Celebrate 50 Years of Iconic Jazz: Lady Sings the Blues Anniversary Edition

Michael Ford: Must have for any Lady Day fan.

Canada on May 31, 2023

Liesbeth Sewalt: Secondhand so not good enough to give away as a present. The paper had become very yellow. On the other hand you can’t expect much for duch a low price. I kept it for myself and read it. It is a very good book though. Interesting to read about Billie Holiday’s life.

United Kingdom on Dec 23, 2022

The Black Mzungu: Though I was born the decade she died, I always admired Billy Holiday's singing. This memoir also gave a peak into the relationships she had with other greats from that magical era. In Billy's voice we hear her first hand assessment of the American criminal justice system that unfortunately still holds true today.

United States on Aug 14, 2022

Lee11: Much has been said about this book not being entirely factual and Billie's recollections possibly being flawed so I went into it with that in mind. Whether you are a long-time fan of Billie Holiday or just recently got into her via Andra Day's amazing performance in 'The United States Versus Billie Holiday' I guarantee you will love this. It is written in a conversational way where you feel like Billie is really talking to you recalling all her crazy adventures.
The only sad part is that she had so many hopes and plans for the future when this book was put together and yet she died three years later.

United States on Jul 01, 2021

L.A.P./BelAir, MD: Used the book as a historical reference for my 95 year old mother who grew up one block away from Lady Day at 106 S. Durham Street, Baltimore, MD. According to my Mom the early chapters are 100% accurate. She remembers the neighborhood brothels that religious immigrant familes tried to condem, Afro block parties where diverse ethnnic neighbors joined in Negro spiritual song, and even playing jump rope with very young Billie. It was fun reading the book aloud to my Mom in Ms Day's regional dialect. We loved the book, well written and accurate.

United States on Jun 26, 2021

Laura: Born Eleanora Fagan in 1915 in Philadelphia to a 13-year-old mother, Billie Holiday first listened to jazz on a Victrola in a whorehouse, in exchange for working as a maid. Her memoir chronicles her rise from poverty to stardom during the Jim Crow years and her addiction to heroin, of which she died in 1959 at the age of 44. In the introduction to this book, lyricist David Ritz argues the "truthfulness" of Billie Holiday's autobiography. Are all of the details strictly factual? No, history has shown us that some of them were embellished. But the underlying pathos and poignance of her words are undeniably real and reveal the true heart of this woman, perhaps the greatest jazz singer to ever live. Read this book as you would read poetry, and enjoy it for its tender and stirring depth, its insights into a bygone era, and, yes, its emotional honesty.

United States on Nov 27, 2016

Roxane: tant qu'elle est strictement personnelle et liée à l'enfance (violences, humiliations), elle reste aussi attachante sinon plus quand elle
devient professionnelle. Mais pour apprécier sérieusement, cette seconde facette — la plus importante — il faut connaître le jazz que je ne
connais pas. Une radio française a proposé une explication de texte d'une chanson que j'écoutais sans en suivre les paroles:
"Strange fruit". Et ces fruits étranges qui sont accrochés aux branches ne sont autres que les corps calcinés de Noirs qui ont été lynchés, brûlés et pendus. On frissonne d'horreur à l'heure où les violences raciales se manifestent à nouveau de façon inquiétante aux Etats-Unis.
Je crois qu'il faut lire et analyser ces chansons de Billie Holiday,* lorsqu'elle aborde des sujets moins évidents que "The Man I love"

* On les trouve sur internet sous le titre de "Lyrics of Bilie Holiday

France on Aug 18, 2015

Elizabeth Echavarria: I gave this book four stars because when I read about the inaccuracies and false stories in her memoir I just didn't know how to approach the book. I wanted to read a factual version of her life but I settled for thinking of this book as a work of fiction inspired by the life of Billie Holiday. Reading from another source and confirmed by the book, I learned that this talented woman had a fascinating but tragic existence due to personal abuse with drugs, men, and the injustice of society due to racism and being a woman. It was also tragic how hard she worked and was consistently swindled monetarily from the people (often men) who were suppose to have her best interest professionally at heart. She died with only change in her bank account and an insignificant amount of money on her person (not in the book). I also gave the book four stars because I had some difficulties understanding the urban lingo of the time period, often becoming confused because there wasn't additional explanation for some of the slang used. Overall, the book was an interesting read but a disappointment as far as accuracy.

United States on Apr 20, 2015

sim: I LOVE BILLIE HOLIDAY. I HAVE HER MUSIC TOO.
but for the time being I'm afraid to read her bio. (cover wonderful artwork). she had such a hard life. I will read it when the time is ripe.
I'm even afraid to listen to her music. (strange fruit...) the blacks suffered enourmously, much injustice, violence and death. even now. I understand the black man who killed two white cops and have the opinion that he deserves lenient treatment by the judges. (how about the white cops or whites in general who killed blacks or mistreated them? were they sentenced adequately? I doubt it....)
THERE STILL A LOT OF RACISM ALL OVER THE WORLD AND NO JUSTICE!!!
(and "curious" enough: why is elvis the king of rock'n'roll? without black music > no elvis!! at least michael jackson (who curiously enough turned white, he was a wonderfúl handsome young man before his operations...) is the king of pop!!

United Kingdom on Dec 25, 2014

K. S. Jones: You have to be a bit of a Billie fan to buy the book, and it is a well documented, heartfelt account of her life, tragically cut short despite her efforts to stay clean of drugs. The book charts her childhood, brought up by her mother whom she adored, an absentee father from whom she inherited her love of blues and music generally. The book is written in the first person narrative, and she is honest and forthright about her mistakes, exploited by unscrupulous agents as her fame grew and a successful European tour provided new audiences to appreciate her worth, and should have provided the basis for the financial security she had always needed, sadly the money came and went all too quickly

I enjoyed the book, and would have no hesitation in recommending it

United Kingdom on Oct 28, 2012