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Curious if anyone has read the book. Any thoughts on it. I keep putting it off and off. Any personal reviews would be much appreciated and sure everyone else would love to know your opions.
Going to post a few reviews of the book (courtersy of Amazon editorial reviews)
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Born to a 14-year-old mother and raised by surrogate parents, blues and R&B star James started singing gospel in church at five, was discovered at 14 and had a rapid rise to fame. Nevertheless, her story is a disturbing saga of drug addiction, jail sentences for writing bad checks and stealing prescription drugs, involvements with the wrong men and anger at a disruptive and unstable mother who has refused to reveal who her daughter's father is. It's easy to see why James says she has been "raging through life." She claims it's the rage that keeps her going. Now, at the age of 56, she reports she has kicked the drug habit, reached an understanding with her mother and settled down with her husband and children, letting off steam by dirt biking. Ritz, who has written biographies of Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson, spent two years traveling with James and listening to her talk about her life. Here he captures the craziness and the pain. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Growing up in south central LA, James stood out at an early age. Her church choir leader tutored the little girl with the big voice to sing with "vocal fire," and after attracting notice in gospel circles, she had her first chart success with "Roll with Me, Henry," a "pushy little jiveass reply" to rhythm and blues great Hank Ballard's "Work with Me, Annie." Her record's producer was Johnny Otis, one of many other stars she has something to say about. Others include Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and whiter-than-white Georgia Gibbs, whose "Dance with Me, Henry" covered and outsold Etta's hit. Besides whites stealing her thunder, James encountered underhanded financial dealings, drug abuse and addiction, and transitory love affairs. In other words, her story is a typical black pop-music as-told-to bio, though better than many of the others. Mike Tribby--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Ray Charles
"Etta tells it like it is. Couldn't put the thing down. Great book!"
Book Description
Here is the story of perhaps the finest soul singer of the rock era--Etta James.
One of the great women of American music, equally at home singing blues and jazz, Etta regales us with tales of her chaotic childhood, the stars she has known, and her troubled trip to stardom in this mesmerizing autobiography.
Inside Flap Copy
Packed with intimate anecdotes about pop music's legendary talents, Rage to Survive offers a graphic chronicle of one woman's triumphs and tragedies--the rollercoaster life of Etta James, the grand diva of Rhythm and Blues. Photos.--
Going to post a few reviews of the book (courtersy of Amazon editorial reviews)
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Born to a 14-year-old mother and raised by surrogate parents, blues and R&B star James started singing gospel in church at five, was discovered at 14 and had a rapid rise to fame. Nevertheless, her story is a disturbing saga of drug addiction, jail sentences for writing bad checks and stealing prescription drugs, involvements with the wrong men and anger at a disruptive and unstable mother who has refused to reveal who her daughter's father is. It's easy to see why James says she has been "raging through life." She claims it's the rage that keeps her going. Now, at the age of 56, she reports she has kicked the drug habit, reached an understanding with her mother and settled down with her husband and children, letting off steam by dirt biking. Ritz, who has written biographies of Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson, spent two years traveling with James and listening to her talk about her life. Here he captures the craziness and the pain. Photos not seen by PW. Author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Growing up in south central LA, James stood out at an early age. Her church choir leader tutored the little girl with the big voice to sing with "vocal fire," and after attracting notice in gospel circles, she had her first chart success with "Roll with Me, Henry," a "pushy little jiveass reply" to rhythm and blues great Hank Ballard's "Work with Me, Annie." Her record's producer was Johnny Otis, one of many other stars she has something to say about. Others include Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and whiter-than-white Georgia Gibbs, whose "Dance with Me, Henry" covered and outsold Etta's hit. Besides whites stealing her thunder, James encountered underhanded financial dealings, drug abuse and addiction, and transitory love affairs. In other words, her story is a typical black pop-music as-told-to bio, though better than many of the others. Mike Tribby--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Ray Charles
"Etta tells it like it is. Couldn't put the thing down. Great book!"
Book Description
Here is the story of perhaps the finest soul singer of the rock era--Etta James.
One of the great women of American music, equally at home singing blues and jazz, Etta regales us with tales of her chaotic childhood, the stars she has known, and her troubled trip to stardom in this mesmerizing autobiography.
Inside Flap Copy
Packed with intimate anecdotes about pop music's legendary talents, Rage to Survive offers a graphic chronicle of one woman's triumphs and tragedies--the rollercoaster life of Etta James, the grand diva of Rhythm and Blues. Photos.--
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Re: Autobiography - Rage to Survive
Thu, August 10, 2006 - 2:23 PMI've read it. I liked it a lot although I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more about the music. I think the book may portray Etta's mother in too negative a way judging from the amount of affection she seems to have had for her. I read somewhere that she want's to write more about her life because the book didn't quite tell everything the way she wanted to tell it. I hope she does.
