Book: First Step 2 Forever: My Story (100% Official)
Release Date: October 12, 2010
Release Date: October 12, 2010
As you can see from the cover, this is 100% OFFICIAL, y'all! I don't really know why it says that. Maybe there had been a bunch of unofficial and unauthorized Bieber-related books being released. And 100% OFFICIAL lets all the fans know that this is the one by the Biebs himself. Also, look at the purple circle that says, "FREE POSTER and lots of exclusive photos, just for you. Love, Justin XXX." Um, I hope the photos aren't XXX. Just kidding, Or rather, JK! I guess I should get into the online and texting lingo to fit in here, right? LOL.
But all kidding aside, this review is for Justin Bieber's book called First Step 2 Forever: My Story. Shouldn't that 2 be to? Sorry. Must get university grammar mindset out of head for a little bit. Again, JK! The book is meant to give fans an inside look at his life, including how he got his start in the biz (but you already know that, right?) and some behind-the-scenes on everything that led up to the big tour.
But all kidding aside, this review is for Justin Bieber's book called First Step 2 Forever: My Story. Shouldn't that 2 be to? Sorry. Must get university grammar mindset out of head for a little bit. Again, JK! The book is meant to give fans an inside look at his life, including how he got his start in the biz (but you already know that, right?) and some behind-the-scenes on everything that led up to the big tour.
When I first heard that he had a book, I thought, isn't he way, way, way too young to have a book out about his life? So I'm glad that even he remarked on that fact, saying he's too young to write a memoir: "we can all agree im a little too young to write a memoir...i just got a lot more life to live too :)." But aside from half the book filled up with photos, the format of the writing itself is like a memoir, though. A lot of memoirs take a certain defining moment in life and then flashback to everything that led up to it, and Justin did exactly that.
Every once in a while, some of his tweets are included to correspond to when he's talking about something in his life. Speaking of Twitter lingo, even his introduction his called a DM (that's Direct Message to those of you of a certain age. JK!). One tweet that stood out to me was this: "Music is the universal language no matter the country we are born in or the color of our skin. Brings us all together." So true, so true. There's also lyric passages from some of his songs sprinkled throughout the pages as well.
Every once in a while, some of his tweets are included to correspond to when he's talking about something in his life. Speaking of Twitter lingo, even his introduction his called a DM (that's Direct Message to those of you of a certain age. JK!). One tweet that stood out to me was this: "Music is the universal language no matter the country we are born in or the color of our skin. Brings us all together." So true, so true. There's also lyric passages from some of his songs sprinkled throughout the pages as well.
"Music is the universal language no matter the country we are born in or the color of our skin. Brings us all together."
One quote stood out to me: "My world got very big, very fast, and based on a lot of sad examples from the past, a lot of people expect me to get lost in it" (20). That is so very true. When someone in the business has that fast and steep of a rise to fame like Justin did, everyone expects that to all of a sudden come crashing down. And it seems like he and his people are looking at what that has done to other performers and celebrities, and making sure that doesn't happen to him.
"My world got very big, very fast, and based on a lot of sad examples from the past, a lot of people expect me to get lost in it."
It's good to find out that because of his age, he's not stuck in a tunnel of only being familiar with the singers of today. He listens to Dylan, Aerosmith, Hendrix, Van Halen, etc.
When Justin was young, people said he should try out for American Idol. The bad news was that he was under the age requirement. But he did try out for a local talent show, Stratford Star, and came in third. He's done busking, which means he's performed on sidewalks and made money from it. Some videos from him doing that ended up on YouTube. That's what started it all. Scooter Braun contacted him. He met with both Usher and Justin Timberlake, and chose Usher. He met L.A. Reid (current judge on The X Factor), and signed to a record deal. He and his mom had to move to the United States.
One of the first songs he listened to as a possible song for him was "Common Denominator." As we know, it didn't make the album, but did as a bonus cut.
"I had nothing to prove to those guys, just as I have nothing to prove to the haters who try to tear me down now."
He got noticed because of YouTube. And that internet grassroots method kept going before the album came out. He's Facebooking and Tweeting. His first song, "One Time," goes up to #3 on iTunes, and then #2 behind Taylor Swift. He does a small tour at various malls and such.
My World ends up selling way more than expected. He opens for Taylor Swift's concert tour. And sings for the Obamas. When award season comes around, he wins some and loses some.
Now to focus on the photos. Even though there are the typical heartthrob-type images of Justin, there are some that are really cool looking. There's one showing Justin sitting on a stool on stage performing; the photo is taken from behind him. And we see this very well-crafted "chandelier"-type piece hanging down. Another shows Justin standing in some sort of a steel basket hanging in the air, also from the tour. No matter who the artist is (and no matter if you like a particular artist or not), I like looking at set pieces from concerts, and seeing how intricate or well-done they may be. Speaking of that, another photo shows him on another sort of metal set piece hanging over the crowd; that particular one (on page 45) looks like it could be dangerous. I assume he's hooked in somehow, though I can't tell.
My World ends up selling way more than expected. He opens for Taylor Swift's concert tour. And sings for the Obamas. When award season comes around, he wins some and loses some.
Now to focus on the photos. Even though there are the typical heartthrob-type images of Justin, there are some that are really cool looking. There's one showing Justin sitting on a stool on stage performing; the photo is taken from behind him. And we see this very well-crafted "chandelier"-type piece hanging down. Another shows Justin standing in some sort of a steel basket hanging in the air, also from the tour. No matter who the artist is (and no matter if you like a particular artist or not), I like looking at set pieces from concerts, and seeing how intricate or well-done they may be. Speaking of that, another photo shows him on another sort of metal set piece hanging over the crowd; that particular one (on page 45) looks like it could be dangerous. I assume he's hooked in somehow, though I can't tell.
Speaking of being young, there are many moments when it's very obvious that he's still a teenager, because there are certain sections devoted to talking about GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS! And also, asking if there'll be an XBox on the tour bus. Oh, so young and innocent!
If you read my review of My World, you'll notice that one of my favorite tracks is "Down to Earth." Before listening to the song, I found out that it's about his parents divorcing. It made the song all the more powerful. In First Step 2 Forever, he says that his parents divorced when he was only 10 months old. I guess I never who how old he was when that happened, because I had just assumed he was old enough to understand what was going on. But he was not even a year old.
"I spoke both French and English from the time I was little..."
When I reviewed the French version of "One Less Lonely Girl," I wondered if he grew up learning French. Even though I knew he is Canadian, I wasn't sure. And sure enough upon reading the book, I find out he did: "I spoke both French and English from the time I was little..." (32). In fact, he went to a French immersion school: "It's exactly what it sounds like. You're immersed in French. They don't speak English at all. The idea is that you learn to speak French while you're learning to add and subtract and all the other things you'd be learning at a regular school" (60).
Having this book be half photos and half text, I think it appeals more to his fans. And please, don't think I'm criticizing the fans here. I'm not. What I mean by that is this: Teens and pre-teens don't typically read or buy memoirs. I think that's pretty much a given (I read some as a teenager, but lot a whole lot). So Justin and his people have essentially turned the typical concept of a memoir on its head and formatted it in a way that would get his fans to buy it. Because let's face it, this book is for his fans. I can't really see anyone outside his fanbase buying this book. But for those who are not fans and who do want to get the inside scoop, you should check it out mainly for the fact that it's Justin himself telling it, not the media or critics or anybody else.
Again, like I said, I doubt non-fans will pick up this book. But that's not the point of this. It's quite obvious that First Step 2 Forever is, in a way, a gift to his fans; a bonus and something extra. His writing is in a very conversational tone, which makes it very accessible. One of the reasons why I wanted to read it for this blog is to get his point of view of how everything started and how much his life has changed. And we certainly got exactly that.
The next review will be for Justin's My Worlds Acoustic.
To stay updated on everything related to Bieber Guy and when the next blog and/or review will be online, follow me on Twitter @Bieber_Guy.
Bieber Guy My World Reviews: "One Time" (Updated) / "One Less Lonely Girl" / "Love Me" & "Favorite Girl" / My World EP
Bieber Guy My World 2.0 Reviews: "Baby" / "Never Let You Go" / My World 2.0 Part 1/Part 2/Part 3 / "Somebody to Love" / "U Smile"
Bieber Guy Under The Mistletoe Reviews: "Mistletoe" / "The Christmas Song" / Under The Mistletoe Part 1/Part 2/Part 3
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