Biographies – a genre I generally enjoy, particularly if it’s written by someone who, while knowing the subject, manages to remain relatively unbiased. Most presidential bios fall into this category, as well as tomes written about sports figures which are intended for a mature audience.Autobiographies are a bit tougher – usually the author/subject has a point of view to get across, and they’re likely to go out of their way to defend it. But in some cases they’ve come off surprisingly well – Bill Clinton’s “My Life” for the most part is remarkably humble.Then you have Harry Belafonte. Prior to reading “My Life”, I knew next to nothing about him, apart from Belafonte being a prominent calypso singer at the time when rock-n-roll exploded, and for making television appearances in recent years to defend left-wing causes.I don’t have any issue with Belafonte’s politics. I do, however, have problems with his personality… he wrote lines such as “Fortunately I was there to diffuse the situation” more times than I’d like to count. His recollections of the civil rights movement, particularly working with the Reverend Martin Luther King, were poignant, and reading about his early hits was somewhat interesting. If he’d pared the book down to about 100 pages, he’d’ve had something. Or he simply could’ve had Michael Schnayerson write “His Song”, from someone else’s perspective. Never let it be said that Harry Belafonte is a modest man! Certainly this memoir is interesting, but to me, only because of the time period in which he has lived and his participation in the Civil Rights movement. I have always loved Mr. Belafonte's music and have seen him perform in concert. He is an amazing performer and entertainer! However, to hear his version of history he is the unsung hero, the mover and shaker, behind the most powerful figures in the Civil Rights movement. I have no doubt that he was deeply involved and committed, but the egocentrism with which he tells his tale is incredibly off putting. Lord knows what would have happened if he hadn't been there to influence Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy! Love the music, but not impressed with the man. Diappointed!
What do You think about My Song: A Memoir (2011)?
I had no idea he was so active in civil rights. Maybe a little self-serving, but a good read.
—ellenchoate
