Rage To Survive: The Etta James Story Reviews
Rage To Survive: The Etta James Story
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.
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One of the best music biographies I’ve ever read,
I dont remember when was the last time I read such a honest autobiography – while others would be tempted to describe themselves in the best light,Etta James achieved to be likeable BECAUSE she is honest person.Everything she went through,happy times,bad times,brutal,funny and sad,she tells with such a original style that her talking voice almost leaps out from the pages.I read this book in 2 days without a break,what a original character,never afraid to say it as it is,even if occasionally her story may sound down-right depressing,then she makes it clear that she still have that life-saving sense of humour.Besides making me laugh and cry,Etta also describes music legends from different perspective – Chuck Berry,Jackie Wilson,Sam Cooke,James Brown,Ike & Tina,Aretha,Keith Richards,Mick Jagger,Bo Didley,Ray Charles,Jesse Belvin,Esther Phillips… Etta knew them all and paint the picture as we may never knew it,from the backstage.While Tina Turner’s autobiography curiously lacks any personal comments,Etta James book is all about its subject,this is the woman who is not afraid to say what she thinks and what a story she have to tell!
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|All Out There!,
This is basically a recorded miracle. Reason being is that Etta James lived hard, played a even harder, and is still alive to tell about it.
Etta’s story is one that all music lovers- even if you’re not a fan of hers- should read. I think that ALL women should read the stories of relationships gone wrong, and what can happen to you if you don’t have faith enough in yourself to make it without using nonsense as crutches. But while reading this, you have to respect the candid honesty that flows from one page to the next, and the stories about friends and lovers, that are told so vividly that you feel as if you’re speaking to Ms. Etta, herself.
This is one of the best autobiographies I have ever read, and one that I couldn’t put down. If you read it, you’ll love it!
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|I really wish I could say this was a great book,
Maybe my expectations were too high. I’ve never heard Etta James sing a song I didn’t love. Not only does she have one of the most breathtaking voices in popular music, but she uses it brilliantly. She sings every song from the depths of her soul, and at the same time she’s a very intelligent singer, obviously very much aware of, and in control of, her craft. I was hoping she’d bring the same kind of feeling and intelligence to telling the story of her life.
And it’s a great story. Abandoned by her father and growing up in poverty with a difficult mother, Etta James became a juvenile delinquent, and over the course of her life faced down just about every form of addiction you can think of, from food to heroin. She was saved by a gift for music, which other people, thank god, recognized almost as soon as she opened her mouth.
So I began reading, knowing I was digging into a great story written by an intelligent and sensitive woman. But as I read, I found myself growing more and more disappointed. The book has some wonderful anecdotes about the nastiness of the music business and the foibles of a lot of famous people. They’re entertaining and sometimes even enlightening – and they’re the reason I wouldn’t rate this book any lower than three stars.
But something goes wrong when she writes about herself. A lot of reviewers have praised her “honesty” in accepting responsiblity for her mistakes and addictions.That’s certainly an admirable quality, but it doesn’t necessarily make for interesting writing. Again and again, James tells you the sordid details of her mistakes, says it was her own fault, and then goes on to something else. And every time she does so, I felt cheated of any insight into what led her down the paths she took. She sounds like someone who hasn’t really come to terms with her problems, and therefore most of the book seems rather superficial.
The story is inherently interesting and it would probably make a great movie, but its unwillingness to probe below the surface kept it from being a great book.
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