“Music can dig, you know? It can take a shovel to your chest and just start digging until it hits something” (Reid 41). We all feel the need to fill a very specific void in our chest- for countless reasons some people open up a book to feel it, to get lost in the world to escape reality just for a couple of moments.  “Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Reid Jenkins” tells us a story about characters filling up the void they have with performing music. Released on March 5, 2019, it didn’t start gaining popularity until 2020. The social media app TikTok influenced millions of people to open up a book for the first time in years. 

How did it come to be? When Reid was interviewed about the rising fame with the book she tells how she was just a thirteen-year-old girl when she realized the moment she was going to look back at constantly while writing the book. Fleetwood Mac. As the band was playing its music, she looked up and saw a moment when Stevie Nicks was singing “Landslide” and looking at Lindsey Buckingham. The song is about their relationship in the band, and how it was so scary trying to reach the dreams they both wanted while trying to be in a relationship at the same time. Reid says the way they looked at each other when singing  she thought “Oh. They are definitely in love.” When in fact they were broken up and did not have a stable friendship. That is the power of music. The feelings we feel when we are in the moment absorbing all of the lyrics. The power of when we feel or perform something, old feelings re-emerge, and the lines between performance and unspoken words get blurred. 

The book follows the main character, Daisy Jones, and how she is a free-spirited girl with a strong personality. She finds her way into the rock n roll business because she falls in love with the idea of performing. She finds a band and joins them; they officially become “Daisy Jones and the Six”. When the other lead singer, Billy Dunne, and Daisy Jones start to sing together their eyes meet and start to feel like they aren’t singing to just anyone- they’re singing to each other. These lyrics are meant for them, only they can understand the deep meaning. The problem is Billy is married with kids. It follows through how these groups of 20-year-olds navigate their feelings, the rising fame, and the downside it comes with. 

I love this book because it shows everyone what it was like in the 70’s, and how music was the main focus no matter what was happening, fame is what everyone wants. It drives people to certain lengths but can also make people go crazy.  If you’re someone who wants to know how music is made, and the stories behind them, then this is the book for you! The book is narrated in a way that you are not going to want to close the book. The story is formatted in an interview style. We are thrown into an interview and it feels as if we, the audience, are sitting next to the interviewer. One thing is that we get one story from multiple points of view, so we see how people change their story to make sure they aren’t seen as the bad person.