Holding Lightning

Excellent … Well-researched … Lordi convincingly makes the argument that Houston didn’t fit into the archetype of the ‘famous doomed woman whose only agency appears to be the power to self-destruct.’ Rather, she writes, Houston was savvy and smart but had burned herself out after years of hard work, giving her all to her art: ‘She could tend to her own light, or she could fire it up for us, but she could no longer do both’ A top-notch biography of a generational talent * KIRKUS, starred review *
Not only is Emily Lordi’s Holding Lightning a reclamation of Whitney Houston’s sound and genius; it restores Houston to her rightful place as an architect of modern pop * Danyel Smith, author of Shine Bright: A Very Personal History of Black Women in Pop *
In Holding Lightning, Lordi builds for us a Whitney who exemplifies Black excellence, yet she respects Whitney’s humanity by seamlessly including the truth of her complexes and complexities. Whitney has agency. She has creative control. She has passion. She has details and demons. Rather than giving her her flowers, Lordi lavishly gives Whitney Houston her layers and wings. This is a rendering all Black girl geniuses deserve * Michaela Angela Davis, author of Tenderheaded and co-writer of The Meaning of Mariah Carey *
Holding Lightning takes on the challenge of adding to the already robust legacy of one of our greatest artists, and it massively succeeds due to Emily Lordi’s gift of close attention, of narrative world-building, and of immense care not only for Whitney Houston, but for the entire universe that was touched by her presence * Hanif Abdurraqib, author of A Little Devil in America *
America put Whitney Houston on a pedestal that turned out to be a cage. In this lyrical, scrupulous biography, Emily Lordi makes a new space for understanding this great artist, where her artistry and her humanity are fully honoured. The depth of Lordi’s analysis demands that we see Houston as the full capable genius and self-directed career woman that she was, while her compassion does away with the fetishization and demonisation that reduce Houston and allows us to grasp the singer’s full humanity * Ann Powers, author of Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell *
[An] excellent biography … Along the way, Lordi also spotlights Houston’s support for other Black female artists, and frankly discusses Houston’s thornier experiences with addiction and her chaotic marriage to singer Bobby Brown, extending her the grace frequently withheld by the tabloids by highlighting the complicated tides of trauma, passion, abuse, power, and love that characterised the partnership. The result is a humanising and wonderfully nuanced re-examination of a misunderstood musical icon * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *
Delve[s] into Houston’s life, career, and legacy, compiling years of research, interviews with Houston’s inner circle, and examination of her music and her insights … Lordi dispels the reduction of Houston’s exceptional life to the notion that it was all tragedy and that her talent was all one-note … A vivid biography of a luminous talent * Booklist, starred review *
[Holding Lightning] is the story of the whole person, milestones and missteps alike … Lordi’s winning combination of research, pop culture knowledge, and respectful storytelling allows readers to both envy and sympathise with a musical legend * Library Journal *

Emily Lordi is a writer, professor, and critic based in Nashville, USA. She is the author of Black Resonance, Donny Hathaway Live, The Meaning of Soul, and Holding Lightning, an upcoming biography of Whitney Houston.

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