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Rating: 
Summary: Eminem in Context
Review: If you're looking for a light pop culture, tabloid style biography of Eminem-this is not the book for you.Instead we have a well laid-out mini-biography of Eminem that places him within the context of American society and current popular culture. It also serves to put Eminem in context within hip-hop history and culture, discussing racial themes and how Eminem has managed to succeed in a predominately black arena, both because of and despite his race. There are a few key drawbacks, though. First, the book is clearly pro-Eminem. I certainly did not want to read a lot of Eminem bashing, being a fan. But the lack of any real criticism is telling-especially given the controversy surrounding him. Second, occasionally I think the author stretches logic a bit with some of the parallels he draws between the rise and success of Eminem within the context of American culture at large. Finally, the author relies a great deal on the commentary of music critics. It would have been nice to see a broader array of views outside the music industry than is offered here. Nevertheless, this book does succeed as a mini-biography of Eminem and hip-hop history, so for those interested , I would recommend the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Bozza doesn't deliver on promise
Review: The advance billing for this book made much out of author Bozza's 'unprecedented access' to Eminem, leading one to believe that we would be getting insight into the rapper's personal life and complex past that were previously unseen. Instead we get an extended version of interviews Bozza did with the rapper that have already been published in Rolling Stone. While we get a few more details of the actual interview encounters, there is no additional meat here. Nothing more on his complex history with his mother or his ex-wife, Kim; no insights into Eminem's day-to-day life now. What we do have in abundance is an analysis of Eminem's place in the complex culture of hip hop--particularly as a white man. However, when Bozza makes a comparison between Eminem and fellow causasian star Larry Bird, he misspells the the basketball player's last name as Byrd. Such a careless mistake takes weight away from all of his heavy ruminations. In short, if you're looking for a decent social history of hip hop focusing on Eminem's role, this is the book for you. Just don't expect a biography with 'unprecedented' personal details about the man.
Rating:
Summary: More on culture than Eminem
Review: This book is more focused on the hip-hop culture than Eminem. It does have some history of Eminem, but not enough for hard-core Eminem fans like myself, since most Eminem fans out there already know about Eminem's life thanks to biorythem: the old MTV biography show, and also stories told by Emimem himself.
It does follow Eminem to 8 Mile, and his struggles coming up into the rap world as a white MC, of course it was hard then, and for some it is still hard for some white MC's out there.
Now Bozza explains about the history of hip-hop and the culture throughout the book, and this is a good book to read for anyone older who want to understand hip-hop culture for what it is, and also some stuff about the controversal rapper himself. Nothing really major since most hard-core Eminem fans know about their favorite MC. A somewhat good book, but I just wish Bozza contreated more on Eminem than the hip-hop culture itself.
Rating:
Summary: Not a bio.
Review: This is a great book if you want to read about Eminem and the hip hop/rap history, but if you need to read a biography this isn't really the right book. The fisrt 2 or 3 pages of each chapter is about the time Bozza spent with Eminem, nothing about him. I am pretty much obsessed with Eminem, so I enjoyed this book.
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