The murder of Selena, the 20-year-old Mexican-American singer, shocked Latino America - and seized the attention of an Anglo audience that was largely unfamiliar with Tejano, the vibrant Tex-Mex musical fusion that Selena had popularized. This biography provides an in-depth look at this tragic star, whose posthumous album - her first featuring songs in English - rocketed to number one in America and finally gave her the crossover audience she had dreamed of. Written by an authority on Texas music who followed her career for years, the book takes the reader into the culture that inspired her music and gives a portrait of the close-knit family organization that supported her rise and ultimately set the stage for her downfall.