American DivaWhat does it mean to be a "diva"? A shifting, increasingly loaded term, it has been used to both deride and celebrate charismatic and unapologetically fierce performers like Aretha Franklin, Divine, and the women of Labelle. In this brilliant, powerful blend of incisive criticism and electric memoir, Deborah Paredez scholar, cultural critic, and lifelong diva devotee unravels our enduring fascination with these icons and explores how divas have