My Song: A Memoir

Mr. Belafonte was a bona fide lover of humanity that fought the good fight for over nine decades. In My Song: A Memoir, he tells his own story as he touches shoulders with every great name imaginable in the 20th and 21st centuries. Pick up this treasure and be prepared to go to school and learn what excellence, grace, achievement and determination look like while wrapped around an anointed man.

The book is so inspiring!!

I chose 4 stars for the inside view of the Civil Rights Movement & the up-close & personal look at the lives of Dr. King & others. Belafonte's account makes them as human as the rest of us. However, I was disappointed to see that Belafonte himself, for whatever reasons, seems to shut out the possibility of a Greater Reality than that of faulty human beings.

For those who have read Taylor Branch's trilogy on the history of the civil rights movement, My Song is an excellent and uplifting book that illuminates much more than the story of one man's contribution to our nation's history. And for those who aren't familiar with Branch's work, reading My Song might compel you to read more about the history Belafonte helped shape.It is wrong to categorize this autobiography among the self-indulgent "books" written by too many persons in the world of entertainment (I'm still scarred by the experience of trying to trudge through Quincy Jones' narcissistic love letter to himself and have avoided these types of books like the plague). Harry Belafonte is so much more than an entertainer. Indeed, as he makes clear throughout, his celebrity gave him the means to focus his anger about racism, Jim Crow, and injustice throughout the world in constructive ways that have changed our world for the better.Belofonte was born at the right time. He engaged in the fundamental issues dear to him and was able to exploit his talents unlike anyone before, and inspired the activism of celebrities in later generations. And we should never forget his talent and devotion to making the music of struggle and hope available and relevant to us all. This autobiography elevates our knowledge about the stories behind so many of the fundamental struggles of our age. I've listened to my Belafonte records with a depth of appreciation I never understood fully until I read My Song.

I think this should be a must read for any body studying the Black struggle and what was went through by so many of the individuals who were so instrumental in this movement for freedom and justice. I had no idea of the significant role Harry Belafonte played and what he went through to assist in tis movement.. I knew of Harry, but I never seen him perform in person or even bought any of his albums. Thank God he was able to develop his talent in singing that helped to generate his career that helped to finance and provide advice and guidance to the civil rights movement of this country and other African nations. If anyone wants to know about this era even as far back as the early 30s this is a good book to read. My Song is a true memoir that gives detail description of his private life and his association with such legendary people such as Paul Roberson, Martin Luther King Jr, Marlon Brando, Sidney Poiter and the list goes on and on. Thank you Harry for what you did and I hope to one day enjoy the music that as a child growing up in the inner city, I could not appreciate the form of music because I could not afford to go see you perform or was not allowed to attend due to by race. This is a must read.

This is an excellent biography of Harry Belafonte and the role he has played in the civil rights movement.

I learned more from this book about the civil rights movement than I'd learned anywhere else. Belafonte is absolutely amazing. He's extremely intelligent, extremely well informed, extremely generous with his time and money, and a passionate activist. He has known so many people of power in his lifetime.And to think he started out growing up in the Caribbean living in poverty, then went on to become a great singer and actor but also one of the most powerful voices and activists in the civil rights, anti poverty, and justice movements. I think everyone should read this book.

Reading this, one can't help but wonder how many other gifted American Indians, Blacks, Asian, Hispanics or any other minorities have been lost to us because of racism or misogyny.

great book great man

Nach der Lektüre dieses überaus interessanten Buches möchte man Harry Belafonte für den Friedens-Nobelpreis vorschlagen. Da Belafonte aber vor allem im Hintergrund gewirkt hat, wird ihm dieser wohl verwehrt bleiben. Wer vor allem mehr über Belafontes Musik erfahren will, kommt etwas zu kurz, seine Karriere war ihm offenbar selber nicht so wichtig.

I have been a Belafonte fan all my life. I was delighted that Mr. Belafonte had finally written his autobiography. Mr. Belafonte's inside knowledge of the Civil Rights movement in the '50's and '60's was very revealing. Because he lived it. I learned more about this movement than from anything else I have read or seen on TV. This is really worth the read. I highly recommend it.

gift

Ich hab noch nie in meinem Leben ein Buch gesehen das so schlecht verarbeitet war! Das war der super Reinfall!!