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5 comments about I Never Walked Alone: The Autobiography of an American Singer.

1. "[My husband] Lou [Lo Monaco] and I invited Leontyne Price over for dinner at our apartment in New York City one evening [in 1965], before our upcoming engagement in La Scala. The other soloists were Leontyne; a young and upcoming tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, and bass Nicolai Ghiaurov...When we arrived in Italy, we found a whole 'can of worms'...When I look back on it, I must have made a terrible impression on Maestro [Herbert] von Karajan...but I felt I had good cause..."
   
   "Performing contemporary music was my next challenge...starting with OEDIPUS REX...The maestro [Igor Stravinsky] was very cordial at our first meeting and also liked what I did musically...In fact, he called me his 'ideal Jocasta,' a real compliment coming from a great living composer...
   
   "I recalled Stravinsky's comment[s]...he told me 'All of those notations that I put in the score are for idiots...You're [singing Jocasta] with your soul, and because you are musical...let your mind, body and senses tell you the way the music is supposed to go..."
   
   "The costume designer of the SAMSON AND DELILAH production wanted to explore the 'sensuality' of Delilah...the costumer wanted me in a sheer, see-through body stocking...I also wore two diamond shaped silver breast plates with nipples in the center of each plate. And that wasn't the worst of it..."
   
   "I gave up organized religion, although my spiritual beliefs remained rooted in the teachings of my parents...I remain a spiritual person...I still pray every day, sometimes four or five times a day...I never leave the house without a prayer. Never."
   
   Shirley Verrett
   I NEVER WALKED ALONE
   From "Turning Points,"
   "An Actor's Life," and
   "Transfigurations" respectively
   
   This is the ultimate biography for someone who has little to no interest in opera. Masterfully written, candid, informative and exciting, it reads like a well crafted novel, music history lesson and self-help book all rolled into one. When people look to female heroes in this "post-feminist" world of ours, we somehow are trained to not look at the divas of this fascinating world: Leontyne Price; Maria Callas; Joan Sutherland; Freni; Tebaldi; and so on. This scratches the surface as to what makes Shirley Verrett's autobiography so powerful, so enjoyable, and so important. When a woman of such amazing integrity--musical and life-wise--and such extraordinary gifts can reveal the aspects of her personality that could make her the enemy of many people (or at least get on the nerves of great Divas like Grace Bumbry) before she transforms her way out of them, you have the makings of a great life, and a great story about a great life.
   
   I highly reccommend this magnificent autobiography and suggest you pick a up a few of her recordings as well.



2. Shirley Verrett has written a profound, candid autobiography of her life and career as opera singer. Many singers write their own autobiographies and memoirs, among them include Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavoratti, Beverly Sills, Marilyn Horne and Joan Sutherland. Renee Fleming has also recently released her autobiography. Each singer provides us with an in-depth look at the elements that compose the opera business- from rehearsals, to facing reviews by critics, fandom, scandals, rumors, rivalries, recording sessions, the ups and downs of their careers and their personal lives. In the case of Shirley Verrett, we are treated to an uplifting and inspiring account of her life, and struggles. She's passionate, conversational, down-to-earth and very humble. I could never see her as the stereotypical diva raging and giving orders. Verrett was a classy lady, with artistic integrity, work ethics, morals and a lot of heart. From the first page to the last, we are in for a great ride and she lavishes the book with candid details and her inner thoughts on EVERYTHING. She opens up to us and we experience her life right along with her.
   
   Shirley Verrett was raised as a Seventh-Day-Adventist, a strict and religious Christian denomination which is very active in America. As such, she was raised with the idea that a career in opera, and for that matter any public career, was sinful and shallow. Though perhaps Verrett had issues with her parents, she seems to have reconciled and even made them proud, for indeed she broke barriers in the opera scene. Opera is not rock and roll. It's the highest of all the arts, since it combines music, drama, art and poetry all in one. During the early 60's, it was extremely hard for a black woman to get into opera. Nowadays, it's a field they are experts in- we have seen the success of Jessie Norman, Kathleen Battle and Denyce Graves. But in a time of racial segregation and the desperate struggles of the Civil Rights Movement, it was difficult for a black woman to make it as an opera singer, and moreover, make it to the top as a leading soprano. Verrett tells us about these times. Her idol was contralto Marian Anderson, the first black woman to break the barrier, and tells us of how she met her in person and received great advice. Leontyne Price was on the rise as a dramatiac soprano and so was Grace Bumbry, who like Verrett, started off as a mezzo-soprano. Like Bumbry, Verrett did not want to remain constricted to the mezzo-soprano repertoire, which is actually quite limited and harldy the "star" role in any opera- (Azucena in Verdi's Trovatore, Ulrica in Un Ballo, Cherubino in Mozart's Nozze Di Figaro, Amneris in Verdi's Aida, Princess Eboli in Don Carlo and of course, the inevitable Carmen). Verrett provides us with anecdotes about performing these roles.
   
   These roles Shirley Verrett mastered well, but singing the villain, or the vamp was not something she wanted to stick to. Other mezzo-sopranos, like Marilyn Horne (whom she talks about in her book, clarifying any rumors concering their clash of temperaments) got famous for using tricks to remain mezzos but still be a star- i.e. sticking to the Rossini heroines (most prominently in Semiramide but also L'Assedio Di Corinto, La Cenerentola and many other mezzo-coloratura roles. Dame Janet Baker used her mezzo voice to effectively convey religiosity and grace, while today's Cecilia Bartoli has made the mezzo voice a new form of dramatic soprano by coloring the voice with dizzying coloratura and highs as well as low notes. After making it to the top as a mezzo-soprano, it was time to move on. Like her peer, Grace Bumbry (with whom she was never really a rival, simply a rumor circulated by the media) she began training for the repertoire of dramatic soprano. Now, at last, she was ready to take on the same roles as her other idol, Maria Callas. Though Leontyne Price had already mastered the roles of Aida, Tosca, Leonora in Trovatore and Forza Del Destino, etc, Verrett was ready to hold her own.
   
   Indeed, her stamina and committment served her well. A hard-working and talented artist, she nailed the soprano roles of Bellini's Norma (in a much acclaimed San Francisco Opera performance in 1978 which is also under a live recording) and Tosca which unfortunately was never captured on recording or video/film. As Norma she is passionate, intense, majestic and appropriately dramatic. She tells us of visits to Maria Callas' Paris apartment she inhabited in the late 70's shortly before her highly publicized death. Callas adviced her and Montserrat Caballe not to overdo Norma. Verrett took the advice to heart and was harks back to Callas in her performance, but with a lot more fluidity and better diction to the text. Caballe would do Norma much more than Verrett ever did. As Tosca, she is equally as passionate and intense. I personally dislike that the Italian press in Milan dubbed her "La Negra Callas" when she performed in La Scala, as if color was something people just had to point out. Verrett would go on to master the role of Aida and the heroine in Dialogue De Carmelites. She sang at least 3 times with Beverly Sills, with whom she had a great friendship (as the Lady Jane Seymour in the recording of Anna Bolena, as Adalgisa opposite Sill's Norma and as Neocle in Sill's Met debut in L'Assedio Di Corinto. She worked with the great Leyla Gencer, an underrated but outstanding dramatic diva (as Queen Elizabeth I in Maria Stuarda) and also with Caballe in Lucrezia Borgia. She sounded rather good opposite Placido Domingo in operas as Samson And Delilah and L'Africaine. Her last great role was as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana. Retired, she looks back at her impressive career. She now coaches voice, is a great doner to charitable causes and a spokesperson for opera. This was a truly great book and I loved reading about her experience, which proved how persistence and integrity are eventually rewarded. My favorite moment- her parents, previously rejecting the "material world" and opera too, finally come to see their daughter in a performance of Carmen.



3. Having read biographies of Sutherland and Caballe, I was happy to add Shirley Verrett's to the collection. Unlike some other opera memoirs, this is a very quick read. Verrett is not the kind to mince words, nor dramatize a situation. Sure, there were some details about certain stagings and colleagues that I would have liked to have learned more about, but the brevity of the writing allows you to read the entire book in just a couple of sittings.
   
   Of all the stories she tells about relationships with other singers, most interesting of all is her "rivalry" with Grace Bumbry. Verrett hits it on the mark when she compares the much-hyped rivalry as being the equivalent of two black racehorses. It is an apt analogy, even if Verrett undermines the parallels between her career vis-a-vis Bumbry's. We're not just talking about two black opera singers. We are talking about two mezzos who often switched fachs, were as comfortable singing bel canto as they were singing Verdi, and whose signature roles overlapped (Eboli, Amneris, etc.) So, by default, controversy was bound to happen. In the end, they became friends, but the story of the rivalry is very compelling.
   
   There are a couple of things that I don't like about this memoir. First, Verrett (and/or Mr. Brooks) has a bad habit of repeating information that you just read about a page or two earlier. The most blatant example is how she describes the increasing difficulty to pack opera houses. She mentions that even Joan Sutherland had trouble filling a house to capacity. Then, a couple of chapters later, she mentions that even Joan Sutherland had trouble filling a house to capacity(!)
   
   Speaking of Sutherland, she also slights her in a paragraph where she gives her opinions of how critical acting is to a role, especially Norma. Verrett talks about how one critic faulted her diction when she sand Norma in San Fransisco. Verrett opines that the critic must have "another" soprano in mind that he preferred, which we understand is Sutherland, although Shirley never mentions her by name. Shirley declares that diction was this soprano's great weakness, and dismisses her acting ability by saying she acted "from the neck up". This is a valid point to make, but I am a Sutherlandphile, and feel that the Sutherland temperment was often underestimated.
   
   All in all, this is a wonderful autobiography, of an artist hailed by the Italians as "La Nera Callas". She is very frank about the opportunities she let go by, including an exclusive contract with RCA. Funny how so many of the opera recordings we treasure were almost cast differently; if Verrett hadn't walked out on her contract, she would have recorded Preziosilla and Amneris opposite Leontyne Price, instead of Cossotto and Bumbry.



4. You no doubt know the basics of what the book is about and you've read that Ms. Verrett is utterly honest and candid in every sentence of the book.

   What this means to me -- this is not only a book that is nearly impossible to put down (if you're interested in operatic performance and the personalities therein), it is also a book that lingers in the mind. Also, I can't remember a book that has generated so much conversation among friends. If you're of a certain age, this book will call up memories of gossip and legends that were hot topics in the 70's and 80's and will give you new insights on the truth behind them.

   I will enjoy keeping this book on my shelf to refer back to as we talk about our memories for a long time.




5. Shirley Verrett, now 70 and teaching voice at U Michigan, had one of the most beautiful and best trained mezzo voices I've ever heard. And she was able to sing many soprano roles as well. Her book is a delight. It contains Ms. Verrett's frank remarks about her career, her fellow singers, and those involved in the production side of great music. Her views on the way many productions of CARMEN mistakenly focus the audience's attention on Don José (which I fully agree with) were already known to me from a bio-pic of her which I already owned, but I was very pleased to see them restated in print. Readers will learn about her relationship with Maria Callas, her supposed rivalry with Grace Bumbry, and much, much more. Well-chosen photos grace this book, and a good index helps one follow whatever threads one chooses. One thing that I would like to have seen is a complete listing of her recordings, even though they were released on LPs and most have not been reissued on CDs--yet. If I could have TWO wishes, the other would be that a CD with even two or three tracks had been included with the book so that readers would have a chance to hear her marvelous, rich voice.

No comments about Racial Identity in Context: The Legacy of Kenneth B. Clark (Decade of Behavior).

5 comments about The Best that I Can Be: An Autobiography.

1. Rafer Johnson, to me, exemplifies the perfect American athlete. Besides winning the 1960 Rome Olympics Decathlon in record points, he also won gols at the 1955 Pan American Games and took silver medal at Melbourne, AUS Olympic Decathlon! Rafer was known for promoting special olympics, and won numerous awards for sportsmanship over the years! Mr Johnson was one of those few in every million or so that truly set and still sets the standard of what being a true American, athlete and humanitarian is all about!!!!!!!!!! Rafer excelled in high school in football, averaging 17 yards a carry, batted .400 in baseball, averaged 17 points a game in basketball and averaged over 9 yards a carry in football while in high school. But Rafer's specialty was track and field. Going to UCLA, Rafer was offered a scholarship to play football but his real love was track and field. His high school coach took him to a decathlon meet near where 2 time decathlon winner Bob Mathias lived in Tulare, CA. Rafer told his coach:"gee coach, I could have beaten most of those guys there"! Rafer took on and beat such greats in the 50's as Russian decathlon whiz Vasily Kuznyetsov and fellow UCLA teammate and later his arch rival in '60 Rome Olympics CK Yang. Mr Johnson was flag bearer for USA Team in '60 games and also lit the torch at '84 Olympics in Los Angeles Games. Mr Johnson also acted and has done much in his lifetime promoting great charatible events and things for America's youth and good sportsmanship!!! Rafer Johnson is about the best example, to me, of an American, a true American and sportsman. A real leader, sportsman and humanitarian now and always!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has always and will continue to always inspire my life and millions of others the world over now and forevermore!



2. I was so glad to learn that you've finally come out with a book, Rafer! I have always been fascinated with your decathalon vs CK YANG, and wish that there could be more films and pictures (book) just on the 1960 Decathalon, alone! I remember old tv ads with you in them years past and your roles in TARZAN movies. I knew from watching you that you would always be my life's role model! The "new" generation we live in today has so much technology and modern tech toys; but something "REAL BIG" is lacking! True greatness and love of (SPORT) for the love of it, from your heart, and not big money! Men were real men then, and athletes were real athletes! I have always dreamed of meeting you in person oneday! You and Ethiopia's ABBEE BIKILA were, are and always be two of my all-time favorite role models and athletes, forever! Sure wish that more could be done and written(pictures and films) of 1960 Olympics, especially the decathalon and marathon! You're truly a "great" man, and a "fine" american athlete of our time and the 20th century! write more books soon!



3. It was nice to learn about what has happened to Rafer Johnson over the years. The Best That I Can Be was a wonderful reminder of a marvelous athlete and competitor from years past plus an added bonus of hearing Rafer's incessant optimism and enthusiam. Gold Medalists come and go but few do so with the class and human decency that Johnson has displayed over a long period of time. If ever one is looking for a role model who demonstrated overcoming adversity with a smile on his face, it was Rafer Johnson. I only wished I had read this sooner.



4. I grew up hearing and reading about Rafer Johnson all of my life. Track was never a sport I paid much attention to before Johnson. He made it bigger than life for me, as Tiger Woods does for golf. A few years ago I was introduced to Rafer and was stunned to find him remarkably shy and guarded, very much unlike the dynamic man I saw as an athlete. I could tell that he was warm, but very, very careful. It wasn't until I read THE BEST THAT I CAN BE that I understood the man, that I understood how much one's background can flavor an entire lifetime. This book not only gave me his remarkable story, it left me with an insight that I carry with me everyday.



5. I was expecting much more from this book

1 comments about On the Jericho Road: A Memoir of Racial Justice, Social Action and Prophetic Ministry.

1. This book was such an encouragement to me to practice justice with pit bull determination the way he did. It is excellent & life changing. Highly Recommend!

2 comments about The Barber of Natchez.

1. A fascinating story of one of the few free black men in Natchez, MS prior to the Civil War. Respected businessman, confidant to white businessmen, land owner, slave owner, the possibilities of the black people is shown here in a unique bit of our South's history.



2. In 1938 the 2,000 page diary of William Johnson of Natchez, Mississippi was discovered along with numerous other personal and legal documents. The widow of Johnson's grandson made possible the publication of the diary in 1951 which led to publication of The Barber of Natchez in 1954.

   This book is relevant to the history of the U.S. because of its detailed, up-close portrait of one city--Natchez, Mississippi--in the antebellum period. Further enhancing the books value is that the barber, William Johnson, was a free Negro. And while Johnson had enough education to create an extensive, if not acute, sixteen-year chronicle, he could not foresee the impending cataclysm of Civil War, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow. Johnson's diary, therefore, is important because of its unvarnished, unintellectualized objectivity.

   Johnson was scrupulously honest, but his integrity, while known by many, could not change the color of his skin. Neither would industry or imagination, both of which he possessed. He ultimately would dwell in a sort of nether-world between white society and slavery. And his disdain for the local white trash of Natchez reaffirmed his status as a man with no true place in the world. From birth he was banished.

   In antebellum Mississippi true freedom was contingent upon skin color, although a modicum of freedom would be acccorded to a mulatto who aspired to live as a white man. It was this limited acceptance that Johnson pursued relentlessly throughout his short life. And his murder in 1851 was committed with naked impunity, as if Johnson had never been free at all.

   Organized thematically by chapters covering every facet of Johnson's existence, The Barber of Natchez paints a vivid picture of everyday life in the Old South. While supplemented occaisonally with other primary sources, the book relies first and foremost on the diary of William Johnson, which is recreated with its imperfect grammar, spelling errors, and archiac slang. A daguerreotype of the diariest is reproduced and there are no maps or diagrams of any kind.

1 comments about Confronted by God: The Essential Verna Dozier.

1. Confronted By God: The Essential Verna Dozier by co-editors Cynthia L. Shattuck & Fredrica Harris Thompsett is a carefully selected assembly of the writings of Verna Dozier, a Christian African-American woman dedicated to speaking out for the sake of the poor, dedicating herself to spreading the idea of equality as God's great dream. Confronted By God captures the essence of this proud, passionate, and pious woman, and invokes both compassion and contemplation at length in the reader. "Has anyone called you a fanatic lately? And if they did, was it because you were so set on establishing a morality for someone else, or because you were intent on a private piety, or because you were willing to risk every known security that someone else might have a richer life?"

No comments about Black Pioneers in a White Denomination.

2 comments about Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: A Casebook (Casebooks in Contemporary Fiction).

1. I found the casebook to be most intriguing because it shapes the context of which Maya Angelou writes. The interview and the various essays published give a greater insight into the dynamics of Angelou in her art and her voice as an African American women.



2. This book certainly reveals certain aspects of the small town south; but as descriptive and true as it may be, it is not a quality book. The character does not really evolve toward any end; she changes, but almost randomly. There is no thread connecting from page to page to chapter. The end (or lack thereof) is the worst part. There is not tying of loose ends, no final conclusion, no looking back. The book just cuts off.It utilizes excellent language to tell a poor story, and in the end, while Maya might know, the reader has no idea why the caged bird sings.

   -s1desh0w

No comments about Dear Holy Apostle: Experiences and Letters of Guidance with the Honorable Elijah Muhammad.