Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva! by Big Freedia and Nicole Balin
God Save the Queen Diva! (Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster) is the memoir that chronicles the life of a poor choir boy from New Orleans who survived poverty, drugs, and bullying to become a world famous musical performer and reality TV personality. Channeling his pain through the music and culture of Bounce, Big Freedia is a icon for gender bending youth and is credited for bringing the “twerk” mainstream. Published in 2015, Big Freedia’s memoir contains a gallery of childhood photos from Big Freedia’s own collection and a guide to ‘twerking like a pro.’
From the eponymous star of the most popular reality show in Fuse TV’s history, this no-holds-barred memoir tells the story of a gay, self-proclaimed mama’s boy who exploded onto the formerly underground Bounce music scene—a hip-hop subgenre—and found acceptance, healing, self-expression, and stardom!
As the “undisputed ambassador” of the energetic, New Orleans-based Bounce movement, Big Freedia isn’t afraid to twerk, wiggle, and shake her way to self-confidence, and is encouraging her fans to do the same. In her engrossing memoir, Big Freedia tells the inside story of her path to fame, the peaks and valleys of her personal life, and the liberation that Bounce music brings to herself and every one of her fans who is searching for freedom.
Big Freedia immediately pulls us into the relationship between her personal life and her career as an artist; being a “twerking sissy” is not just a job, she says, but a salvation. A place to find solace. To escape from the battles she faced growing up in the worst neighborhood in New Orleans. To deal with losing loved ones to the violence on the streets, drug overdoses, and jail. To survive hurricane Katrina by living on her roof for two days with three adults and a child. To grapple with the difficulties and celebrate the joys of living.
In this eye-opening memoir that bursts with energy, you’ll learn the history of the Bounce movement and meet all of the colorful characters that pepper its music scene. With her own unique voice and unabashed enthusiasm, Big Freedia tells how she arrived at this defining moment in music, and how Bounce ultimately has allowed her to become her own version of diva, one booty-pop at a time.
WHAT THE PRESS SAYS ABOUT GOD SAVE THE QUEEN DIVA!:
“On her show, Freedia comes off as affable and grateful — belying her diva persona — and these traits are only solidified and expanded in the book.”
—ROLLING STONE
“Freedia’s story is inspirational, a journey overcoming poverty and discrimination to become an internationally known star. The rise of Big Freedia is the rise of bounce, and God Save the Queen Diva! serves as a worthwhile encapsulation of that tale.”
— PITCHFORK
“Whether detailing the highs or the lows, Freedia’s tales pop as much as the booty that made her famous.”
— OUT MAGAZINE
“In Big Freedia: God Save the Queen Diva (Gallery Books) the rapper goes deeper, with a tale that is as much a capsule history of the bounce-music world as it is his own story.”