Rage To Survive: The Etta James Story

It's an honest and fresh read, very revealing and very scary as to how she survived racism, drug addiction and recovery. It also gives alot of insight on the R&B world players in the 50's, 60's and 70's.

I'd recommend it as a supplemental text in feminist/african-american/sociology college courses. It may be too controversial for high school courses but it would certainly get students talking. It's also a great summer read.


Not Your Typical Rags to Riches Story   October 21, 2002
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

Etta James. Powerful vocals and supremem attitude. This blues/jazz diva can only have a story that's as dramatic as her musical repetoire.

The biogrpahy is an easy read but full of emotional impact from her youth to her dificult struggle with her weight while climbing up the ladder to success. Family members bob and weave in and out of her life while she struggles to keep her head above the waters of black society.

Read about her survival and the road she took to make it there. Again, it is an easy read but the themes she brings up from her life are tough to handle. A true inspirational story, the life of Etta James will help any reader to appreciate her will to succeed and encourage all of us to strive to be our best.


A Survivor's Story!   September 7, 2002
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

Despite all odds, Miss Etta is still with us: read this book if you have the courage to learn what life 'on the road' was like for an entertainer in the 50's and 60's, with the difficulty enhanced tremendously for African-Americans. The debt today's divas owe Etta and others from 40 years ago will never be repaid. The book pulls no punches: white record label owners shafted their acts in every way imaginable, yet there's a snapshot of Leonard Chess that you'll be thankful for. Etta writes of doing heroin with Little Esther, being in and out of jail, being up and down, getting her "X" by joining the Black Muslims, touring with Little Richard, the dangers of driving through Dixie in the late 50's and early 60's with a blond 'do' (and a monkey).

There's another reason to buy the book: you can dine out for weeks by sharing the story of Etta's father. The book includes a photo of the two of them side-by-side. Yup, amazing resemblance. And no, I'm not going to tell.

Etta did the Letterman tv show a few weeks ago; is still making music. She's a national treasure. When she appeared in Dallas I slipped a note to a member of her crew to pass along, thanking her for all the music that has meant so much to me. If you've never heard Etta, look for that two cd set of her Chess recordings. One listen, and you'll be hunting for a pen and pad to send her the same kind of note.


I really wish I could say this was a great book   July 25, 2001
 21 out of 24 found this review helpful

Maybe my expectations were too high. I've never heard Etta James sing a song I didn't love. Not only does she have one of the most breathtaking voices in popular music, but she uses it brilliantly. She sings every song from the depths of her soul, and at the same time she's a very intelligent singer, obviously very much aware of, and in control of, her craft. I was hoping she'd bring the same kind of feeling and intelligence to telling the story of her life.

And it's a great story. Abandoned by her father and growing up in poverty with a difficult mother, Etta James became a juvenile delinquent, and over the course of her life faced down just about every form of addiction you can think of, from food to heroin. She was saved by a gift for music, which other people, thank god, recognized almost as soon as she opened her mouth.

So I began reading, knowing I was digging into a great story written by an intelligent and sensitive woman. But as I read, I found myself growing more and more disappointed. The book has some wonderful anecdotes about the nastiness of the music business and the foibles of a lot of famous people. They're entertaining and sometimes even enlightening - and they're the reason I wouldn't rate this book any lower than three stars.

But something goes wrong when she writes about herself. A lot of reviewers have praised her "honesty" in accepting responsiblity for her mistakes and addictions.That's certainly an admirable quality, but it doesn't necessarily make for interesting writing. Again and again, James tells you the sordid details of her mistakes, says it was her own fault, and then goes on to something else. And every time she does so, I felt cheated of any insight into what led her down the paths she took. She sounds like someone who hasn't really come to terms with her problems, and therefore most of the book seems rather superficial.

The story is inherently interesting and it would probably make a great movie, but its unwillingness to probe below the surface kept it from being a great book.