An intimate look at the life and music of modern pop's most legendary figure, Taylor Swift, from leading music journalist Rob Sheffield. A cultural phenomenon. A worldwide obsession. An agent of emotional chaos. There's no parallel to Taylor Swift in history: a teenage girl who turns into the world's favorite pop star, songwriter, storyteller, guitar hero, live performer, changing how music is made and heard. An all-time great on the level of The Beatles, Prince, or David Bowie. Heartbreak Is The National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music  is the first book that goes deep on the musical and cultural impact of Taylor Swift. Nobody can tell the story like Rob Sheffield, the bestselling and award-winning author of  Dreaming The Beatles ,  On Bowie , and  Love Is A Mix Tape.  The legendary Rolling Stone journalist is the writer who has chronicled Taylor for every step of her long career, from her early days to the Eras Tour. Sheffield gets right to the heart of Swift and her music, her lyrics, her fan connection, her raw power. At once one of the most beloved music figures of the past two decades and one of the most criticized, Taylor Swift is known as much for her life beyond her music as she is for her hits--the most public of stars, yet also the weirdest and most mysterious. In the tradition of Sheffield's  Dreaming the Beatles ,  Heartbreak Is the National Anthem  will inform and delight a legion of fans who hang on every word from Taylor and every word Rob writes on her.   "A bona fide Swiftie, Sheffield charts how Taylor Swift, who rose to fame writing songs for teenage girls (when she was still one herself), became ubiquitous--and argues that even as her cultural dominance can obscure her skill, everything always leads back to her virtuosic writing." -- "New York Times Book Review" "An unprecedented look into the life of Taylor Swift, told by the only journalist close enough to tell it. This is a must-have for any Swifties looking for the next great insight into her stardom." -- "Barnes&Noble.com" "Fans will love the fact that he takes Swift seriously: this is about popular music and how she's shaped it as an artist and yes as a pop culture force to be reckoned with. And non-fans will enjoy learning just what all the fuss is about." -- "Parade" "The book is a rollercoaster to be devoured in one sitting, and at the end, he somehow leaves you wanting more." -- " USA Today" "Tracking Taylor Swift from precocious teen to pop-music juggernaut...[A] zippy and engaging work...an affectionate homage from an ardent fan." -- "Kirkus Reviews" Rob Sheffield has been a music journalist for more than twenty years. He is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone , where he writes about music, television, and pop culture, and regularly appears on MTV and VH1. He is the author of the national bestseller Love Is a Mix Tape, Talking to Girls about Duran Duran, Turn Around Bright Eyes, On Bowie , and Dreaming the Beatles .