Rating: 
Summary: "I just lived for rap."
Review: "Whatever You Say I Am: The Life and Times of Eminem," by journalist, Anthony Bozza is a marvelous analysis of the rap singer's rise to fame. This is not a glitzy pop idol bio. Instead Bozza gives a brief bio of Marshall Mather's life, but then concentrates on exactly why his music appeals to millions of fans. Bozza argues "at his best and worst, Eminem embraces the contradictions at the heart of our society." The book weaves Eminem's struggle for success against a backdrop of American popular culture. Bozza details the formation of the "loose collective", D12 (Detroit 12/Dirty Dozen)--a group of rappers who were encouraged to experiment creatively with an "alter ego" or "persona", and it was from this concept that Eminem's persona, Slim Shady was born.
Bozza also covers Eminem's relationship with Dr Dre, Elton John, and also several salient points in Eminem's career--including an interview conducted with Eminem and Mark Wahlberg. There's also plenty of background information on Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap, & Death Row records.
Bozza addresses the controversy behind Eminem and his music, and tackles his greatest critics--both in the music world and in the political world (including arch enemy Lynne Cheney). In 2000, Eminem was nominated but didn't win the Grammy award for Record of the Year. Many people protested Eminem's nomination, and the award eventually went to Steely Dan. Bozza argues that this was ironic as Steely Dan's album included some questionable lyrics too--but oddly enough, censorship vultures either ignored or simply didn't notice this.
Many claim that Eminem is talentless--"the world's newest pop monster"--and in the same league as the Beastie Boys and Vanilla Ice. Bozza lays the arguments against Eminem to rest while charting the shifting fan base. Bozza also examines other rock baddies--including Marilyn Manson and Alice Cooper, and compares their style to Eminem's. Bozza argues that Marshall Bruce Mathers III, "elevates his life to art. Art is many things, but when it is true, anyone from anywhere, at any time, can see it and feel it and understand the emotion beneath it, even if they don't speak the language. If the feeling is pure, art can lead the whole world down the artist's rabbit hole."
Eminem fans should enjoy this well written, intelligent book. However, it is NOT a light read, and it does not concentrate on Eminen's life. There is some heavy analysis here, and the book may be more than the average reader wants. Finally, the book is also loaded with black and white photographs with many shots of Eminem both at work and at play--displacedhuman
Rating: 
Summary: 2 stars purely for the photos
Review: After getting this book for Christmas, I was really looking forward to reading it, but kept putting it off. And guess what? I hated it. OK, I suppose I was expecting more of a biography about Eminem. This went into what happened before Eminem came onto the scene, including talking about Elvis, and more hip-hop music. You do however have some good photos, and some interviews with Eminem, as the interviewer travelled about with him. These were good, but there was too much inbetween the good bits, to warrant a higher rating. I will admit also, that I ended up skipping A LOT of pages, until I was skipping so many pages, that I gave up altogether, just after the second set of photos. Don't go out and buy this, seriously, it is not worth it. I definitely want a new, proper Eminem biography.
Rating: 
Summary: Big words
Review: As a 32 year old WOMAN Eminem Fan, I cant wait to get my hands on anything EM. I read this book in 24 hours. I agree with the other reviews that said that there was a lot of cultural history that leads to the Eminem Revolution, which got really boring. The thing that really bothered me about the book was the use of "misogynist" throughout to describe Em. Anyone that has REALLY listened to Eminem would know that misogynist (a severe hatred for women) is not what he is about and is just the author's attempt to sum up Eminem in one word. Pick another word - like genius or innovative!!!
Rating:
Summary: Big words
Review: As a 32 year old WOMAN Eminem Fan, I cant wait to get my hands on anything EM. I read this book in 24 hours. I agree with the other reviews that said that there was a lot of cultural history that leads to the Eminem Revolution, which got really boring. The thing that really bothered me about the book was the use of "misogynist" throughout to describe Em. Anyone that has REALLY listened to Eminem would know that misogynist (a severe hatred for women) is not what he is about and is just the author's attempt to sum up Eminem in one word. Pick another word - like genius or innovative!!!
Rating: 
Summary: The Eminem prism
Review: I have read a lot of the reviews posted about this book, and I think a lot of viewpoints are slightly skewed. This book is entitled "The Life and Times of Eminem" for a reason. Bozza essentially takes a look at Eminem's career through the eyes of the artist. American culture during certain periods of time influences how well unprecedented forms of media are accepted, as some sort of esoteric country club of pop culture. I thought it was fascinating to see how Eminem fed off all of the feedback he received, both positive and negative, in ways I never knew. Bozza ties Eminem's life into his music and America's perception of him. Bozza gives only slight hints at the past life of Eminem because any more details and it would drag on like any other biography. Read Marilyn Manson's autobiography and you'll get the same thing - bits and pieces of Brian's life that were integral to who he has become. I think that Bozza's style and flow in the book is impeccable, and his taste for exactly how much to include about Eminem's life and what parallels to draw made me understand Eminem's life with much more clarity. Who cares if Bozza misspells the name of a basketball player when it's not his main focus; it doesn't dispel his credibility as a music journalist (or a journalist at all for that matter). Look at the book as a prism of Eminem -one person showing multiple facades that shine down over American culture, and you will learn to appreciate the novel. "The Life and Times of Eminem" indeed shows how the artist's life was inevitably connected to the "times" of American Culture as he became a rising star. Bravo, Bozza!
Rating:
Summary: Not enough history on Eminem, too much focus on culture
Review: I just finished reading this book and I thought that it was well written from start to finish. Unfortunately, I did not get the content I was looking for. I was looking mainly for what Eminem did in the past and what he intends to do in the future. The book I would say was only 2/5ths that. The rest was focusing on hip-hop history. Chapter after chapter was the same stuff over again, but focusing on a different artist of hip-hop. Sometimes there was long stretches of pages that seemed to have no end, while not even mentioning eminem. If your looking for a book on hip-hop culture, this is a good one. If you want a book that shows the life and times of eminem, this book only counts as 2/5ths.
Rating:
Summary: Jason C is right
Review: I read the book before looking at the reviews and I was thinking about what I would write. Just before writing my review, I was curious about what others thought of the book and I looked at theirs. The one of Jason C looked very much like I was going to write. I was going to say that the book has not a good title because it is more about hip hop history, black/white influences than about "the life and times of eminem", and only 1/3 of the book or less is about Eminem. Bozza sometimes go as far as talking about the crack issue in New-York city in the late 80's or about the far roots of hip-hop, being the communication by drums used by the Ashanti, a tribe of south africa..... Like Jason C said, it is a repetetive book. Many things are mentionned or explained more than 2 times. I loved the last two chapters(6-7) and the conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: Decent Book On Eminem
Review: I recently read this book and I thought that it was a decent look at Eminem about how he got to where he is and what he means to society at large, however I think that the author could have been a little more in depth about some of the controversies that surround Eminem(i.e., being more in depth about what he thinks about a certain incident in Colorado about 5 years ago, about the furor surrounding some of his songs[especially the "Kim" song]) and I don't think that this book would give the hardcore fan a complete sense about Eminem. Although this is a decent book, I think that it has some weaknesses.
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.
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