AM I PRETTY WHEN I FLY?

The iconic folk singer and activist blends childlike innocence with the hindsight realization only adults can grasp.

Baez has always displayed artistic creativity beyond her musical prowess, and her latest book demonstrates another one of her talents. As she introduces herself as an artist and narrates her experiences, she showcases her simple, appealing drawings, sometimes black and white and other times dashed with color. The author recalls how, at a young age, drawing pictures upside down captured her whimsy, something she also perfected by writing her name backward. “It’s as though the appropriate wires cross in my brain when I write backwards, which allows information otherwise unavailable to surface,” she writes. While some might consider this a process worth picking apart to study, it is not at the top of her mind: “We don't need an explanation for every damn thing." With the freedom of not being scrutinized too deeply, the pages come alive, taking readers on a pictorial trip through Baez’s life, where emotions and experiences such as loss, fear, isolation, and joy take center stage, helped by a line or two of her handwriting, occasionally sporting a backward letter. Each chapter opens with a small introduction to what lies behind or inspires the drawings. Once inside, Baez brings readers into a wonderland of intriguing characters, from haughty dames to men behaving badly. She challenges us to consider issues such as exclusivity culture or the impact human consumption has upon the environment. In the chapter titled “Nonsense & Misc.,” we find “goofy, action-packed, whimsical portrayals of nothing in particular. As I wrote earlier, these upside-down drawings are often a surprise to me, so they are open to your interpretation.” By gracefully walking a fine line between blunt-force honesty and flights of fancy, the book is satisfying, enjoyable, and rewarding.

Fans and newcomers alike will appreciate this intimate look into Baez’s unique artistry.