My Song: A Memoir of Art, Race & Defiance

Description

Written with Vanity Fair contributing editor Michael Schnayerson, My Song is an inspiring story of performance and protest, from a superstar singer and actor who was on the front lines of practically every progressive political battle in modern memory. Along the way, he befriended some of the most influential figures of the 20th century, from Tony Curtis, Marlon Brando and Sidney Poitier to Martin Luther King, the Kennedys, Eleanor Roosevelt, Fidel Castro, James Baldwin, Bob Dylan and Nelson Mandela. From his impoverished childhood in Harlem and Jamaica, through his meteoric rise as an international calypso star, provocative crossover into Hollywood where he broke down many racial barriers, passionate lifelong involvement in the civil rights movement and myriad other social causes, to his personal struggles and rich friendships, this is a remarkable, multifaceted and hugely inspirational story.

Harry Belafonte's 1956 album Calypso made him the first artist in history to sell more than one million LPs. He has won both a Tony award and an Emmy, and he was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton. He has served a a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and is the recipient of Kennedy Center Honors for excellence in the performing arts. He currently resides in New York City with his wife, Pamela. Michael Shnayerson is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair.

* A gorgeous account of the large life of a Harlem boy -- Garrison Keillor New York Times * It isn't just the story of man, but the story of a country and a century Variety * A potent memoir of our times Library Journal * Somewhere amid the accounts of when he became the first artist to sell a million copies of an album, the first black leading actor to romance a white leading actress in a major Hollywood film, and the man who was asked to pick out the clothes that Martin Luther King would be buried in, you realize just how extraordinary Harry Belafonte's life has been ... Not only a capitaving memoir of his own story but an intriguing look at US history from the late '40s the present Boston Globe * Bracingly opinionated autobiography from an American original Kirkus * Carries us liltingly along with his song that the best times always lie ahead as long as we take care of each other Publishers Weekly * A celebration of singer, actor and social activist Harry Belafonte.Moving and enlightening as it serves up a crash-course in 20th-century history ... Variety, on SING MY SONG * Long before he became a cultural icon, Harry Belafonte learned to fight injustice wherever he saw it - a principle which has driven him ever since. This rich memoir chronicles a life of activism alongside some of history's greatest heroes and sheds new light on moments that shaped our nation. Through it all, Harry exudes the same passion and candour I've experienced in our friendship and conversation over the years -- President Bill Clinton * This memoir, a page turner, will help to correct the image of Belafonte as a mere 'Belaphoney' divorced from the realities of black, pre-civil rights America Spectator