Details
Synopsis
In this autobiography, Grammy Award winning singer Aretha Franklin relives the unfortunate circumstances of her childhood, her family gatherings with friends Martin Luther King and Berry Gordon, and her early mistakes in romance, like her teenage pregnancy and her ill-fated marriage to Ted White. She also honors her musical mentors, including gospel singers James Cleveland and Sam Cooke, and shares her thoughts about various contemporaries.
| Size | | Length: | 254 pages | | Height: | 9.8 in | | Width: | 6.3 in | | Thickness: | 1.2 in | | Weight: | 20.0 oz |
Publisher's Notes
First Line: "Three months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, while the world was ablaze in war, I made my debut. I was born Aretha Louise Franklin on March 25, in Memphis, named after my father's two sisters, Aretha and Louise."
Industry Reviews
"[Franklin] is open about her feuds with other singers, like Gladys Knight and Cissy Houston. Despite the emotional upheavals and financial problems, Franklin sang the aria 'Nessun dorma' at the 1998 Grammy telecast when Luciano Pavarotti took ill, and has recorded 'A Rose Is Still a Rose,' written by Lauryn Hill, which seems the perfect ending for this bittersweet yet sassy chronicle."
Nesmith
"ARETHA: FROM THESE ROOTS, written with David Ritz (biographer of Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, and B.B King, among others), seems positively Victorian in its approach, harking back to a day when nice ladies didn't swear or dwell on sex in print. Throughout the strangely prim book, Franklin glosses over unpleasant events, accentuating the positive to a degree that's almost risible."
Sinclair
"The reedy voiced Ann Duquesnay expertly portrays the struggles and victories Franklin faced along that path. There are moments when it sounds as through Duquesnay might even be imitating the velvety lilt we all recognize in Franklin's voice."
AudioFile (02/01/2000)
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