On April 21, 2016, I woke up from a nap to several texts from friends and family expressing their sympathies. I immediately jumped on Twitter (as one does for hard facts) and read Prince was pronounced dead. I searched the news and correspondents to find that it was, in fact, true. My heart broke. I received condolences from family and a purple-iced cupcake from my dad, as if I actually knew Prince and lost a loved one.

Michael Jackson’s passing impacted the world. Prince’s passing impacted my world. I kicked myself for not paying $500 for that ticket to see him perform his “Piano and a Microphone” tour, while I was in Melbourne, Australia.

Ben Greenman’s exposé of Prince Roger Nelson’s life was wonderfully written and organized. Greenman packed in an array of details, facts, and anecdotes.

Prince’s dedication, determination, and passion for his craft is unmatched. Greenman said it best when speaking of Prince being in a prolonged state of flow as defined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. An individual must challenge hisself at a level that does not induce anxiety or result in boredom. Prince constantly pushed his abilities in the musical world, resulting in 43 studio albums and an array of singles and unreleased work.

The closing chapter of the biography puts the impact of Prince’s death into perspective. I related to Ben Greenman’s inability to vocalize his thoughts and feelings about the passing of a star. Prince’s influence is still prominent in many artists’ works today, but will never be duplicated.

I rate this book 5/5 stars.