Dolly Parton Part 2

The Reference Desk

In this episode, we are bewitched by Dolly Patron (again!)
After leaving the Porter Wagoner Show and striking it big on her own as a solo country artist, Dolly turned to yet another industry: the movies. The commercial and critical success of 9 to 5 (and the award-winning single of the same name Dolly wrote for the film) propelled her to superstardom. Since then, Dolly has been featured in over a dozen films, including classics like The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Steel Magnolias along with some flops (like when she tried to turn Sylvester Stallone into a country star in Rhinestone).
Meanwhile, Dolly continued to produce chart-topping, award-winning albums, revived a theme park with a very problematic past, and became a best-selling author. But despite all her commercial success, Dolly's true legacy is her philanthropy, including providing 2 million free books every month to children around the world with her Imagination Library, rebuilding her hometown following devastating wildfires, and funding research that led to the creation of the COVID vaccine. All hail Dolly, Patron Saint of Appalachia!
All books shared in this episode are available in our bookshop!
Staff picks:
All the Dead Lie Down and We Can Be Heroes by Kyrie McCauley
Butterfly in the Sky (Netflix)
LeVar Burton Reads (Stitcher)
Recommended Reading:
Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton with Robert K. Oermann
Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones by Dolly Parton with Holly George-Warren, curated by Rebecca Seaver
Billy the Kid Makes it Big by Dolly Parton, MacKenzie Haley, and Erica S. Perl
I Am Dolly Patron by Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos
Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson
Good Lookin' Cookin' by Dolly Parton and Rachel Parton George
Sources:
Songteller: My Life in Lyrics by Dolly Parton with Robert K. Oermann
Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones by Dolly Parton with Holly George-Warren, curated by Rebecca Seaver

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