SHE COME BY IT NATURAL

With her eyebrow raising tight clothes, generosity of heart, and a take no crap attitude, here's an inspiring, passionate exploration of the life and work of Dolly Parton, and her deep significance for generations of working-class women. Well into her 70s she continues to grace awards stages, arenas and talk shows where women of a certain age are rarely seen. Yet not so long ago, Dolly was best known by many people as the punch line of a boob joke. So, what happened? In this affectionate, sharply insightful book, Sarah Smarsh charts Dolly's meteoric rise against the backdrop of her working-class poverty, growing up in rural Kansas wheat fields and airplane factories in the Great Smoky Mountains, to stardom in Nashville and Hollywood, from girl singer manipulated by powerful men and famous for her assets up front, to self-made mogul of business, literacy and philanthropy, Smarsh crafts a resonant portrait of Dolly's cultural importance, above all for the often-unheard women who populate her songs: struggling mothers, pregnant teenagers, diner waitresses with deadbeat boyfriends. Candid, intimate and searching. Remainder mark, 188 pages.