The Protest Singer: An Intimate Portrait Of Pete Seeger (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
I'd give this book more stars, but after catching an error in the first page, I can't do it. "In the late 1940s, Seeger belonged to a group called the Almanac Singers"-- it was the late 1930s to early 40s... which I guess is evident, because on the next page, it says "The Almanac Singers broke up in 1942." Whenever I see a glaring error, I worry about the other errors I am not catching.However, this is still a worthwhile read-- it has basic biographical info (without having to slog through the Dunaway book)-- and where it really shines is in the "intimate portrait"-- the author spent time with Pete Seeger, and those little bits of stories from Pete are just great. Intimate in the title is the key to this book. The events of Pete Seeger's life are highlighted, many of which are well known, but the pearls of the book are the quotes that are included from their conversations as Seeger answered questions about his journey through life. "People ask, is there one word that you have more faith in than any other word,"he told me, "and I say it's participation. I feel that this takes on so many meanings. The composer John Philip Sousa said,'What will happen to the American voice now that the phonograph has been invented? Women used to sing lullabies to their children.' It's been my life work, to get participation, whether it's a union song, or a peace song, civil rights, or a women's movement, or gay liberation. When you sing, you feel a kind of strength; you think, I'm not alone, there's a whole bunch of us who feel this way. I'm just one person, but it's almost my religion now to persuade people that even if it's only you and three others, do something. You and one other, do something. If it's only you, and you do a good job as a songwriter, people will sing it."And the pictures; they show a man working hard for that participation from himself and from others with grace and joy and sticking by what he believes is right no matter what. Pete Seeger is a man to be thanked and copied, we need more like him.
What do You think about The Protest Singer: An Intimate Portrait Of Pete Seeger (2009)?
style a bit too encyclopedic, but liked the story behind one of my favorite folk singers
—winterdawn
easy-going tale of one of America's treasures
—Zbest
