{"id":46916,"date":"2026-09-18T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=46916"},"modified":"2026-09-11T09:57:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T16:57:29","slug":"book-freak-219-aretha-from-these-roots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/book-freak-219-aretha-from-these-roots\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Freak #219: Aretha: From These Roots"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Get Aretha: From These Roots<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aretha Franklin (1942-2018) began singing as a child in the 1950s at her father\u2019s church in Detroit. Reverend C.L. Franklin became her manager when she was 12, so she could sing on the “gospel caravan” tour circuit. She transitioned to jazz, soul, and blues in 1960 when she was 18, recording “Today I Sing the Blues<\/a>” for Columbia Records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 1967, she was at Atlantic Records, where she released dozens of hits, including \u201cI Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You), \u201c \u201cBaby I Love You,\u201d \u201c(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,\u201d and her smash single \u201cRespect<\/a>\u201d (a cover version of Otis Redding\u2019s 1965 song<\/a>, which sounded a lot different!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aretha: From These Roots<\/em> traces her journey from child prodigy to \u201cQueen of Soul.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Core Principles<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

1. Your Roots Are Your Power<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Aretha developed her voice in the gospel tradition at her father\u2019s church. She never forgot her roots, even when singing pop and R&B songs. Your foundation can be a source of power that makes you stand out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Respect Is a Universal Need<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When Aretha performed \u201cRespect,\u201d it touched something universal. As she wrote, \u201cIt was the need of a nation, the need of the average man and woman in the street, the businessman, the mother, the fireman, the teacher \u2014 everyone wanted respect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Humility Is the Sign of Greatness<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Of Sam Cooke, Aretha wrote: \u201cSome men can sing, charm, and shine; some are easy with their good looks, others radiate confidence. Sam had all of this and more. Yet for all his abundant talent, he exuded simple humility, the sign of a great person. He treated everyone with respect.\u201d Great people don\u2019t have to remind other people that they are great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Balance Your Worlds<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Despite being a global icon for whom the red carpet was rolled out whenever she stepped off a plane, Aretha was a homebody who loved cooking, crocheting, and gardening. She balanced single motherhood with a demanding career, and her public persona with her private self. If you have different \u201csides\u201d in your own life, you don\u2019t need to choose one over another \u2014 learn to accept and enjoy parts of who you are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Try It Now<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
  1. Identify the roots of your gifts. How did your childhood experiences and influences shape who you are and what you are good at? How can you draw on them?<\/li>
  2. Notice when you or someone else is asking for respect. What do you or they need to do to earn it?<\/li>
  3. Think of someone you admire for their talent. Do they show humility? Is there a link between the two?<\/li>
  4. What parts of your life feel disconnected? What would it look like to accept all of them instead of choosing between them?<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Quote<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cIt was the need of a nation, the need of the average man and woman in the street, the businessman, the mother, the fireman, the teacher\u2014everyone wanted respect.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    Book Freak is published by Cool Tools Lab, a small company of three people. We also run\u00a0Recomendo<\/a>, the\u00a0Cool Tools website<\/a>, a\u00a0YouTube channel<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0podcast<\/a>, and other newsletters, including\u00a0Recomendo Deals<\/a>,\u00a0Gar\u2019s Tips & Tools<\/a>,\u00a0Nomadico<\/a>,\u00a0What\u2019s in my NOW?<\/a>,\u00a0Tools for Possibilities<\/a>,\u00a0Books That Belong On Paper<\/a>, and\u00a0Book Freak<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Aretha Franklin on Faith, Music, and the Universal Need for Respect<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47588,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[76],"tags":[2397],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46916"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47588"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46916"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46919,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46916\/revisions\/46919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}