Soulless

The Case Against R. Kelly

Soulless
Jim DeRogatis
RRP:
NZ$ 34.99
Our Price:
NZ$ 29.74
Paperback
h210 x 140mm - 288pg
16 Jan 2021 US
International import eta 7-19 days
9781419743047
Out Of Stock
Currently no stock in-store, stock is sourced to your order
The essential account of R. Kelly' s actions and their consequences, a reckoning two decades in the making In November 2000, Chicago journalist and music critic Jim DeRogatis received an anonymous fax that alleged R. Kelly had a problem with "young girls. " Weeks later, DeRogatis broke the shocking story, publishing allegations that the R&B superstar and local hero had groomed girls, sexually abused them, and paid them off. DeRogatis thought his work would have an impact. Instead, Kelly' s career flourished. No one seemed to care: not the music industry, not the culture at large, not the parents of numerous other young girls. But for more than eighteen years, DeRogatis stayed on the story. He was the one who was given the disturbing videotape that led to Kelly' s 2008 child pornography trial, the one whose window was shot out, and the one whom women trusted to tell their stories-of a meeting with the superstar at a classroom, a mall, a concert, or a McDonald' s that forever warped the course of their lives. Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly is DeRogatis' s masterpiece, a work of tenacious journalism and powerful cultural criticism. It tells the story of Kelly' s career, DeRogatis' s investigations, and the world in which the two crossed paths, and brings the story up to the moment when things finally seem to have changed. Decades in the making, this is an outrageous, darkly riveting account of the life and actions of R. Kelly, and their horrible impact on dozens of girls, by the only person to tell it.
"DeRogatis captivates in this expertly told narrative"-- "Publishers Weekly" "This book tracks the case and asks why the culture was so slow to catch up. " -- "The New York Times" "An absorbing, horrifying, and damning book. . . . Soulless is an important testament of DeRogatis' slog towards justice, and of the forces that have seemingly cosseted R. Kelly and his career . . . It' s also a journalistic indictment: of Kelly himself; of the political machinery of Chicago; and of the music industry. . . . An essential book. "-- "NPR. org" "DeRogatis blends investigative journalism, pop cultural criticism, and social commentary . . . [Soulless] is unflinching in its indictment of a culture and legal system unable to render any semblance of justice for black girls. . . . Soulless is the kind of intervention we need, especially when the stakes are this high. "-- "LitHub" "More than a straight-forward account of Kelly' s wrongdoing . . . Soulless offers a dogged combination of biography, investigative reporting, and cultural criticism. . . . As much as Soulless is an account of Kelly' s misbehavior, it' s a finger firmly pointed in the direction of the people and institutions that enabled, and even encouraged, him. "-- "Pitchfork" "For the last 19 years Jim DeRogatis has consistently been one of the few white male voices in media speaking up about a criminal whose crimes spans decades. Jim has elevated black women and their work into the public eye, even when the public wanted to ignore what was happening. This Soulless is a deep dive into some of the darkest places in a community and a culture, a post mortem for a predator and for the system that enabled him. "--Mikki Kendall "author of Hood Feminism and Amazons, Abolitionists, and Activists" "If not for Jim DeRogatis, singer R. Kelly would still be selling out arenas, and the women who accuse the singer of sexual and physical assault would still be unheard. No one has followed their harrowing stories longer than DeRogatis, a mensch and one hell of a reporter. Soulless is an astonishing document of journalistic doggedness, and one man' s decades-long pursuit of justice and truth. "--Renee Graham "Boston Globe opinion columnist" "Jim DeRogatis' dedication to covering R. Kelly' s crimes for all these years has always stunned me, because I am completely unused to anyone other than Black women and girls caring this much about anything that happens to us. This book is a must-read look at both the devastating actions of an unrepentant predator and the dogged work of a journalist who refuses to let him escape accountability. " --Jamilah Lemieux "writer and cultural critic"
Jim DeRogatis is an associate professor of instruction at Columbia College Chicago and the host, with Greg Kot, of the nationally syndicated public radio show Sound Opinions. The author of Let it Blurt: The Life and Times of Lester Bangs and other books, he spent 15 years as the pop music critic at the Chicago Sun-Times. He lives in Chicago.
Status: No local stock, title imported to order
ISBN-13: 9781419743047
Published: 16 Jan 2021
Published In: United States
Imprint: Abrams Press
Publisher: Abrams
Format: Paperback
Height: 210mm
Width: 140mm
Pages: 288

In stock - for items in stock we aim to dispatch the next business day. For delivery in NZ allow 2-5 business days, with rural taking a wee bit longer.

Locally sourced in NZ - stock comes from a NZ supplier with an approximate delivery of 7-15 business days.

International Imports - stock is imported into NZ, depending on air or sea shipping option from the international supplier stock can take 10-30 working days to arrive into NZ. 

Pre-order Titles - delivery will vary depending on where the title is published, if local stock is available in NZ then 5-7 business days, for international imports it can be 10-30 business days. In all cases we will access the quickest supply option.

Delivery Packaging - we ship all items in cardboard sleeves or by box with either packing paper or corn starch chips. (We avoid using plastics bubble bags)

Tracking - Orders are delivered by track and trace courier and are fully insured, tracking information will be sent by email once dispatched.

View our full Order & Delivery information