"A contributing editor at Rolling Stone and a bona fide Swiftie, Sheffield charts how Taylor Swift, who rose to fame writing songs for teenage girls (when she was still one herself), became ubiquitous - and he makes the case that even as her cultural dominance can work to obscure her skill, everything always leads back to her virtuosic writing." - The New York Times Book Review
"An impassioned dissertation on (almost) all things Swiftian: her history, her method, her craft, her secret life as a pop music scholar and geek, her place in a long line of legends and calculated image crafters from Joni Mitchell to Michael Jackson... The relationship between Swift and her Swifties - their origin story, their care and
feeding - is at the heart of Heartbreak Is the National Anthem." -
Washington Post"Readers will revel in the unrestrained delight with which Sheffield captures his subject, mixing a fan's exuberance with a music critic's nuanced analysis. Swifties won't be able to put this down." -
Publishers Weekly"The book is a rollercoaster to be devoured in one sitting and at the end, he somehow leaves you wanting more." -
USA Today"An impressionistic portrait of Taylor Swift... the first serious attempt to place Swift inside a music history." -
Chicago Tribune"I did enjoy a lot of Taylor Swift's album "The Tortured Poets Department." But I'd be lying if I didn't say I enjoyed a book about her even more - Rob Sheffield's "Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music." It's the year's best critical appraisal of pop stardom disguised as a fan's ecstatic notes." -
NPR's Fresh Air"Rob Sheffield of
Rolling Stone tackled mix tapes in a memoir and the Beatles in an appreciation, both highly acclaimed books. Now he tackles Taylor Swift, choosing his title
Heartbreak Is the National Anthem from her song 'New Romantics' (from her best album
1989, just sayin'). Fans will love the fact that he takes Swift seriously: this is about popular music and how she's shaped it as an artist and yes as a pop culture force to be reckoned with. And non-fans will enjoy learning just what all the fuss is about." -
Parade"Tracking Taylor Swift from precocious teen to pop-music juggernaut. Why is Taylor Swift a cultural lightning rod? Why do people love-or hate-her and her music so much? Those are the questions that Sheffield, a music journalist and self-avowed Swiftie, seeks to answer in this zippy and engaging work. An affectionate homage from an ardent fan." -
Kirkus Reviews"The first serious book-length discussion of Swift as an artist and cultural force... short, delightful and interesting." -
Bloomberg News"Strongly felt and delightful collection... [Sheffield] can make the whole place shimmer." -
Boston Globe"Rob Sheffield's kaleidoscopic, wildly enthusiastic biography, Heartbreak Is the National Anthem, will satisfy both superfans and those less familiar with the prolific phenom Taylor Swift."? -
BookPage"For the Swiftie in your life, this definitive account of the rise of pop megastar Taylor Swift by
Rolling Stone journalist Rob Sheffield is a must-read. Sheffield has been following Swift's career since "Our Song" in 2006, and his new book tracks her rises and falls with the rigor of an investigative journalist and the eyes and heart of a superfan." -
Our Culture Magazine"One of the things that's made Rob Sheffield's writings on music compelling to so many readers is his attention to the ways music can become a part of one's life... His latest,
Heartbreak Is the National Anthem, explores the cultural impact of another musical juggernaut: Taylor Swift. It looks to be both a welcome addition to Sheffield's own catalog and a memorable look at Swift's music." -
Inside Hook
