked There Was a Time as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

As seen in the Wall Street Journal!

ā€œAlan Leeds was a protegĆ© of James Brown and a true historian of the world that nurtured the great entertainer. Alan was a witness to the vibrant black music scene of the ā€™60s and ā€™70sā€”whose book is both a memoir and a document of a lost world of sound.ā€ā€”Nelson George, an American author, columnist, music and culture critic, journalist, and filmmaker

A behind-the-scenes look at the Chitlinā€™ Circuit during Americanā€™s most vital period of soul musicā€”from the eyes and ears of a young, Jewish kid from Queens who joined the team of theā€¦


Book cover of Dreams to Remember: Otis Redding, Stax Records, and the Transformation of Southern Soul

A.J.B. Johnston Author Of Kings of Friday Night: The Lincolns

From my list on rock ā€˜nā€™ roll in the 1960s.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up with the music of the 1960s. Going to packed, pheromone-heavy dances featuring The Lincolnsā€”Nova Scotiaā€™s most popular and most soulful bandā€”were a huge part of my teenage years. Those experiences implanted a deep love of R&B, and somehow or other pointed me in the direction of becoming a writer. Itā€™s a bit of a mystery how it all works. In any case, of all my books, none was as much fun to work on as Kings of Friday Night. It has received lots of love, including from readers who grew up far from the time and place I write about. Long live local bands! And live music everywhere!

A.J.B.'s book list on rock ā€˜nā€™ roll in the 1960s

A.J.B. Johnston Why did A.J.B. love this book?

This is an in-depth look at the life and career of the magnetic Otis Redding Jr., soul singer extraordinaire. We learn tons about Reddingā€™s family background and his hometown of Macon, Georgia (also the hometown of Little Richard). Redding died at 26 in a 1967 plane crash just as he was starting to climb to the heights of the music industry. Even so, he left behind a much-admired body of work though his time was cut so tragically short. The author did an enormous amount of research for the book, then crafted an energetic and easy-reading story that captures the remarkable journey that was Otis Reddingā€™sā€”from preacherā€™s son to charismatic soul singer who touched millions.

By Mark Ribowsky,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dreams to Remember as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When he died suddenly at the age of twenty-six, Otis Redding (1941-1967) was the conscience of a new kind of soul music. Berry Gordy built the first black-owned music empire at Motown but Redding was doing something as historic: mainstreaming black music within the whitest bastions of the post-Confederate south. As a result, the Redding story-still largely untold-is one of great conquest but grand tragedy. Now, in this transformative work, Mark Ribowsky contextualises Redding's life within the larger cultural movements of his era. What emerges in Dreams to Remember is not only a triumph of music history but also aā€¦


Book cover of How Sweet It Is: A Songwriter's Reflections on Music, Motown and the Mystery of the Muse

A.J.B. Johnston Author Of Kings of Friday Night: The Lincolns

From my list on rock ā€˜nā€™ roll in the 1960s.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up with the music of the 1960s. Going to packed, pheromone-heavy dances featuring The Lincolnsā€”Nova Scotiaā€™s most popular and most soulful bandā€”were a huge part of my teenage years. Those experiences implanted a deep love of R&B, and somehow or other pointed me in the direction of becoming a writer. Itā€™s a bit of a mystery how it all works. In any case, of all my books, none was as much fun to work on as Kings of Friday Night. It has received lots of love, including from readers who grew up far from the time and place I write about. Long live local bands! And live music everywhere!

A.J.B.'s book list on rock ā€˜nā€™ roll in the 1960s

A.J.B. Johnston Why did A.J.B. love this book?

If you know the music of the 1960s, you know that Lamont Dozier was at the heart of the hit-producing machine that was Motown Records. He was one-third of the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team that came up with hit after hit for an amazing number of celebrated artists. Later, after leaving Motown, Dozier continued to be a creative musical force (and still is today). He contributed his song-writing talents to over 100 Top 10 singles and was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This book is a window into Dozierā€™s musical worldā€”in the 1960s and beyond. Dozier recalls what it was like to grow up in Detroit when he did and then reveals his experiences collaborating with some of the greatest musical talents of the era.

By Lamont Dozier, Scott B. Bomar,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How Sweet It Is as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

As part of Motownā€™s legendary songwriting and production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, Lamont Dozier is responsible for such classics as ā€œBaby I Need Your Loving,ā€ ā€œYou Canā€™t Hurry Love,ā€ ā€œI Canā€™t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),ā€ ā€œStop! In the Name of Love,ā€ ā€œHeat Wave,ā€ ā€œBaby Love,ā€ ā€œItā€™s the Same Old Song,ā€ ā€œNowhere to Run,ā€ ā€œYou Keep Me Hanging On,ā€ ā€œReach Out Iā€™ll Be There,ā€ ā€œHow Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You),ā€ and many more. After leaving Motown, he continued to make his mark as an influential songwriter, artist, and producer with hits such as ā€œGive Me Just aā€¦


If you love Reckless Daughter...

Ad

Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest by Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctorā€”and only womanā€”on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route upā€¦

Book cover of The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs

A.J.B. Johnston Author Of Kings of Friday Night: The Lincolns

From my list on rock ā€˜nā€™ roll in the 1960s.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up with the music of the 1960s. Going to packed, pheromone-heavy dances featuring The Lincolnsā€”Nova Scotiaā€™s most popular and most soulful bandā€”were a huge part of my teenage years. Those experiences implanted a deep love of R&B, and somehow or other pointed me in the direction of becoming a writer. Itā€™s a bit of a mystery how it all works. In any case, of all my books, none was as much fun to work on as Kings of Friday Night. It has received lots of love, including from readers who grew up far from the time and place I write about. Long live local bands! And live music everywhere!

A.J.B.'s book list on rock ā€˜nā€™ roll in the 1960s

A.J.B. Johnston Why did A.J.B. love this book?

The title of this book might suggest that it will be a book of lists. It is not, not even close. Instead, Greil Marcus offers something closer to a philosophical meditation on what rock ā€˜nā€™ roll is. Or aspires to be when played and sung as a heartfelt, life-altering, reckless abandon musical genre. Itā€™s largely about attitude and feeling. The book is a fascinating read as one travels along with the author while he ruminates on different artists and their work and how some songs have resonated deeply with (and influenced) later musicians across the span of time. 

By Greil Marcus,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of our finest critics gives us an altogether original history of rock 'n' roll

Unlike all previous versions of rock 'n' roll history, this book omits almost every iconic performer and ignores the storied events and turning points that everyone knows. Instead, in a daring stroke, Greil Marcus selects ten songs recorded between 1956 and 2008, then proceeds to dramatize how each embodies rock 'n' roll as a thing in itself, in the story it tells, inhabits, and acts out-a new language, something new under the sun.

"Transmission" by Joy Division. "All I Could Do Was Cry" by Ettaā€¦


Book cover of Joni: The Lyrical Life of Joni Mitchell

Jennifer Merz Author Of Steadfast: Frances Perkins, Champion of Workers' Rights

From my list on strong inspiring women.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a picture-book writer and illustrator as well as a mother and teacher, the most important goal I can think of is fueling a childā€™s imagination with possibilities by providing true stories of trailblazing women. My reviews highlight remarkable women in the arts, government, sports, social work, and history. I hope you enjoy these books!

Jennifer's book list on strong inspiring women

Jennifer Merz Why did Jennifer love this book?

ā€œJoni Mitchell painted with words,ā€ begins this beautifully lyrical book on the well-known singer/song-writer. The colorful and imaginative collage illustrations jump off the page, telling the story of the girl from a small town in Canada who vanquished polio to go on to become a household name. Joni Mitchell used poetry to paint her feelings into song. We know her music and lyrics as a familiar soundtrack to our lives; now children can learn about the enigmatic spirit behind all that creative musicality.

By Selina Alko,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Joni as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

"Colors burst across each page, with layers of collage-work emphasizing the richness of Mitchell's influences and imagination. Will speak to readers just starting their own exploration of artistic expression." -Booklist (starred review)

Celebrate the captivating life of Joni Mitchell, the world-famous songbird who used her music to ignite and inspire an entire generation, in this stunning picture book biography from award-winning author and illustrator Selina Alko. This nonfiction picture book is an excellent choice to share during homeschooling, in particular for children ages 4 to 6. It's a fun way to learn to read and as a supplement for activityā€¦


Book cover of High School

Nathan Hesselink Author Of Finding the Beat: Entrainment, Rhythmic Play, and Social Meaning in Rock Music

From my list on biographies to get you inside of a musicianā€™s head.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve been playing and singing music since I was six, and my childhood dream was to become an orchestral cello player. Over the years, I learned a number of other instruments and studied music around the globe, yet I was always intrigued, even intimidated, by those who were able to compose. This list of books helps readers like me really get inside the heads of some of the greatest composers (and performers) of popular music in the 20th and 21st centuries. While many of my questions were answered, there remains a sense of mystery and wonder that even the artists themselves canā€™t always explain.

Nathan's book list on biographies to get you inside of a musicianā€™s head

Nathan Hesselink Why did Nathan love this book?

Tegan and Saraā€™s joint autobiography reminded me how often music acts as a lifeline to survive childhood and beyond.

These identical twins from Calgary have such an amazing vibe and energy to their songs, and through their music they have been super advocates for gender and sexuality equality. Learning more about them also made me proud to be Canadian.

By Sara Quin, Tegan Quin,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

From iconic musicians Tegan and Sara comes a nostalgic memoir about high school, detailing their first loves and first songs in a compelling look back at their origin story.

'Genius' Augusten Burroughs, author of Running with Scissors
'A gift' Elliot Page, actor
'Utterly charming' Carmen Maria Machado, author of Her Body and Other Parties

Before they became international musicians and LGBTQ+ icons, twin sisters Sara and Tegan Quin came of age in 90s Canada. They argued relentlessly, skipped school, dropped acid and fell in and out of love - sometimes with their best friends.

One day they found their stepdad'sā€¦


If you love David Yaffe...

Ad

Book cover of The Ballad of Falling Rock

The Ballad of Falling Rock by Jordan Dotson,

Truth told, folks still ask if Saul Crabtree sold his soul for the perfect voice. If he sold it to angels or devils. A Bristol newspaper once asked: ā€œAre his love songs closer to heaven than dying?ā€ Others wonder how he wrote a song so sad, everyone who heard itā€¦

Book cover of Lives of Girls and Women

William Illsey Atkinson Author Of Sun's Strong Immortality

From my list on well-written slam-bang adventures.

Why am I passionate about this?

I had a rotten childhood. Stuck in bed with asthma, I couldnā€™t do sports; but I could roam space and time with books, especially science fiction. Yet when I tried to re-read my beloved sci-fi titles as an adult, I got a shock. The books with sound science had terrible writing; the well-written books were full of scientific schlock. I realized that if I wanted sci-fi that was both technically astute and rewarding to read, Iā€™d have to write it myself. And so I did.

William's book list on well-written slam-bang adventures

William Illsey Atkinson Why did William love this book?

Great adventure doesnā€™t always mean jungles, star-wastes, or derring-do. The human heart ā€“ what one poet called "the wilderness behind the eyes" ā€“ can be as electrifying as any firefight. In this tradition, Alice Munro won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature. Lives of Girls and Women is her second novel, and like all great adventure stories will tell you more about yourself than you ever suspected. As Sir Walter Scott said of Jane Austen: "That young lady has a talent for describing the involvements and feelings and characters of ordinary life."

By Alice Munro,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Lives of Girls and Women as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Through the women and men she encounters, Del becomes aware of her own potential and the excitement of an unknown independence. Alice Munro's previous books include "Dance of the Happy Shades" and "The Beggar Maid", which was nominated for the 1980 Booker Prize.


Book cover of Pastoral

Karla Huebner Author Of In Search of the Magic Theater

From my list on creativity, self-discovery, and (re)invention.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve always been fascinated by our creative urges and ambitions, and by what makes us who we are and why we make the choices we do. While Iā€™m interested in many aspects of human experience and psychology, from the mundane to the murderous, Iā€™m especially drawn to narratives that probe our deeper psyches and look, particularly with a grain of humor, at our efforts to expand our understanding and create great worksā€”or simply to become wiser and more enlightened beings. What is our place in the universe? Why are we here? Who are we? The books Iā€™ve listed explore some of these matters in ways both heartfelt and humorous.

Karla's book list on creativity, self-discovery, and (re)invention

Karla Huebner Why did Karla love this book?

Pastoral is one of my favorite recent discoveries. Itā€™s one of a quincunx of novels linked by exploration of five classic literary genresā€”in this case the currently unfashionable pastoral. Newly ordained priest Christopher Pennant isnā€™t greatly pleased that his first parish assignment is to a rural town where sheep are numerous. He assumes heā€™ll be a suitable shepherd to the humans, people he expects to be simple and straightforward. Of course, they arenā€™t. Theyā€™re not only as complex as people anywhere else, but very unexpected. Father Pennant not only finds he has a self-appointed cello-playing chef as rectory caretaker, but he witnesses three possible miracles. Or are they trickery? I love the depth and gentle humor in the priestā€™s attempts to understand his parishioners and himself. And nature, too.

By AndrƩ Alexis,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

There were plans for an official welcome. It was to take place the following Sunday. But those who came to the rectory on Father Pennant's second day were the ones who could not resist seeing him sooner. Here was the man to whom they would confess the darkest things. It was important to feel him out. Mrs Young, for instance, after she had seen him eat a piece of her macaroni pie, quietly asked what he thought of adultery. Andre Alexis brings a modern sensibility and a new liveliness to an age-old genre, the pastoral. For his very first parish,ā€¦


Book cover of The Wings of Night

Mark Lisac Author Of Where the Bodies Lie

From my list on novels depicting regions of Canada.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve been a writer most of my life, moving from high-school essays to working for newspapers to creating novels. One way or another, Iā€™ve also spent much of that time exploring Canada's back roads and smaller communities. Those places and the people living in them have a pungent reality that I often find missing in the froth of modern urban society. The places and their people are interesting and inspiring, and I always get drawn back to reading and writing about them.

Mark's book list on novels depicting regions of Canada

Mark Lisac Why did Mark love this book?

I was very much taken with this novelā€™s blend of romance, mystery, and exploration of whether you can ever go home again. Raddall doesnā€™t get much mention and is largely remembered for his other novels when he does. Thatā€™s a shame.

This 1956 work stands up very well against more recent works. It features unadorned yet persuasive prose that many modern writers can only wish for. Raddall quite evidently intended it as a loving, almost lyrical, description of rural Nova Scotia. He succeeded.

By Thomas H. Raddall,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Wings of Night as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It was spring in Nova Scotia when Neil Jamieson returned to Oak Falls. Wild and resentful, he had run away fourteen years before. Now, still blustering and belligerent, educated but not subdued, he took a fresh look at the citizens of Oak Falls and particularly at the timber town's decaying sawdust aristocracy.


If you love Reckless Daughter...

Ad

Book cover of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier,

The coaching book that's for all of us, not just coaches.

It's the best-selling book on coaching this century, with 15k+ online reviews. BrenƩ Brown calls it "a classic". Dan Pink said it was "essential".

It is practical, funny, and short, and "unweirds" coaching. Whether you're a parent, a teacher,ā€¦

Book cover of Like Everyone Else but Different: The Paradoxical Success of Canadian Jews

David S. Koffman Author Of No Better Home?: Jews, Canada, and the Sense of Belonging

From my list on Canadian Jewish life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I was born and raised as both an anglophone Canadian and a diaspora Jew. After living in Montreal, Jerusalem, and New York for a total of about 15 years, I returned to my hometown of Toronto and took up the position of the J. Richard Shiff Chair for the Study of Canadian Jewry at York University, where I work as a professor of history. I teach undergraduate students, graduate students, fellow academics, community leaders, and the wide public about all sorts of dimensions of this very religiously diverse, culturally diverse, socio-economically diverse, and politically diverse community of 400,000+ souls, with its 260+-year-old history. 

David's book list on Canadian Jewish life

David S. Koffman Why did David love this book?

I love this bookā€™s sprawling effort to answer all sorts of basic questions about the living, vibrant Jews of Canada.

The book was so solid and sold so well when it originally came out with a trade publisher it was re-issued. It uses good social science and approachable theories.

I found it highly informative, intuitive, and curiosity-provoking. Whatā€™s more, itā€™s really funny. If youā€™re a Canadian Jew, youā€™ll learn something about yourself or some part of the Jewish world of which youā€™re a part of. And if youā€™re not both Canadian and Jewish, youā€™ll get a very good grounding in understanding the worldā€™s fourth-largest Jewish community. 

By Morton Weinfeld,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Like Everyone Else but Different as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Liberal democratic societies with diverse populations generally offer minorities two usually contradictory objectives: the first is equal integration and participation; the second is an opportunity, within limits, to retain their culture. Yet Canadian Jews are successfully integrated into all domains of Canadian life, while at the same time they also seem able to retain their distinct identities by blending traditional religious values and rituals with contemporary cultural options. Like Everyone Else but Different illustrates how Canadian Jews have created a space within Canada's multicultural environment that paradoxically overcomes the potential dangers of assimilation and diversity. At the same time, thisā€¦


Book cover of There Was a Time: James Brown, the Chitlin' Circuit, and Me
Book cover of Dreams to Remember: Otis Redding, Stax Records, and the Transformation of Southern Soul
Book cover of How Sweet It Is: A Songwriter's Reflections on Music, Motown and the Mystery of the Muse

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,889

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Canada, singers, and composers?

Canada 453 books
Singers 73 books
Composers 45 books