Dancing in My Dreams
A Spiritual Biography of Tina Turner
- World Religions
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Published: 2023
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Publisher's Description
If you don’t know Tina Turner’s spirituality, you don’t know Tina. When Tina Turner reclaimed her throne as the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the 1980s, she attributed her comeback to one thing: the wisdom and power she found in Buddhism. Her spiritual transformation is often overshadowed by the rags-to-riches arc of her life story. But in this groundbreaking biography, Ralph H. Craig III traces Tina’s journey from the Black Baptist church to Buddhism and situates her at the vanguard of large-scale movements in religion and pop culture. Paying special attention to the diverse metaphysical beliefs that shaped her spiritual life, Craig untangles Tina’s Soka Gakkai Buddhist foundation; her incorporation of New Age ideas popularized in’60s counterculture; and her upbringing in a Black Baptist congregation, alongside the influences of her grandmothers’ disciplinary and mystical sensibilities. Through critical engagement with Tina’s personal life and public brand, Craig sheds light on how popular culture has been used as a vehicle for authentic religious teaching. Scholars and fans alike will find Dancing in My Dreams as enlightening as the iconic singer herself. Foreword Reviews INDIES Book of the Year Award in Biography Finalist (2023)
Endorsements (6)
“The greatest performer in the history of rock and roll finally gets her proper due as a religious icon. Ralph Craig offers an indispensable primer on how Turner’s capacity for survival and stardom derived in no small part from her spirituality.”
“Ralph Craig’s biography brings forth interconnections between southern church traditions, nature-based mysticism, the blues, rock ’n’ roll, and Buddhism through the extraordinary life of Tina Turner. His breadth of knowledge of each of these domains is striking, as is his ability to weave together academic research with the distinct cadences of Turner’s voice. Craig’s respect for Tina Turner’s life, including her practice and teaching of Buddhism, renders this book a moving narrative that illuminates how Buddhism is relevant—indeed, transformative—for Black people in the US context.”
“In this engaging and compelling biography, Craig makes a persuasive case for the significance of religion in Tina Turner’s life . . . . Craig’s work makes Turner, an unforgettable figure in American music history, an equally unforgettable figure in American religious history.”
“Ralph H. Craig III has gifted the field of religious studies and the world with this critical, ambitious, and beautifully written religious biography of Tina Turner, Black Buddhist woman and pop culture icon. . . . This indispensable volume blends together the myriad worlds and religious ways of knowing at the helm of Turner’s artistic and aesthetic productions, and it offers a daring challenge to earnestly sit with and learn from Tina. Dancing in My Dreams is, without question, a must-read.”
“A deep, exciting journey through Tina Turner’s Black Christian roots, adult explorations of American metaphysical religion, and embrace of Soka Gakkai International Nichiren Buddhism. This insightful biography casts new light on Turner’s ‘combinatory religious repertoire’ and artistic spirituality beyond lay status. For religious studies and Africana studies, Ralph Craig’s comprehensive scholarship introduces a fresh understanding of spiritual leadership with Tina—a Black woman, survivor, global music superstar, and Buddhist teacher.”
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