It's No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown's Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy was among the rounded-up books named by Hachette Book Group to close out Black History Month. 

It's No Wonder on Da Capo is available to order everywhere books are sold. Da Capo is an imprint of Grand Central, which is a Division of the Hachette Book Group.
​
Media contact
Tara Kennedy, Publicity Director
Grand Central Publishing and Da Capo
​[email protected] ​

It's No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown's Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy and Cosmic Music: The Life, Art, and Transcendence of Alice Coltrane are two Da Capo Press books that place the spotlight on female greats who helped to shape modern music.

Did you know that these incredible women also had a connection in a different way?

Fun music fact: Alice Coltrane's sister was Motown songwriter Marilyn McLeod, who co-wrote Diana Ross' megahit song, Love Hangover. Coltrane's nephew, McLeod's grandson, is Grammy Award-winning artist Flying Lotus. 

It's No Wonder, Cosmic Music and the other books listed are available to order everywhere books are sold. Da Capo is an imprint of Grand Central, which is a Division of the Hachette Book Group.
​
Media contact
Tara Kennedy, Publicity Director
Grand Central Publishing and Da Capo
​[email protected] 

In celebration of Black History Month, the Chicago Public Library (CPL) places a spotlight on Sylvia Moy, the Motown songwriter and producer who bravely broke down barriers in the music industry during the Sixties by helping to shape "the Sound of Young America."

It's No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown's Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy made the CPL's list of top picks. The selection of books, which was curated by staff, cover Black historical figures and moments. 

The CPL is the city's free public library system with the Harold Washington Library as its flagship location. The CPL, noted as one of the largest and most community-focused public library systems in the United States, remains a service organization with the mission of being dedicated to reading, learning, and providing equal access to information for all Chicagoans.

It's No Wonder is available to order everywhere books are sold. 
​
Media contact
Tara Kennedy, Publicity Director
Grand Central Publishing and Da Capo
​[email protected] ​

The Biographers International Organization (BIO), of which Dr. Christian has been a member since 2022, featured the release of It's No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown's Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy in its February newsletter.

With a worldwide membership of biographers, BIO aims to promote the art and craft of biography, cultivate a diverse community of biographers, encourage public interest in biography, and provide educational and fellowship opportunities that support the work of biographers worldwide.

Dr. Christian's first biography, Empire: The House That John H. Johnson Built, was published in 2018. It was based upon her doctoral research and institutional knowledge as a former longtime EBONY/JET editor at Johnson Publishing Company, founded by Mr. Johnson.

It's No Wonder is available to order everywhere books are sold. 
​
Media contact
Tara Kennedy, Publicity Director
Grand Central Publishing and Da Capo
​[email protected] ​

Count it as a blessing if you have just one person who believes in you.
 
Rev. Jesse Jackson and I shared that much in common, because John H. Johnson, the pioneering publisher and founder of Johnson Publishing Company (JPC), which included EBONY and JET magazines, believed in us both.  

When I wrote the 2018 book, Empire: The House That John H. Johnson Built, it was a no brainer to ask Rev. Jackson to do the foreword. Of course, he agreed without hesitation. Rev. Jackson made time to reflect about his mentor and father figure, Mr. Johnson, the publishing magnate he lovingly called his “godfather.”

It was through the pages of JET and EBONY that Mr. Johnson helped to propel Rev. Jackson into a household name. One of his first being an August 1968 cover of JET. As a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, I teased Rev. Jackson that they were the “alpha and the omega,” because Mr. Johnson was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity while Rev. Jackson was a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Rev. Jackson always pumped his fists while chanting, “Keep hope alive.” And, he’d often throw up those hooks to represent his fraternity. 

The last time I spoke with Rev. Jackson was seven years ago. The man known for his powerful voice and determination to fight for justice, a towering figure who stood at 6’3”, was in a position unfamiliar to him. He was struggling. “This is kicking my ass,” Rev. Jackson quietly told me about his neurodegenerative condition as we sat in the lobby of his Rainbow PUSH Coalition. Those words stayed with me as I watched him deal with his failing health in the public’s eye as a global leader.

At every turn, he tried his damndest to remain a beacon of light and a voice for the voiceless as his own was being silenced. No longer could he pump his fist or even throw up his hooks. He didn’t look well and it showed on his face, yet he kept moving in front of the cameras anyway. 
 
I had to really gather myself. This is a tough one.  Thank you for supporting me and all of my work. It meant the world to me. And though you couldn't tell me, your spirit allowed me to know that you were cheering me on with my latest book, It's No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown's Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy. We both knew what Berry Gordy was to the music world and Motown, Mr. Johnson was to the publishing world with EBONY and JET. 

"Maybe [Mr. Johnson] couldn't envision going from print to digital but he would have made the adjustment," you told me during our October 6, 2018 interview in your office at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition for the Foreword of my book, Empire: The House That John H. Johnson Built. "He would have held on to JET and EBONY in the ninety-ninth hour. The fact is some magazines are still standing. I was convinced that if anything could stand, it would be EBONY and JET. But this is no reflection upon his legacy."

Rev. Jackson, words can't express enough how much you did for me, being one of my biggest supporters, the earthly bridge and constant reminder of Mr. Johnson. I smile thinking about our private conversations about the golden days of Johnson Publishing Company. Know that I will carry those memories in my heart as we laughed and shed a tear, mourning the loss of that magnificent Empire: The House That John H. Johnson Built. But, we both knew that nothing or no person lasts forever. We are all here temporarily, just passing through this thing called life. "Electric word life" is what Prince called it. 

You never expected to live beyond the age of 40 years old, because you thought you'd leave this world tragically like those who came before you.  God had other plans. You left a trail of glory in your 84 years before taking your last breath on February 17, 2026.

Rest well, Rev. Jackson. You more than earned it. March through those Pearly Gates into the kingdom of Heaven and hug Mr. Johnson for me. 

And this is love!

Chicagoans showed up and showed out for the book talk and signing of It's No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown's Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy, a historical corrective about Hitsville U.S.A.'s first certified female songwriter and producer. 

The lively and inspirational event, which sold out of books, took place at Da Book Joint at Pen & Paper on February 14 from noon to 2 p.m. 

​Dr. Christian was in conversation with Katara Washington Patton, a celebrated author and executive editor of Our Daily Bread who was also her former JET magazine colleague. In addition to some of Dr. Christian's former EBONY and JET colleagues, a few of her students from the University of Illinois Chicago were in attendance. 

It's No Wonder is available to order everywhere books are sold. 
​
Media contact
Tara Kennedy, Publicity Director
Grand Central Publishing and Da Capo
​[email protected] 

​
​

Billboard magazine features an article about It's No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown's Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy. The biography, a historical corrective, was nationally released on Tuesday, February 10. 

Known as a cultural scoreboard, Billboard is one of the most influential music and entertainment magazines in the world. It's best known for charts like the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200.

It's No Wonder is available to order everywhere books are sold. 
​
Media contact
Tara Kennedy, Publicity Director
Grand Central Publishing and Da Capo
​[email protected]

February 10 was the big publication day for It's No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown's Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy. Praise for the biography, a historical corrective which encompassed part investigative journalism and scholarly research, is unanimous. Here's what some are saying about the trailblazing quiet force, who broke barriers at Hitsville U.S.A. during its heyday. 

Veteran Houston Press writer Bob Ruggiero penned an article about the just-released biography, It's No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown's Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy, describing Moy as "a real wonder woman" and as someone "who gets her flowers" in the historical corrective.

It's No Wonder is available everywhere books are sold. 

Media contact
Tara Kennedy, Publicity Director
Grand Central Publishing and Da Capo
​[email protected] 

It's finally here! Today, Tuesday, February 10, signals the publication day for It's No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown's Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy.

All Sylvia ever wanted was to have her voice heard. She's taking center stage now. Shine, Sylvia! Shine!

​Learn more about her in this National Geographic article, released on this auspicious day. 

​It's No Wonder is available everywhere books are sold. 

Media contact
Tara Kennedy, Publicity Director
Grand Central Publishing and Da Capo
​[email protected] 

Check out the video on FOX 32. It begins below on the YouTube video at 20:54.

The Detroit Free Press featured a story by Brian McCollum about late Detroit native Sylvia Moy, the pioneering Motown songwriter and producer whose untold story is documented in the soon-to-be released biography titled It's No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown's Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy. An excerpt from the historical corrective is also included in the newspaper, which positioned the article on the front page of its Entertainment + Life section.

McCollum's article along with the excerpt not only ran in the Detroit Free Press and USA Today, but it is also featured in the Des Moines Register, Blue Water Healthy Living, Bengals Wire, Sports Book Wire, Commanders Wire, Titans Wire and UCLA Wire.   

It's No Wonder is available for preorder and released everywhere on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. 

Media contact
Tara Kennedy, Publicity Director
Grand Central Publishing and Da Capo
​[email protected] 

International Musician, the Official Journal of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, recognizes It's No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown's Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy as an important resource for its members.

In the February 2026, Vol. 124, Issue 2, on page 14, the mention points out how "Moy famously advanced Local 5 (Detroit, MI) member Stevie Wonder's career."  

For more than a century, members of the American Federation of Musicians have enjoyed access to International Musician, one of the most important sources of information affecting their livelihoods. Published monthly and distributed to more than 80,000 union members, International Musician provides vital news of legislation affecting musicians, audition notices, industry news, features about activism and labor organizing campaigns, and spotlights featuring the activities of their colleagues.

​It's No Wonder is available for preorder and released everywhere on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. 

Media contact
Tara Kennedy, Publicity Director
Grand Central Publishing and Da Capo
​[email protected]

Gary Graff of MediaNews Group wrote about Sylvia Moy, the pioneering Motown songwriter and producer whose untold story is documented in the soon-to-be released biography titled It's No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown's Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy. 

This same article not only ran in the Morning Sun, but it was also featured in the Oakland Press, the Macomb Daily and the News-Herald.   

It's No Wonder is available for preorder and released everywhere on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. 

Media contact
Tara Kennedy, Publicity Director
Grand Central Publishing and Da Capo
​[email protected]

Black History Month turns 100 and Kirkus Reviews commemorates it by highlighting books that introduce overlooked American history.

It's No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown's Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy is among a few of the books featured. Kirkus describes the biography as an "uplifting" discovery and "a heart-tugging tale of brilliance finally rewarded."

​It's No Wonder is available for preorder and released everywhere on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. 

Media contact
Tara Kennedy, Publicity Director
Grand Central Publishing and Da Capo
​[email protected]