Reba McEntire, the Queen of Country: The Queen of Country

This biography of the Oklahoma-born star begins promisingly with chapters on her rodeo-competing family and the difficulty of being a woman in the man's world of country music, where the attitude toward female vocalists is described as `` `get ones with big hair, big boobs and short skirts.' '' Unfortunately, the writing soon degenerates into mushy adoration. McEntire is presented as a down-to-earth superwoman who tours on a jet rather than on a bus, but only so she can fly home every night to see her infant son. The dissolution of her first marriage and her subsequent remarriage are glossed over, aside from a brief admission that ``it shocked people that a sweet, family-oriented girl like `just plain Reba' as she likes to call herself was involved in something as tawdry as divorce.'' Myriad photos show McEntire on stage or posing with ``rabid'' admirers like George Bush. Even die-hard fans will lose interest as each song recorded--including the meaning of the lyrics--is described in detail. The final pages offer a discography, a list of awards and--most fittingly--the address to write to in order to join the Reba McEntire International Fan Club. Leggett wrote Amy Grant . (Aug.)