This Week in Books: Madonna Is the Blueprint for a Diva

This is an edition of the revamped Books Briefing, our editors’ weekly guide to the best in books. Sign up for it here.

The figure of the diva dominates modern pop stardom. She’s “,” says Beyoncé (who made another contemporary super-diva, Taylor Swift; both have cemented their status with record-breaking tours this year). The staff writer Spencer Kornhaber, whose book, , is out this week, “soloists—mostly women—who voice their desires in ways that cause spectacle and controversy.” Also published this week was of one of our longest-venerated pop stars: Madonna. She’s. In other words, she’s the ultimate diva.