It's No Secret: From Nas to Jay-Z, from Seduction to Scandal--a Hip-Hop Helen of Troy Tells All

Book Description

Carmen Bryan is no stranger to the rap world. Not only did she work at Def Jam and Capitol Records but she shares a daughter with hip-hop superstar Nas -- a relationship made extremely public through Nas's celebrity status, rap lyrics, and the ever-present media. Now, in It's No Secret, a strong, resilient Carmen bares all, telling her side of the story and leaving no detail unturned -- with the true candor and raw emotion of someone who has been there, done that, and survived.

From a clandestine relationship with Nas's biggest rival, Jay-Z, that stirred up the biggest feud in hip-hop history, to seeing her reputation in tatters and a once loving relationship with Nas fall apart, Carmen depicts her trying journey to become the strong woman and mother she is today. After years of turmoil that included drugs, sex, greed, and violence -- and abandoning what she had always prized above all, her freedom -- Carmen took a stand, focusing on herself. After years of pursuit by the media, Carmen sets the record straight in It's No Secret -- and has no regrets.

Customer Reviews:

listen up.......2007-09-14

I think it was a good book. I enjoyed it, the thing was I wanted to know more about NaS and not her, the only reason why I got it was b/c of him. since i'll never marry him I wanted to know what it would be like to be with him. I'll still take him though i know that. I read it in one day. but i do wish her the best. sometimes things dont always work out

not all that intersting.......2007-09-14

could have been better not interesting enough maybe if carmen slept around with more people this would sell more but not all that good so what nas beat her, both were guilty we all know nas was a male ho we know jay z is a male ho too we know kelis is a freak, hdell nas may have slept witrh beyonce before she started fooling with jigga what was her number doing in his pocket in hollywood and the music business everybody sleeps with everybody.

Strong Woman? No........2007-08-25

I sure am glad I got this book at the library and didn't pay any money for it because the time I spent reading it was a waste.

Strong woman? Not even close. Drama queen? Yep.

It is pretty easy to predict she will continue to live her life with the same behavior she describes in her book. Irresponsible.

BETTER THAN U THINK.......2007-08-23

THIS BOOK WOULD BE A FIVE STAR BOOK IF IT HAD COME OUT BEFORE SUPERHEAD'S BOOK.VERY INTERESTING

This Is Her Life Let Her Live.......2007-08-09

I will start off by saying I took along time to read this book. The reason being the reviews well I won't let that effect me again. This book
is a good read. I think the problem people have with it is because they are looking for another tell all like Karrine Steffans and this is not that type. She is telling the story base on her trial and tribulations in her life. Which happen to include some well known people. She is basically saying that her life is no differnt from anybody else she makes bad choices and she has to deal with it. I mean did anybody read her final words in the book where she says there are no victims or villians. Meaning everybody knew how the situations could turn out.
With that being said Everybody Get Over It.
To tell the truth people will probably be up set with Karrine new book if she doesn't drop enough names.

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

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Calculations are only as good as your numbers
Pants on fire?
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
Very Interesting
History as Science Fiction

History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621058

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

A Lifetime To Get Here: Diana Ross: The American Dreamgirl

Average customer rating:

BEST BOOK ON ROSS YET
Call Her A Survivor
Supreme Book About the Career of Diana Ross
Simpler and to the point
EXCELLENT

A Lifetime To Get Here: Diana Ross: The American Dreamgirl
Thomas Adrahtas
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1425971407

Book Description

This unauthorized biography of entertainment legend Diana Ross strives to give a balanced account of her life and career while giving her the historical due that seems to have escaped her previously. Captured in vivid detail are her groundbreaking performances leading the Supremes, the renowned concert in Central Park amidst a raging thunderstorm, and the peaks and valleys of the more than 40 years of her ongoing stage, studio, and screen career. The book steers clear of dry biography, in that it is interspersed with entertaining essays that capture the effect her life and career have had on fans throughout the years. This book is a must-read for anyone with an appreciation for popular culture over the last half century.

Customer Reviews:

BEST BOOK ON ROSS YET.......2007-09-29

COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. MY ONLY COMPLAINT WAS THE AUTHORS'S CONSTANT ATTACKS ON MARY WILSON.
HE BLAMES MOST OF THE BAD PRESS ON HER....AND DOES NOT PUT SOME OF THE BLAME ON MISS ROSS, WHO I AM SURE WAS NO ANGEL.
HE DEFENDS DIANA SO MANY TIMES THAT IT BECAME OVERKILL.
OTHERWISE VERY WELL WRITTEN.

Call Her A Survivor.......2007-08-23

This book is an antidote to Mary Wilson's "tell-not-a-whole-lot" book from the mid-1980s and much of the subsequent negative press Diana received in part because of it. With 2006's "Dreamgirls" and Diana's high profile TV appearances and successful concert tour this year, it's seems time to recognize her for her accomlishments. While some of the facts presented here are without attribution, the book's a fun read. And love Diana or hate her, Adrahtas makes a few very compelling points (with supporting evidence) about her assention to Motown's throne and her ability to stay there for so many years. While lesser divas fell by the wayside as trends in the music industry shifted, Ross survived, and in doing so paved the way for two generations of singers, actors, and performers.

Supreme Book About the Career of Diana Ross.......2007-07-22

As a longtime fan of Diana Ross, I just finished reading this very satisfying account of her career and its impact on fans and admirers around the world. I have read all of the prior (as of this writing) customer reviews of this book; and, like many of the earlier reviewers, I must say this account is certainly years over due!
I do think, to a large degree, that the sad fact that her music has not been as commercially successful in America, from the 1990s on, has much to do with the sad shape of the American music industry in general. Diana is one of only many well-established American acts who have continued to be very successful in other countries, including England, while being ignored here at home (think Donny Osmond, Tina Turner, the group Toto--almost anyone who is over 30 years old and, actually, sings as opposed to raps). I know there are many, many Americans who feel like they can no longer hear good music on the radio any more, unless they are listening to an oldies station.
As far as this book goes, I did find it interesting that the author J. Randy Tarabelli used to work with Martha Reeves. I think his books are about as factual as the National Enquirer or Globe Magazine. And, Mary Wilson--the former Supreme (that nobody ever paid much attention to)--comes across as less than honest and having a huge chip on her shoulder! Look at the chapter on the 2000 Diana Ross & the Supremes "Return to Love" tour.
When I think of the Supremes, I will always think of Diana Ross. After all, she was the voice of all of their most memorable hit songs. I have long admired her. And, after reading (towards the end of this book) about some of the personal difficulties she has had to endure the last few years, it makes my admiration of her grow to see her now touring and promoting the new "I Love You" album in the year 2007.
Author Tom Adrahtas has contributed a much-needed book on the legacy of Diana Ross. She is THE supreme entertainer!

Simpler and to the point.......2007-05-12

Most biographical books whether authorized or not, tend to give you lots of facts all compiled with descriptions too long and confusing at times, that make reading and believing what you read very difficult, but this book not only gives you facts, quotes, moments, dates, situations that you can compare to other books outthere published about the same subject or person and make a fair decision as to who is telling the truth and who it exagarating on the truth or who is lying.
I love Diana Ross and the members of The Supremes, which of course Mary Wilson is one of them, but when I read Mary's two books, I was stunned and could not believe what I was reading, but still need to hear or read the other side of it, and this book does that, and puts thing in prespective. I recommend for those who are fans to buy it, and those who are curious to buy it, and for those who enjoy reading and gossip and conflict to buy it. It is good reading, lots of pictures.

EXCELLENT.......2007-04-16

FINALLY, someone has written a book that defends Diana Ross where she would never defend herself. The truth about her time with the Supremes and what really took place proves that what others have written were fantasy; stories made up over the years to discredit Diana Ross. If you never read another book about her, THIS is the book to read. You will finally understand what happened in the past and present and you will fall in love with her all over again.
The last chapters had me in tears reading the pain and heartache Diana had gone through the last few years. It's a miracle she survived at all, proving she Is the strong woman we all knew she was. Mary should read this book, as well as others who wrote hurtful stories about her; they'd all have to apologize and ask to be forgiven.
Bravo to the author!!!!!

Composition in Black and White: The Life of Philippa Schuyler

Average customer rating:

Machiavellian Sexual Predator?
two too short lives ...
All you need to know about Phillipa's life.
Excellent!!!
Partly dark but riveting story of a mulatoo virtuoso

Composition in Black and White: The Life of Philippa Schuyler
Kathryn Talalay
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0195113934

Book Description

George Schuyler, a renowned and controversial black journalist of the Harlem Renaissance, and Josephine Cogdell, a blond, blue-eyed Texas heiress and granddaughter of slave owners, believed that intermarriage would "invigorate" the races, thereby producing extraordinary offspring. Their daughter, Philippa Duke Schuyler, became the embodiment of this theory, and they hoped she would prove that interracial children represented the final solution to America's race problems. Able to read and write at the age of two and a half, a pianist at four, and a composer by five, Philippa was often compared to Mozart. During the 1930s and 40s she graced the pages of Time and Look magazines, the New York Herald Tribune, and The New Yorker. Philippa grew up under the adoring and inquisitive eyes of an entire nation and soon became the role model and inspiration for a generation of African-American children. But as an adult she mysteriously dropped out of sight, leaving America to wonder what had happened to the "little Harlem genius." Suffering the double sting of racism and gender bias, Philippa had been rejected by the elite classical music milieu in the United States and forced to find an audience abroad, where she flourished as a world-class performer and composer. She traveled throughout South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia performing for kings, queens, and presidents. By then Philippa had added a second career as an author and foreign correspondent reporting on events around the globe--from Albert Schweitzer's leper colony in Lamberene to the turbulent Asian theater of the 1960s. She would give a command performance for Queen Elisabeth of Belgium one day, and hide from the Viet Cong among the ancient graves of the Annam kings another. But behind the scrim of adventure, glamour, and intrigue was an American outcast, a woman constantly searching for home and self. "I am a beauty--but I'm half colored...so I'm always destined to be an outsider," she wrote in her diary. Philippa tried to define herself through love affairs, but found only disappointment and scandal. In a last attempt to reclaim an identity, she began to "pass" as Caucasian. Adopting an Iberian-American heritage, she reinvented herself as Felipa Monterro, an ultra-right conservative who wrote and lectured for the John Birch Society. Her experiment failed, as had her parents' dream of smashing America's racial barriers. But at the age of thirty five, Philippa finally began to embark on a racial catharsis: She was just beginning to find herself when on May 9, 1967, while on an unauthorized mission of mercy, her life was cut short in a helicopter crash over the waters of war-torn Vietnam. The first authorized biography of Philippa Schuyler, Composition in Black and White draws on previously unpublished letters and diaries to reveal an extraordinary and complex personality. Extensive research and personal interviews from around the world make this book not only the definitive chronicle of Schuyler's restless and haunting life, but also a vivid history of the tumultuous times she lived through, from the Great Depression, through the Civil Rights movement, to the Vietnam war. Talalay has created a highly perceptive and provocative portrait of a fascinating woman.

Customer Reviews:

Machiavellian Sexual Predator?.......2007-09-02

I had a newspaper cut out of the picture that is on the cover of this book for years. It is faded and delicate but I never rid myself of it because I found the beautiful face that was on it so enchanting. All I knew was that this girl was called Philippa. I thought she was Indian or an old Bollywood star. Then I saw the photo again but on the cover of a biography in a bookshop called Foyles in London.

Composition in Black and White: Life of Philippa Schuyler by Kathryn M. Talalay is a very well written and comprehensively researched biography about a child prodigy. The opening chapters are compelling and written with such confidence that it suggests that this biography is going to be a classic. Unfortunatly the subject matter lets Talalay down as the middle section of the book demonstrates because it is simply an extended list of her engagements and travels. That said the book sparks back into to life in the later chapters as the mature Philippa is explored. I would like to have known when she had her first real sexual encounter, as this would have put the later exploration into her sex life into context.

There are some questions that are left unresolved which I supposed adds too the mystery of this difficult character. Also as Philippa grows she becomes more selfish and self-centred. Less sympathetic. Her world really does revolve around her and only her even if she is in a war-zone. My personal view is that in latter life she became something of a Machiavellian sexual predator. I can't see how she can be labelled a humanitarian. Her main concerns were solely for herself. She had an abortion simply because the baby came from a Blackman. Yes she was brave, talented and beautiful yet she was also cruel, stupid and brutal. Someone who had too much emotion baggage to be around for long.

Where is Philippa's music now? Was it really any good? Are there any recordings of it?

I can find none available. Maybe that speaks for itself.

two too short lives ..........2005-12-22

Richard Powers puts Philippa Schuyler (1931-1967) to the centre of his novel "The time of our singing". Halle Berry (this time as a producer instead of as an actress) wants to film her life ["Composition in Black and White"] and has found Alicia Keys as a principal actor -- also a coloured pianist and an admirer of Philippa Schuyler by whom Alicia feels deeply inspired. These two current marginal notes should already unlock us to read this book written by Kathryn Talalay about Philippa Schuyler. If one has started to explore the facts of this extraordinary biography, then one quite surely will be tied up of what this exemplarily strong woman experienced: At the beginning of her life she was, aged 11, on tour as a "child prodigy" celebrated on concert stages in about 80 countries -- also America needs his Mozarts (at first the present U.S. Foreign Secretary Condoleezza Rice was on this track, too, before she still discovered more essential). Philippa Schuyler (got adult) changed her name because of the racialist injustices , which made the USA particularly to the axis of the bad in the Mccarthy era -- for children from mixing marriages absolutely also. Philippa Schuyler tried to award a South American Spanish touch to herself with the pseudonym Felipa Monterro. (Jennifer Lopez today is an example, too, that this sort of identity absolutely gets more acceptance than a clear origin from a black American ghetto. ) Philippa Schuyler started with a second life as a (very successful) journalist, getting more awake for political discussions. She, an "American Sheroe" -- she died at the age of 35 years... at a report refund over Vietnam during a helicopter crash in 1967.

All you need to know about Phillipa's life........2005-08-12

This book is PACKED with details. The author really did her homework on this book. The author takes you on a journey beginning with the lives of her parents, Phillipa crossing the world on adventures and finally ending in pure tragedy. Phillipa was a very gifted child pianist. She grew up in New York as a multi-racial child. Her mother was a white southern heiress, her father was a talented black journalist. The two fell in love in a time where inter-racial couples were worse than taboo.

Phillipa traveled the world performing for royalty. Sometimes at dilapidated venues in fourth world counties. Although some times were rough for Phillipa (when she was older) she continued touring to get away from her demanding mother.

The book is packed with dates, locations, pictures and names. You can tell that the author, Kathryn Talalay, put a lot of effort into this book to give you the full picture of this girl's life. This is the reason why I gave it 3 stars and not 4 or 5. From reading so much info the book kind of lost its momentum.

NOTE: Be on the look out for the motion picture of "Composition in Black and White" staring Alicia Keys as Phillipa.

Excellent!!!.......2004-06-21

I loved this book and couldn't put it down. Very well written and researched. Philippa Schulyer was a fascinating woman! I highly recommend this book.

Partly dark but riveting story of a mulatoo virtuoso.......1999-09-02

As a social historian and african-american writer I enthralled when I read the NY Times Book Review of Kathryn Talalay's bio of phillippa Schuyler. Schuyler made her mark as a musical child prodigy and later, as an adult, a celebrated composer-pianist. Schuyler's life as an international performer in one sense mirrors that of another but more recognized "tragic mulatoo", Dorthy Dandridge. And her last career as a grounbreaking war correspondent in South Vietnam is particularly entriguing. Overall, Talalay's book is marvelous but the high brow and sordid realities of Schuyler's life are especially deserving of a major made-for-cable TV treatment. Similiarly to what recently afforded Dandridge. That way Talalay's thought provoking examination of Schuyler's achievements could be made accessible to a greater number of african-americans and others alike.

Average customer rating:

Nice breezy read...
Great Concept...I can certainly see a series..........
A Perfect Beach Book!
What a great read!!
Witty & Fun

Sleeping with Schubert: A Novel
Bonnie Marson
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0812968395
Release Date: 2005-11-29

Amazon.com

Bonnie Marson's debut novel, Sleeping with Schubert, is the unlikely story of what happens when the passionate spirit of a legendary 19th-century composer inhabits an ordinary Brooklyn lawyer. While the premise of this exploration seems preposterous (and often is too unbelievable to merit any serious thought), Marson does a commendable job of creating a genuinely likeable protagonist whom she surrounds with an equally amusing and entertaining cast of supporting characters. These portraits, combined with a sharp, witty sense of irony on the author's part, save this book from what could have been a grave misstep into the world of fantasy Chick Lit.

Sleeping with Schubert follows its heroine Liza Durbin from her debut at a Nordstrom piano to a full-fledged world tour that culminates in a grand finale at Lincoln Center. Along the way, Liza's quirky family make guest appearances, as well as her on-again/off-again boyfriend Patrick, her eccentric piano teacher, and a host of admirers and jealous acquaintances posing as well-wishers. Because this is inherently Chick Lit, Marson indulges in the issues so central to the genre, including warped body images, stunning sisters, cherished best friends, bad hair days, and crazy mothers ("Your father and I have a theory. Maybe you could be just a teeny little bit like an idiot-savant."). However, Schubert's presence adds a layer of complexity that is rare to this type of book; rather than dwelling on the hardships of magazine publishing and office flirtations, Marson treats the reader to a bit of culture and sophistication. By combining an unusual circumstance with a welcome and inviting level of introspection that is rare to most heroines in the genre, Marson offers audiences the chance to imagine a reality in which baby grand pianos fit in Brooklyn apartments and frumpy lawyers can become renowned Romantic composers. --Gisele Toueg

Book Description

It seems that the legendary composer Franz Schubert is alive—well, sort of—in the twenty-first century: His soul has taken up residence in the body of Brooklyn lawyer Liza Durbin. Even more astonishing, so has his prodigious gift. A mediocre pianist at best as a child, Liza can suddenly pound out concertos and compose masterly music out of the blue. But how can a brilliant male Austrian composer from the nineteenth century coexist in the everyday life of a modern American woman? And how can Liza explain what’s happened to her without everyone thinking she’s gone off the deep end?

Fortunately, the evidence is tangible, and Liza is soon brought into the esteemed halls of Juilliard under the tutelage of the revered—and feared—Greta Pretsky, a humorless woman whose only interest in Liza is her channeling of Schubert. Greta’s greedy for her next big star, and the entire New York City press is whispering of Liza’s brilliance as the public awaits her debut at Carnegie Hall. Even Liza’s boyfriend, Patrick, seems more in love with her than ever.

Yet as Liza yields to Franz’s great passion, her own life and identity threaten to elude her. Why was she chosen as the vessel for this musical genius—and when, if ever, will he leave? Their entwined souls follow a path of ecstasy, peril, and surprise as they search for the final, liberating truth.

A strikingly original novel, Sleeping with Schubert plays on years of speculation regarding Franz Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony.” Bonnie Marson’s extraordinary imagination supposes that Schubert cannot truly die until the mystery is solved—even if it means being resurrected in the body of a deceptively ordinary woman. Filled with drama and humor, this irresistible novel explores love, genius, and identity in ways that will engage and amaze readers.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Nice breezy read..........2007-01-05

My piano teacher recommended this book to me, so as a present to myself I got it since I thought it was a good concept. I particularly like novels that don't beat around the bush...get right to it. Ms. Marson does that in the first chapter and holds your interest all the way through to the end. Can't wait to see the movie IF they get a real pianist to play the heroine...hope they can find one who can act AND play.

Great Concept...I can certainly see a series.................2006-07-06

This story is an interesting way to learn a bit about a composer(Schubert, surprised?) who comes to inhabit a female Brooklyn lawyer...and we used to call it schizophrenia when you became a famous person in this way....who knew? Now it's used as a kind of currant literary vehicle to develop a story. Seriously tho the concept works in a story with a very current "tone"...I received this and CD as a birthday present a few days ago. Definitely enjoyed the music-tho don't forget how serious this music is by comparison to the text tone, having not heard some of it in awhile (how often have you heard "The Trout" of late?). The text is light, funny ,an enjoyable idea which since I generally like romances and chicklit....it was a good gift. I recommend this if you need a neat gift for a similarly inclined sister, wife , girlfriend, boss. Watch to be sure they enjoy the contemporary genre. Plus it tells us Paramount has optioned it so shall we soon see Anne Hathaway in her next picture? It struck me that I learned more about the composer-always worthwhile in a fairly palatable format.Couldn't you just see a series as women gain Monet, Degas, Klimt(well maybe not)...Liszt,Wagner as their new special friend?

A Perfect Beach Book!.......2006-04-19

Looking for something fresh, exciting and funny to read this summer? Here's the perfect vacation book - Sleeping with Schubert. At the beach, on the plane, at your in-laws - a great escape. Bonnie Marson's first effort is incredibly creative. You won't want to put it down. Just don't forget to apply sunscreen and flip over every so often.

What a great read!!.......2006-03-24

This book was chosen for the book group I was in. When I read the description, I was sort of "oh well"-guess I'll read it. The book grabbed me immediately with the story and very witty, entertaining writing style of the author. It was a fun, serious, touching, and totally enjoyable book!!

Witty & Fun.......2006-03-22

The book was witty and fun. It was extremely well written.

Amy Beach, Passionate Victorian: The Life and Work of an American Composer, 1867-1944

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Amy Beach, Passionate Victorian

Amy Beach, Passionate Victorian: The Life and Work of an American Composer, 1867-1944
Adrienne Fried Block
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0195074084

Amazon.com

The question one inevitably asks when considering the life of composer Amy Beach is this: How much greater might she have been if she'd had the same opportunities given male prodigies such as Mozart or Beethoven? As it was, Beach's talent was prodigious and widely recognized in her own time. Born in 1867 to a musical family, the young Amy was playing the piano by ear by the time she was four. Had she been a boy, no doubt a brilliant career as a concert pianist would have followed; instead, Amy married a much older man and mostly confined her musical genius to once-yearly concerts and to composing. Beach was prolific and eclectic, writing a Mass, a symphony (her "Gaelic" Symphony was the first work by an American woman composer to be performed by an American orchestra) and chamber music. In later years, after her husband's death, Beach toured the world as a performer.

In her extensive biography of Amy Beach, Adrienne Fried Block examines both the composer's life and work. Excerpts from various pieces are included in the book, giving readers an opportunity to study her music. Block does an admirable job of explaining to those less musically knowledgeable just what Beach was attempting to accomplish in each piece. Amy Beach, Passionate Victorian is an excellent biography for anyone interested in the life of a remarkable woman; for those who are also interested in music and composition, it's a real treat.

Book Description

Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (1867-1944), the most widely performed composer of her generation, was the first American woman to succeed as a creator of large-scale art music. Her "Gaelic" Symphony, given its premiere by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1896, was the first work of its kind by an American woman to be performed by an American orchestra. Almost all of her more than 300 works were published soon after they were composed and performed, and today her music is finding new advocates and audiences for its energy, intensity, and sheer beauty. Yet, until now, no full-length critical biography of Beach's life or comprehensive critical overview of her music existed. This biography admirably fills that gap, fully examining the connections between Beach's life and work in light of social currents and dominant ideologies. Born into a musical family in Victorian times, Amy Beach started composing as a child of four and was equally gifted as a pianist. Her talent was recognized early by Boston's leading musicians, who gave her unqualified support. Although Beach believed that the life of a professional musician was the only life for her, her parents had raised her for marriage and a career of amateur music-making. Her response to this parental (and later spousal) opposition was to find creative ways of reaching her goal without direct confrontation. Discouraged from a full-scale concert career, she instead found her metier in composition. Success as a composer of art songs came early for Beach: indeed, her songs outsold those of her contemporaries. Nevertheless, she was determined to separate her work from the genteel parlor music women were writing in her day by creating large-scale works--a Mass, a symphony, and chamber music--that challenged the accepted notion that women were incapable of creating high art. She won the respect of colleagues and the allegiance of audiences. Many who praised her work, however, considered her an exception among women. Beach's reaction to this was to join with other women composers of serious music by promoting their works along with her own. Adrienne Fried Block has written a biography that takes full account of issues of gender and musical modernism, considering Beach in the contexts of her time and of her composer contemporaries, both male and female. Amy Beach, Passionate Victorian will be of great interest to students and scholars of American music, and to music lovers in general.

Customer Reviews:

Amy Beach, Passionate Victorian.......2000-05-24

At last, a full-length biography of the "Dean of American Women Composers." Engaging and thorougly researched. The only thing lacking is a discography of Beach's music. Highly recommended.

YOU AIN'T GOT NO EASTER CLOTHES: A MEMOIR

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Incredible memoir to make you laugh and cry!
You Ain't Got No Easter Clothes
I couldn't stop reading!

YOU AIN'T GOT NO EASTER CLOTHES: A MEMOIR
Laura Love
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1401300111

Book Description

Laura Love has an uncanny knack for getting an audience to listen. Today she is beloved by fans around the world for her funk-folksy music. But Love's life wasn't always so good. Growing up in racially troubled Nebraska, Love survived a miserable childhood, shuffling among a mentally unstable mother, foster homes, and orphanages. Despite the odds, Love survived, thanks ultimately to her enormous will. You Ain't Got No Easter Clothes is Love's wrenching, shocking, yet hopeful story of the survival of a deeply rooted, but broadly cultured woman.

Customer Reviews:

Incredible memoir to make you laugh and cry!.......2006-05-06

I love a good memoir, and this book is among my favorites. The story of Laura Love and her sister Lisa is one I won't soon forget. Held hostage by a mentally unstable mother, the girls learn to tolerate a childhood of extreme poverty and insanity. The author has such a way with words, you feel as if you know her. With parts so emotionally overwhelming; I literally burst out into uncontrollable laughter, for lack of more appropriate emotions. A must read for all women or all races. A breathtaking glimpse into hell.

You Ain't Got No Easter Clothes.......2005-11-09

This book was like nothing I had read before. When I first picked it up I thought that I wouldn't be interested in it, however, once I started reading I couldn't stop. The things that happened to these little girls just breaks my heart and I had to know where their lives ended up.

I couldn't stop reading! .......2004-09-09

I've always found Laura Love's music and song lyrics to be thoughtful and profound, so it was no surprise to find this was a shocking but gripping true story. Frankly, I couldn't stop reading until finished and wished she had written more.

It's not a story for the fainthearted reader, because she tells all - warts and all. It's amazing that a woman could live through these experiences, yet end up with such a warm and compassionate sense of self! I also found it interesting to read about the times of Bobby Kennedy's assassination, the effects of race riots, and so many memories of the `60s and `70s from her perspective. Truly enjoyed the baby boomer nostalgia type memories. I would highly recommend this memoir!

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An exemplary family history
the hornes

The Hornes: An American Family
Gail Lumet Buckley , and Lena Horne
Manufacturer: Applause Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1557835640

Book Description

An inspired, intimate history of musical legend Lena Horne and her family, written by Lena's daughter, Gail Lumet Buckley. More than a loving biography of a true show business legend, Lumet Buckley traces Lena's, as well as her own, roots as the latest in a long family line of America's Black elite.

Customer Reviews:

An exemplary family history.......2006-12-03

An absorbing trip through American history, courtesy of a family of vivid dreamers and high achievers. Gail Lumet Buckley had access to a remarkable family archive of scrapbooks, photographs and journals and does great justice to it, crafting a multigenerational portrait that is enlightening and highly readable. Although Buckley's mother, Lena Horne, is the most famous member of the family, the book makes it clear that she was only one of its noteworthy success stories. For anyone wanting to know more about what America was like for middle-class blacks in the Reconstruction and beyond, "The Hornes" is a wonderful place to begin.

the hornes.......2000-03-23

Fabulous insight into a family with ties to every important event in US History.

Marian Anderson: A SINGER'S JOURNEY (Music in American Life)

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Humanizing a legend
Engaging Bio Of A Pioneering Diva
Talent and Grace

Marian Anderson: A SINGER'S JOURNEY (Music in American Life)
Allan Keiler
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0252070674

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Marian Anderson is often perceived more as a civil rights legend than a singer. In this first complete biography, Allan Keiler, a music professor at Brandeis University, gives his primary allegiance to Anderson the artist. In the first decades of the 20th century, a time when black classical musicians were rare, she rose from a poor neighborhood in Philadelphia to a level of supreme accomplishment. Although she came to be identified with spirituals, she resisted being pegged as a black singer and emphasized her mastery of the European art song.

Virtually all of Anderson's career took place on the concert stage; opera was even harder to break into. She was in her late 50s when she became the first black singer to appear at the Metropolitan Opera. In any period, though, opera would not have suited her personality. She preferred the intimate engagement she could achieve with a song and a single accompanist.

Anderson's most indelible moment came in 1939, when the Daughters of the American Revolution refused her the use of its segregated Constitution Hall in Washington. In response, her supporters organized a huge concert at the Lincoln Memorial, an emotional event that propelled her to iconic status. But Anderson was neither outspoken nor comfortable in the political limelight. After World War II, she was criticized for not refusing to perform in the segregated South. In the last decades of her long life (she died at 96, in 1993), she was revered as a symbol of humanitarianism and restrained dignity--a quality that made her seem remote to younger, more impatient generations.

Keiler is a methodical rather than inspired writer. His prose can be flat-footed, and his chronology is often murky. But he successfully evokes what made Anderson's singing unique: the "opulent" tone and the interpretive ability that cut to the heart of a varied repertoire embracing spirituals, folk songs, and pieces by Schubert, Brahms, Handel, Sibelius, Purcell, and de Falla. And his sympathetic portrait transforms her from a civics lesson into a woman of her time, one who believed the most valuable contribution she could make to a better world was to offer it her gift. --David Olivenbaum

Book Description

Marian Anderson was a woman with two disparate voices. The firstÐ-a powerful, majestic contralto spanning four octaves--catapulted her from Philadelphia poverty to international fame. A second, softer voice emanated from her mere presence: an unwavering refrain of opportunity and accomplishment in the face of racial prejudice.

Anderson was born in 1897 to parents who made the long journey north from Virginia to escape the clutches of Jim Crow. Her musical genius was apparent from an early age, but even tremendous community and familial support could not shield her from the blows of economic hardship and bigotry she encountered in her early performing days.

Anderson first garnered major acclaim while studying in London and Berlin. Her breakthrough in America commenced when impresario Sol Hurok took her under his wing, and her broad repertoire included Bach and Handel, spirituals, German lieder, French melodies, and the art songs of Scandinavian, Russian, and Spanish composers. In 1955, she became the first African-American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera.

Since she was more comfortable as artist than activist, Anderson's intense privacy and devotion to her work distanced her from direct roles in the civil rights movement, but she remained a symbol of possibility throughout her career. Famously, Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution when the organization refused to let Anderson perform at Constitution Hall. Images of Anderson singing at the 1939 Easter concert, subsequently moved to the Lincoln Memorial, established her immediately as an icon in the struggle against discrimination.

From meetings with Anderson before her death in 1993, as well as interviews, reviews, and early coverage in the black press, and personal diaries and letters, Allan Keiler has assembled a massive and magnificent study of Anderson's life. Now in paperback for the first time, this edition features separate appendices for Anderson's repertory and discography, and thirty-two photographs of the singer's incredible life and career.

Customer Reviews:

Humanizing a legend.......2001-11-27

Allan Keiler's biography of the great African-American contralto Marian Anderson is meticulously researched and detailed. Having exhaustively consulted contemporary sources neglected by other researchers, such as black newspapers, and personally interviewed many people, including the singer herself, Keiler sheds new light on the familiar story of Anderson's life and career.

Of particular interest is his detailed chronology of the famous events of 1939 that began with the refusal of the Daughters of the American Revolution to allow Anderson to give a concert in Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., and ended with her outdoor concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, a performance that propelled the singer to iconic status in the civil rights movement. His recounting of this and subsequent events, including her eventual success in obtaining a performance in Constitution Hall years later, reveals Anderson to have been surprisingly hesitant and passive in combatting segregation, and by no means unequivocally in favor of some of the bolder, more confrontational moves of her supporters.

Likewise, Keiler probes her personal relationships, something Anderson was reticent about in her own autobiography, and reveals a human being with faults and frailties, one who could be dictatorial and impatient toward members of her family, and aloof and uncommunicative when terminating relationships with lovers and artistic collaborators (notably Billy King, her first regular accompanist, who never recovered from the pain of being replaced by Kosti Vehanen). In no way do these revelations detract from Anderson's accomplishments as a musician; rather, they form a touching picture of the real sacrifices she had to make in the service of her talent.

The one major area in which this book falls short is a detailed examination of Anderson's vocal art. Despite her unique status in American history, the singer comes from and joins several well-defined artistic traditions--the low-voiced female classical singer, a vocal species now almost extinct; the singer who makes a career through concert and oratorio work rather than opera; and the African-American classical singer. With her well-documented performance history and large recorded legacy, the time is ripe for a definitive study of Anderson the vocal artist, writing of the kind John Ardoin and Michael Scott have published about Maria Callas and her work. Despite its many virtues this volume does not pretend to, nor does it accomplish this task.

Engaging Bio Of A Pioneering Diva.......2000-11-20

In 1939 world-class contralto Marian Anderson was barred -- because of her race -- from performing an Easter concert in Washington's Constitution Hall when the Daughters of the American Revolution refused to rent her the space.

Instead, supported by the NAACP and Eleanor Roosevelt, Anderson sang at the Lincoln Memorial. In so doing she brought attention to both her magnificent voice and the reality of segregation in the capital.

This absorbing authorized biography puts Anderson's career before her skin color, but Brandeis University music professor Keiler, who interviewed the singer shortly before her death in 1993 at age 96, carefully documents both her musical evolution and civic triumphs.

Though clearly awed by the stately vocalist who dressed in white satin, Keiler celebrates the humanitarian who served as a U.N. delegate, funded scholarships for black youth (both Jessye Norman and Leontyne Price auditioned for one but lost), mastered works by Brahms, Schubert and Sibelius and became the first African-American to sing at the Metropolitan Opera.

An important read of a voice which sang so true.

Talent and Grace.......2000-03-13

Though Mr. Keiler does a tremendous job of putting Ms. Anderson's life on paper, at the end I still felt I did not know her. I don't know if it was because he had the cooperation of her family and was overly cautious, or if she is just a personality to complicated to really get to know. Anyway, a great read, but just left me wanting to know more.

Queen: The Life and Music of Dinah Washington

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Voice as honey,busy as a Bee
Still Waiting for the Definitive Bio...
A fine insider's guide to the real Dinah
Superficial Biography ... at best
It's only the music I love.

Queen: The Life and Music of Dinah Washington
Nadine Cohodas
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375421483
Release Date: 2004-08-24

Book Description

•Based on extensive family interviews and newly discovered documents

•Intriguing story of a black woman pioneer in recorded music

Dinah Washington sang pop, jazz, R&B and gospel, but most of all she sang the blues—"Maybe I'm a Fool" and "I Wanna Be Loved" and Muddy Water" and (of course) "What a Difference a Day Makes" and countless others—all in a distinctive honey-and-vinegar voice that made everything she sang unmistakably her own. Dubbed both the Queen of the Blues and Queen of the Juke Box, Dinah Washington had songs, shows, lovers, and husbands. Controversial to the critics of her time, vastly influential to the next generation of singers, Washington will always be remembered for a life that was, first and foremost, music.

Customer Reviews:

Voice as honey,busy as a Bee.......2007-07-03

Because no one has ever written about legendary Dinah Washington before (at least not published in Europe),I snatched this book immediately just to find it a bit overwhelming & too detailed.Where author dazzled in her previous book,this time she seems she wasn't sure is she writting about Washington or the whole afro-american society of post WW2 America.Sure,she had done her homework and reasearched high and low (future authors will have to rely on her) but after a while,the book turns into list of every concert performance Washington ever gave in her life,therefore a bit dry.Strange how vital and exciting singer like Washington ended up with such uninspired biographer! The little episodes,like the only time this overworked woman spent time with her family in Disneyland tell much more than all the concerts and recording dates.I love Washington dearly and thanks to her music legacy,for me she lives forever.Read the book if you are curious,but stick to the music.

Still Waiting for the Definitive Bio..........2005-01-30

Dinah Washington, like Etta James and Esther Phillips, is one of the underrated singers of the post WWII era, and very little has been written about her. So when I saw this book and who its author was,(Nadine Cohodas, who wrote a superb history of Chess Records,Spinning Blues Into Gold), I eagerly anticipated reading it.
After finishing it, unfortunately I'm still waiting for the definitive biography of the Queen. It's very apparent that Cohodas did a lot of research, but the result was turned into a laundry list of club dates, recording sessions, clothes inventories, and rotating musicians and husbands which becomes numbing. What is missing is context and interpretation of these events aside from the repetitive assertion that Washington was narrowly promoted and marketed because of race. I wasn't looking for sensationalism or psychobiography from this book, but I was hoping to gain some insight into Dinah Washington's life, or music, and the lack of analysis left me still wondering both who she was and how she created such wonderful music.

A fine insider's guide to the real Dinah.......2005-01-04

Born Ruth Lee Jones in 1924 in Alabama, singer Dinah Washington's family moved to Chicago where she became a local gospel star at fifteen - but she didn't stop there. When she was discovered by Lionel Hampton at eighteen, Dinah made her way to New York's Apollo Theatre and became a legend. Queen: The Life And Music Of Dinah Washington reviews her life and music, delving into her high and low moments alike. A fine insider's guide to the real Dinah.

Superficial Biography ... at best.......2004-12-31

Dinah Washington was a great human being as well as a great singer. Cohodas' limited writing skills and lack of insight result in an unwieldy, superficial account of dates, places and people in the life of this passionately human, outstanding artist who was decades ahead of her time. On the other hand, the book provides significant documentation for future biographers. The book gets one star for the excellent cover by Carol Devine Carson who also designed the cover of Bill Clinton's autobiography. Dinah would have loved it!

Given Dinah's magnificent talent, deep spirituality, and complex personality, only a highly skilled writer capable of penetrating social and psychological insights and access to personal materials could craft a biography worthy of her. Someone of the caliber of Toni Morrison, or Maya Angelou at her best, could do her justice. Until then, the brilliant light of Dinah's talents, generosity and love will continue to shine upon the earth bestowed - solo - by the Queen.

It's only the music I love........2004-11-18

I finished this book while listening to her multiple CD collections. The book gets five stars for its scholarship, its extensive notes, its all inclusive index.

But still it seems too cold for the subject at hand, or perhaps I'm just disappointed that Dinah Washington was more shallow than I imagined her to be. Probably the latter.

Also Cohodas's appraisal of the albums I enjoyed most is just the opposite of what I feel myself. What I hear as honest and tragic, the biography calls tired and too husky. And the other way around.

I had no idea that Dinah Washington did "It's Too Soon To Know" before Etta James (who owns the song in my estimation). Etta James came later, and she idolized Dinah Washington and made her sound her own, strings and all.

When Etta James spotted Dinah Washington in the audience at the nightclub where she was singing, she abandoned her original program and sang "Unforgettable" as a tribute to her idol. The song was broken up by Dinah Washington screaming at her, pointing a finger at her saying, "Girl, don't you ever try to do the Queen's songs."

According to Cohodas, Dinah Washington's lovers, to whom she dedicated songs, were usually gone by the time the records were released. She was married seven times and had many lovers in-between. Such as the "Rafael" she mentions on her cover of Irving Berlin's "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm."

Dinah was dead at thirty-nine, but her music lives on and always will for this listener. This biography reminds me again that Art is part the author and part the reader, part the singer and part the listener. What I hear in her music has not changed.

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