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 as 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, a longtime contributing editor to Vanity Fair, is the author of Irwin Shaw; The Car That Could; The Killers Within, coauthored with Mark J. Plotkin, and Coal River, which recounted the efforts of Appalachian lawyers and grassroots groups to stop the devastating practice of mountaintop coal removal in southern West Virginia. Shnayerson's passion for those environmental activists was one reason Harry Belafonte chose him to collaborate on his autobiography. Shnayerson lives in Bridgehampton, New York, with his daughter, Jenna.
From the Hardcover edition.
"An honest, in many ways important and genuinely revelatory
autobiography. . . . My Song reveals, Belafonte was more than
celebrity eye candy, burnishing his image with a little politically
correct politicking. He not only talked the talk, but walked the
walk. . . . My Song is more than fitting denouement for a life well
lived." --Curt Schleier, Seattle Times
"In My Song, a brave and spellbinding memoir written with Vanity
Fair contributing editor Michael Shnayerson, Belafonte tells a
sweeping story . . . riveting . . . In these days of national and
global uncertainty, with the numbers of poor steadily rising, there
are lessons aplenty in the life of Harry Belafonte, as told in this
surprising and revelatory book." --Wil Haygood, Washington Post
" . . . engrossing autobiographical account of a life devoted in
equal parts to entertainment and social causes. My Song is rich
with vivid scenes of Belafonte working as an adviser, mediator,
fundraiser and implementer with such players as John and Robert
Kennedy and King." --Tom Nolan, San Francisco Chronicle "Here is a
gorgeous account of the large life of a Harlem boy . . . Scenes of
extravagant waste, scenes of righteous anger--rich contradictions
abound--with little attempt to explain them away, a mark of the
honest autobiographer." --Garrison Keillor, New York Times Book
Review "Absorbing . . ." --Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, New York
"To read Harry Belafonte's new memoir, My Song, is to discover a
man who has packed enough life for 10 people into 84 years."
--"Morning Edition," NPR "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 help pick out
the clothes that Martin Luther King Jr. would be buried in, you
realize just how extraordinary Harry Belafonte's life has been. If
Belafonte had simply pursued one strand of that life - the
immensely popular singer, the Tony Award-winning actor, the
powerful political and social activist - it would have made
fascinating material for a book. That he managed to cram all three
into his 84 years makes My Song, his captivating memoir written
with Michael Shnayerson, not only a sometimes exhausting chronicle
of Belafonte's own story but an intriguing look at US history from
the late '40s to the present. . . . One of the book's triumphs
involves the way Belafonte and Shnayerson manage to capture
Belafonte's distinctive voice . . . You can almost hear him narrate
the story in his stately rasp." --Sarah Rodman, The Boston Globe
"Bracingly opinionated autobiography from an American original,
still provocative in his ninth decade." --Kirkus (starred) From the
Hardcover edition.
An honest, in many ways important and genuinely revelatory
autobiography. . . . My Song reveals, Belafonte was more than
celebrity eye candy, burnishing his image with a little politically
correct politicking. He not only talked the talk, but walked the
walk. . . . My Song is more than fitting denouement for a life well
lived. Curt Schleier, Seattle Times
In My Song, a brave and spellbinding memoir written with Vanity
Fair contributing editor Michael Shnayerson, Belafonte tells a
sweeping story . . . riveting . . . In these days of national and
global uncertainty, with the numbers of poor steadily rising, there
are lessons aplenty in the life of Harry Belafonte, as told in this
surprising and revelatory book. Wil Haygood, Washington Post
. . . engrossing autobiographical account of a life devoted in
equal parts to entertainment and social causes. My Song is rich
with vivid scenes of Belafonte working as an adviser, mediator,
fundraiser and implementer with such players as John and Robert
Kennedy and King. Tom Nolan, San Francisco Chronicle
Here is a gorgeous account of the large life of a Harlem boy . . .
Scenes of extravagant waste, scenes of righteous anger rich
contradictions abound with little attempt to explain them away, a
mark of the honest autobiographer. Garrison Keillor, New York Times
Book Review
Absorbing . . . Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, New York
To read Harry Belafonte's new memoir, My Song, is to discover a man
who has packed enough life for 10 people into 84 years. Morning
Edition, NPR
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 help pick out the clothes that Martin Luther
King Jr. would be buried in, you realize just how extraordinary
Harry Belafonte s life has been. If Belafonte had simply pursued
one strand of that life - the immensely popular singer, the Tony
Award-winning actor, the powerful political and social activist -
it would have made fascinating material for a book. That he managed
to cram all three into his 84 years makes My Song, his captivating
memoir written with Michael Shnayerson, not only a sometimes
exhausting chronicle of Belafonte s own story but an intriguing
look at US history from the late 40s to the present. . . . One of
the book s triumphs involves the way Belafonte and Shnayerson
manage to capture Belafonte s distinctive voice . . . You can
almost hear him narrate the story in his stately rasp. Sarah
Rodman, The Boston Globe
Bracingly opinionated autobiography from an American original,
still provocative in his ninth decade. Kirkus (starred) From the
Hardcover edition."
Well-known singer and actor Belafonte begins his memoir in 1964, when he and Sidney Poitier brought $70,000 in cash to Mississippi to help the struggling Civil Rights Movement. Belafonte has been politically active throughout his life (he does not back away from his public statement that George W. Bush is a "terrorist"), and one strand of his memoir deals with the causes he has supported. He also discusses his private life-born in poverty in New York City and of Jamaican heritage, Belafonte saw service in the U.S. Navy and has had several failed marriages. He covers his public career as an American entertainment icon (which solidified with his 1956 album, Calypso) and his interactions with many politicians and celebrities, e.g., Paul Robeson, Poitier, Marlon Brando, and Robert Kennedy, among many others. How these different strands interweave-the anger generated by the poverty and racial discrimination of his early years, the socially conscious reformer, and the well-respected entertainer-make for a potent memoir of our times. Verdict Beyond the usual interest generated by celebrity biographies, Belafonte's civil rights activism and involvement in other social causes give his memoir broader relevance. Recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 5/2/11.]-Bruce R. Schueneman, Texas A&M Univ.-Kingsville (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
"An honest, in many ways important and genuinely revelatory
autobiography. . . . My Song reveals, Belafonte was more
than celebrity eye candy, burnishing his image with a little
politically correct politicking. He not only talked the talk, but
walked the walk. . . . My Song is more than fitting
denouement for a life well lived." --Curt Schleier, Seattle
Times
"In My Song, a brave and spellbinding memoir written with
Vanity Fair contributing editor Michael Shnayerson,
Belafonte tells a sweeping story . . . riveting . . . In these days
of national and global uncertainty, with the numbers of poor
steadily rising, there are lessons aplenty in the life of Harry
Belafonte, as told in this surprising and revelatory book." --Wil
Haygood, Washington Post
" . . . engrossing autobiographical account of a life devoted in
equal parts to entertainment and social causes. My Song is
rich with vivid scenes of Belafonte working as an adviser,
mediator, fundraiser and implementer with such players as John and
Robert Kennedy and King." --Tom Nolan, San Francisco
Chronicle
"Here is a gorgeous account of the large life of a Harlem boy .
. . Scenes of extravagant waste, scenes of righteous anger--rich
contradictions abound--with little attempt to explain them away, a
mark of the honest autobiographer." --Garrison Keillor, New York
Times Book Review "Absorbing . . ." --Joshua Jelly-Schapiro,
New York
"To read Harry Belafonte's new memoir, My Song, is to
discover a man who has packed enough life for 10 people into 84
years." --"Morning Edition," NPR "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
help pick out the clothes that Martin Luther King Jr. would be
buried in, you realize just how extraordinary Harry Belafonte's
life has been. If Belafonte had simply pursued one strand of that
life - the immensely popular singer, the Tony Award-winning actor,
the powerful political and social activist - it would have made
fascinating material for a book. That he managed to cram all three
into his 84 years makes My Song, his captivating memoir
written with Michael Shnayerson, not only a sometimes exhausting
chronicle of Belafonte's own story but an intriguing look at US
history from the late '40s to the present. . . . One of the book's
triumphs involves the way Belafonte and Shnayerson manage to
capture Belafonte's distinctive voice . . . You can almost hear him
narrate the story in his stately rasp." --Sarah Rodman, The
Boston Globe "Bracingly opinionated autobiography from an
American original, still provocative in his ninth decade."
--Kirkus (starred) From the Hardcover edition.
An honest, in many ways important and genuinely revelatory
autobiography. . . . My Song reveals, Belafonte was more
than celebrity eye candy, burnishing his image with a little
politically correct politicking. He not only talked the talk, but
walked the walk. . . . My Song is more than fitting
denouement for a life well lived. Curt Schleier, Seattle
Times
In My Song, a brave and spellbinding memoir written with
Vanity Fair contributing editor Michael Shnayerson,
Belafonte tells a sweeping story . . . riveting . . . In these days
of national and global uncertainty, with the numbers of poor
steadily rising, there are lessons aplenty in the life of Harry
Belafonte, as told in this surprising and revelatory book. Wil
Haygood, Washington Post
. . . engrossing autobiographical account of a life devoted in
equal parts to entertainment and social causes. My Song is
rich with vivid scenes of Belafonte working as an adviser,
mediator, fundraiser and implementer with such players as John and
Robert Kennedy and King. Tom Nolan, San Francisco
Chronicle
Here is a gorgeous account of the large life of a Harlem boy . . .
Scenes of extravagant waste, scenes of righteous anger rich
contradictions abound with little attempt to explain them away, a
mark of the honest autobiographer. Garrison Keillor, New York
Times Book Review
Absorbing . . . Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, New York
To read Harry Belafonte's new memoir, My Song, is to
discover a man who has packed enough life for 10 people into 84
years. Morning Edition, NPR
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 help pick out the clothes that Martin Luther
King Jr. would be buried in, you realize just how extraordinary
Harry Belafonte s life has been. If Belafonte had simply pursued
one strand of that life - the immensely popular singer, the Tony
Award-winning actor, the powerful political and social activist -
it would have made fascinating material for a book. That he managed
to cram all three into his 84 years makes My Song, his
captivating memoir written with Michael Shnayerson, not only a
sometimes exhausting chronicle of Belafonte s own story but an
intriguing look at US history from the late 40s to the present. . .
. One of the book s triumphs involves the way Belafonte and
Shnayerson manage to capture Belafonte s distinctive voice . . .
You can almost hear him narrate the story in his stately rasp.
Sarah Rodman, The Boston Globe
Bracingly opinionated autobiography from an American original,
still provocative in his ninth decade. Kirkus (starred) From
the Hardcover edition."
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