Foxy: My Life in Three Acts

by Pam Grier, Andrea Cagan (Contributor)

Some may know her as hot, gutsy, gun-totin' Foxy Brown, Friday Foster, Coffy, and Jackie Brown. Others may know her from her role as Kit Porter on The L Word. But that only defines one part of the legend that is Pam Grier. Foxy is Pam's testimony of her life, past and present. In it, she reveals her relationships with Richard Pryor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Freddie Prinze Sr., among others. She unveils her experiences as a backup singer and a blaxploitation star. In particularly candid and shocking chapters, she shares-for the first time-her view of those films and the persecution that blacks, especially women, needed to endure to make a name for themselves . . . including how it felt to be labeled one of the most beautiful women alive, yet not be permitted to try on clothes in a department store because of the color of her skin. And in words sure to inspire many, she tells the story of her ongoing battle with cancer. From her disappointments to her triumphs, nothing is held back. With FOXY, Pam wishes to impart life lessons to her readers-and hopes to touch their hearts.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Autobiography, Film, African American, Biography Memoir

267 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Pamela Suzette "Pam" Grier is an American actress. She came to fame in the early 1970s, after starring in a string of moderately successful women in prison films and blaxploitation films such as 1974's Foxy Brown. Her career was revitalized in 1997 after her appearance in Quentin Tarantino's film Jackie Brown. She is one of a few African American actresses to have received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. She has also been nominated for a SAG as well as a Satellite Award for her performance in the iconic film Jackie Brown. She received an Emmy Award nomination for her work in an Animated Program Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Ever Child. Rotten Tomatoes has ranked her as the second Greatest Female Action Heroine in film history. Director Quentin Tarantino, in an interview promoting Jackie Brown on Charlie Rose, remarked that she may well have been cinema's first female action star.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

My father is a 67 year old Black man. So he's a big fan of Pam Grier....mostly her work from the 1970's but if he hears she's in something even today, he will make sure to check it out. Luckily my mom was also a fan of Pam Grier...for different reasons but she loved her some Foxy Brown and Coffy. All of this to say, I grew up watching Pam Grier. I watched Foxy Brown when I was so young that I can't remember when I first saw it. As a teenager I watched her in The L Word, which was a show on Showtime about messy lesbians. And as a Tarantino superfan I obviously watched the movie Jackie Brown. Pam Grier has just always been around but I realized that I didn't know anything about her life.

Foxy: My Life in Three Acts is Pam Grier's memoir and she breaks her life down in 3 acts:

Act I : Her childhood
Act II : The Hollywood Years
Act III : Post Hot Girl Years

While I wanted more details about some things, I can't deny that Pam gave me just enough to want this woman to be my aunt. I wanted to build a time machine and go back in time to fuck up some people who did some horrific things to her. Pam Grier's early life is a Content Warning. She was horribly violated when she was 6 years old. She doesn't go into details but she tells you enough to make you want to throw up. At 18 she again violated and she gives more details but still she spares us..the reader the full horror.

I didn't know anything about her life so both of these events came out of nowhere for me. The only thing I knew about Pam Grier's personal life before this book was that she had dated Richard Pryor. Everything else was new. I like to sometimes pick up a memoir or a biography about someone who I know nothing about. You don't look at Pam and think that she's been through the things she's been through.

I want Pam Grier to write another book. I think she has more stories to tell. This woman has lived a fascinating life and need to hear more. That's the only reason I'm not giving this book 5 stars. It was too short and I need more. I'm nosy and I want to know all her business.

If you love Black action movies from the 1970's, than pick this book up.

If you love strong independent women, then pick this book up.

If you are like my dad and just plain love you some Pam Grier, than pick this book up.

[Buggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opening Line: "I was snuggled in my mother's arms in the backseat of the old Buick. My Dad's Air Force buddy was at the wheel, driving us from Fort Dix Air Force Base to Colarado, where Dad was being transfered."

Unlike most people reviewing this book, I actually knew next to nothing about 70’s B-movie and Blaxploitation star Pam Grier before I began. I’d only ever seen her in Jackie Brown and knew that Quentin Tarantino had written the role exclusively for her. However after receiving this book in a giveaway from the publisher (Thank you Goodreads First reads) I can now say that I’ve become an admirer of Ms Grier and her remarkable life. As far as biographies go this one is well written and flows easily with Pam telling her life story here in three “acts.”

Starting with; ACT ONE:THE EARLY YEARS. This was surprisingly my favourite part of the memoir. Pam tells of her childhood growing up in 1950’s Colorado as a tomboy and an army brat. Spending time riding horses on her grandparent’s farm, hunting and singing in a gospel choir. Pam always felt inferior because of her skin color and I found the details of racism and segregation during that time eye opening and frankly shocking.When her Air Force father gets transferred Pam also spends a fantastic year living in England and faces equality for the first time in her life. Throughout we get a feeling of Pam’s deep admiration for her mother, who as a strong, modern woman helped shape Pam’s work ethic and independent outlook for her entire life. In the early 70’s Pam’s beauty is discovered and after winning several pageants Hollywood calls her name.

ACT TWO:FRO'S AND FREAKS. Pam worked hard after arriving in Los Angeles. Holding down 3 jobs she goes on auditions and learns everything she can about the movie business. Along the way becoming a successful back up singer and model which leads to her eventual discovery and first movie role in The Big Doll House and a concurrent string of B exploitation movies. It was also during this time that Pam began dating a tall basketball star named Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr or Lew. Lew of course goes on to become Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after converting to Islam. This part of the book was totally intriguing, as I knew very little about the religion and could definitely feel Pam’s heartbreak as she watched the man she loved change and although she tried couldn’t bring herself to convert and therefore couldn’t marry Kareem.

We also gain insight into her relationships with Freddie Prinz Jr and Richard Prior, both of which ended because of the mens well documented drug use. Pam does a fantastic job here of discussing her relationships without giving away any of the dirty little details which I respected. Labelled one of the most beautiful women alive Pam’s career continues to flourish during the 80’s with numerous TV appearances, awards and magazine covers. A particularly humorous event is recalled wherein Pam and John Lennon are kicked out of club Troubadour.

In ACT 3: FINDING THE BALANCE we enter the 90’s through to present. Which to me represents Pam‘s strongest time as she battles cancer and journeys into self discovery, yoga and alternative medicine. Pam now knows who she is and has few regrets (although she still struggles to find a decent man.) This is also when Pam re-emerges as a Hollywood A-lister with the release of Jackie Brown and later the L Word.

One of my only issues with Pam’s memoir would be that she tends to come off a little self righteous. I can’t honestly believe that every relationship she had failed because of the other person’s wrong doing or that she never drank or did drugs yet lived with Richard Pryor and hung out in the 80’s cocaine culture. She also tends to name drop. A lot. But I got to thinking about that and I guess if all your friends are famous directors, musicians and movie stars and that’s who you’re hanging out with then its not really name dropping is it? Although instead of just saying out of the blue; Snoop Dogg dropped by for lunch you might give us a few details about the lunch, then it doesn’t just sound like you’re trying to impress us. We're already impressed, you‘re Pam Grier.

If your up for a good biography then I recommend this one. Cheers!

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first saw Pam Grier when I was a young soldier on a training base in the early 70s. My course mates and I would flock to one of the movie theatres on base where you could fork over six bits and be treated to a smorgasbord of nude or partially nude women chained up in a jungle prison or knocking hell out of each other in a catfight in a swamp or mud puddle, all high-toned intellectual viewing, guaranteed to have us walking back to barracks excited and unfulfilled. Pam Grier made her living starring in movies like these. I think she is the first black woman I saw in the buff, if you except the ladies in National Geographic. She was tall, plump in the right places and skinny everywhere else, very fit and formidable.

Refreshingly, this biography/memoir does not attempt to make the reader believe that she was born in a cotton field and rose to stardom in spite of oppression by white antagonists. Pam was born into what would probably be considered a middle-class family; father an Air Force mechanic, mother a nurse. Both parents were multi-racial, which she gives as a reason for her exotic beauty. She was such a standout that she didn't have to try too hard to land roles, but then again the roles she played didn't require too much in the way of acting, just take off her shirt and hit/kick/stab somebody. It was later in her career that she would prove that she had some acting ability.

Her life wasn't all peaches and cream. Dad went out for smokes and never came back. She was gang-raped by relatives and friends at the age of six, and raped again by an unnamed athlete while in her teens. And she had problems with every single man she ever hooked up with - and she was hooked up with some gooders! She was with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar when he was someone else entirely. That ended when she declined the opportunity to be his submissive Muslim wife (he married another woman that same day). Richard Pryor and Freddy Prinze had a go at her. There were others, some only identified by first name. She notes at the start of the book that she had changed some names and details. That's a big warning flag to me - I get to wondering how much is true and how much is made up. What can I believe? I know she used pseudonyms, first name only, for at least two of her partners, but it's easy enough to figure out who they are.

As I recall, her list of relationships went something like this:

- the guy who dumped her because she wouldn't submit to Islam,

- one chap who went broke and eventually shot himself,

- one who put cocaine on his schlong resulting in cervical problems for her,

- one loser dumped her while she was in hospital getting life-saving surgery for cancer, and

- the chap who screwed her for years and dumped her eventually because she wasn't classy enough to mingle with his high-toned friends.

That's a partial list. The common thread seems to be that Pam was looking for a high-value mate - one of the less than one percent of men who are good looking, fit, and wealthy. When you consider that women have a tendency to be hypergamous, these guys have a broad selection to choose a mate from. When hypergamy meets misogyny, some woman is gonna lose.

There are some interesting anecdotes. I recall her apprehension and lack of confidence at attending Sammy Davis Jr's birthday party - that insecurity we all feel when we're out of familiar territory or in over our heads. She went in casual attire with a bottle of wine. When she got there she found everyone in formal attire and gifting Davis with things like diamond watches. Davis seemed to think that she was a gift and the Cyclopean lecher tried to force her away from the crowd. She had to be smuggled out.

There is some evidence that Pam was not immune to the Hollywood tendency to take up causes without doing a lot of research. She was attending some fancy-ass award show but refused to wear diamonds because "I was a political activist, aware of the oppressive diamond industry in South Africa, and I wanted no part of it". She apparently doesn't know that Canada, Russia, and Australia each produce far more diamonds than South Africa without starving or exploiting any black kids. But, hey, if you're gonna act, you have to signal your virtue.

I would have liked to have seen this book with a bit more meat to it. She touches very lightly on interaction with her co-stars in her movies, and I would have liked more of that, but I think overall it's a good book. She's very fair-minded and lets everyone off easily, even her rapists. I'm not sure how showing her tits in movies supports her claim to a firm feminist bent, and her shout out to Harvey Weinstein in the Acknowledgements will raise some eyebrows, but I enjoyed Pam's story and I hope she enjoys long life and good health down on her little ranch.

[Sincerae Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with 1/3 to 1/2 of what Pam Grier stands for. I usually don't read books about celebrities, but when I found her autobiography I was curious because I always wondered why a woman who was so physically beautiful never got married. Nonetheless, in America it is very difficult to find men who are marriage material especially if you're an African American woman. You can be the most beautiful of "princesses" here, but if you are an African American woman you may never be able to find a man who will commit to settling down with you. Marriage is almost extinct in our communities a result of the ravages of the Sexual Revolution and white middle class feminism which blacks should have left alone so we could preserve our own family structure and reconnect with our African traditions. These movements were not in our best interest as a people. I feel an reconnect with Africa and an African model would have saved our families.

Back on topic, I long thought since Pam Grier was in Hollywood and was able to move in broader milieus than the average black woman she could have more easily met some men of quality. Also she is close to my parent's generation. Black people were still marrying when she was a young woman. But in some ways she made the choice not to until it was too late. She came close to being a bride particularly in the case of her first serious boyfriend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. They cohabited, something I am against because often it does become a the case of "why buy the cow when you can get the milk free, but Jabbar seriously did want to marry her. His religion, Islam, got in the way. Pam was fearful to commit because she felt the religion was too oppressive toward women. She had been influenced by her mother to be a feminist, and she was turned off by Jabbar saying he wanted to take care of her. Reading her book I feel Jabbar had more character, maturity, and strength than any of the other men in her life. The rest were wreaks and too weak. Freddie Prinze, Sr. was the love of her life she says, but whereas Pam was more grounded and humble in her fame, he became self destructive and was surrounded by people who did not really care about his best interests. Richard Pryor, another love was the same way, very self destructive and also a very weak man. It's unfortunate that she never married, and at the end of her memoir she expresses regret that she never did or had children, but as she writes in the final pages, 'When the world seems to be getting gray and shutting down, the next day always comes, bringing with it a whole new set of possibilities, which hopefully we can meet with an open heart.'

The only movie of Pam Grier that I've seen is Jackie Browne. I enjoyed it but feel the loads of profanity was not necessary. I'm not interested in ever seeing any of her blaxploitation films or her Showtime drama The L Word.

What I do admire is Pam Grier's love of learning, how she was a survivor, and that she never really became a participant of the Hollywood lifestyle. She continued to live in Colorado where she spent a large part of her early years. She loves animals and the outdoors. There was no need for the ownership of a mansion for her because she is not a woman who feels a compelling need to impress and be worshipped like a star. I feel in some ways she is a victim of a dirty business and will add to that a society that has always been inherently corrupt, anti-black, and anti-human (always remember the US long wars against portions of humanity both inside and outside US borders). She is very much a mainstream liberal in some of her thinking. However, overall she is a woman who is upright in some ways. Much of her life has been filled with unplanned and surprising detours. She never planned to be an actress. She only went into the business thinking it would be temporary and with the aim of growing enough savings to put herself through college. Even than she was invited to read for a role which she reluctantly agreed to do.

In conclusion, I feel there are a lot of lessons to be learned from the life of Pam Grier both as a woman and as a black woman in America. Pam said that despite all the disappointments, hardship, and tragedy she has been faced with she always followed her mother's teaching to not become bitter. She ends her memoir with a few pearls of wisdom. Here are some:

Pay attention to and respect other people, cultures, and lifestyles.

Never lose your curiosity.

Apologize sincerely when you're wrong, and ask for forgiveness. When you don't, it gets worse. When you do it gets better.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back when Hulu used to be free and had a decent line-up of movies, one Labor Day weekend while laid up sick with the flu, I got the urge to watch what is considered Pam Grier’s "Holy Trinity": Coffy, Foxy Brown, and Friday Foster. It was all the medicine I needed as I had a blast watching them, feeling that virus withdraw every time Grier laid in a salty line or plummeted a drug pusher with bullets.

Of course, those films aren’t exactly high art or anything, and since they came out during the Blaxploitation era they were rife with stereotypes that gave a pretty skewed image of Black Americans in the 1970s. Still, Grier’s films, to me, had a different flavor than Shaft, Superfly, and The Mac, and it’s not just because her films weren't overflowing in machismo like those films were, I just feel that Grier had better screen-presence, elevating the script past what was expected or written. Plus I'm always in the mood to see a take-charge bad ass dame seek vengeance for the greater good. Why should Dirty Harry have all the fun?



I didn’t know much about Pam Grier as a person aside from what can be read on Wikipedia so Foxy: My Life In Three Acts fills in some blanks and has Grier tell her side of the story. From reading, I see why she played her characters in Coffy and Foxy Brown so convincingly. Pam is a pretty strong-willed she-ro herself. She survived not one but two childhood rapes, the racism and sexism of Hollywood, cancer, and some pretty rocky romances, and yet she doesn’t harbor ill will with those things, as she retains a positive and fearless attitude about how she approaches life, and to hear her say it, it’s inspiring that she takes the high road.

In the beginning sections, I appreciated and enjoyed reading her reflections of her childhood as an Army brat, and of her love of horses and nature. She’s a country girl at heart, and there aren’t many of us sistas who embrace that life, so Pam’s story is a unique change of pace.

I have also often wondered why Grier, a beautiful woman, never married or had children, and well I got my answer in this book as well. Of her most famous paramours, she first dealt with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s newfound Muslim faith (and the chauvinistic shit he put her through for a spell) and then tried to handle Freddie Prinze’s and Richard Pryor’s drug abuse while in relationships with them. It was the 1970s, Black men were flocking to Black Nationalist movements, and drug use was at an all-time high (pun intended), and Pam, god bless her, dealt with all of this along with her lovers' individual personal demons, at times trying to ‘save’ these men because she loved them so deeply. True, we’re only getting Pam’s side of the story, but I buy what she claims considering how Prinze’s and Pryor’s lives turned out in the end. And as much as I think Pryor is a comedic genius, he’s that way cause he’s a pretty screwed-up individual --- the best comics usually are --- but I was floored with how he treated Pam (and her body) during their time together, and was glad when she figured out she couldn’t save him and severed the relationship in the end.

As juicy as all the name drops are (and Pam does get very name-droppy), and the awesome cinema-esque story of meeting Fredrico Fellini while atop at runaway horse and getting to make pasta with him in Italy, I was hoping Grier would be upfront about what it was like being a Black woman in Hollywood during the 1970s, but unfortunately, the offering, while there, is scant.

If you’re looking for a lot of inside scoop about the filming of Coffy and Foxy Brown, you better look elsewhere or on IMDB because Grier does not offer any behind the scenes stuff nor does she delve into discussing the Blaxploitation era and how she fit in with all the testosterone swirling around her or how she felt doing roles that a lot of people criticized her for. For all of her feminist rah-rah and the fact that she was one of the most prolific Black woman on-screen at that time, I was just waiting for her to get into it, call some shit out, put some respek on her name and Coffy’s, and give us the scoop of such an industrious time, but she never did. Bummer. I mean, at least tell us how you packed and pulled a gun out of your 'fro, Pam, cause that was damn fabulous and I want to know how to do it myself (just with lipstick or my phone cause guns are no bueno for me).



I also winched a bit when she talks about the filming experience for Fort Apache, The Bronx as Pam is more interested in talking about auditioning for and eating lunch with Paul Newman than discussing how that particular movie was met with a lot of criticism over how the Black and Hispanic characters were portrayed. Yes, Paul Newman is dreamy, and I'd be stoked too, but come on.

It’s also a little cringing to read how she went all method to play a stereotypical drug-addicted, killer hooker for this movie, and how she was inspired to go this route because of how Meryl Streep approached her role in Sophie’s Choice. Um, girl, I guess. I know, a part’s a part, and Black actors are always taking crumbs and making cobbler out of whatever we’re handed, but in this scenario Pam indirectly exposes the stark difference between how a Black female’s Hollywood journey is to a White woman’s. What does make up for this portion is her discussion about filming her best film, Jackie Brown, and it is kind of cool how she came full circle with her career with Quentin Tarantino writing the movie specifically for her based off his long-time admiration of her as an actress.



Although there are some swiss cheese moments here, and Pam does get name-droppy a bit too much (you just gonna bring up Snoop Dogg dropping by for breakfast without context, Pam?), I don’t regret reading this. So I recommend this if you like name-droppy celeb memoirs, film history, or just want to read about one of the coolest women to ever grace the silver screen.

[Dora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fortunate to receive an advance copy of this at the library conference. When I saw it I just about died because I've always loved Pam Grier!

I always thought she was great, but this book opened my eyes to her very interesting life. Her personal history is so unique and profound, growing up in the 50s and 60s in the southwest, and her involvement in civil rights as a teen and early 20s in California. I loved all the stories she told, happy and sad, and felt completely connected to her life. There is a really beautiful story arc of her childhood forming her roots as a feminist and it shows how she evolved as a strong black feminist voice/leader.

I will say that I found the first half of the book far more interesting than the second half. If I could, I'd rate the first half 5 stars and the second half 3. The first half of the book gave fascinating insight into her character, and rooted the on-screen Pam we all know within a complex, lovable, and staunchly ethical person. The second half, I felt, devolved into a bit more celebrity gossip and name-dropping. To be fair, I think this is what a lot of people want when they pick up a movie star's memoir, so I think that might just be about my preferences.

Ultimately her memoir shows Pam as a strong feminist hero (and I'm going to recommend we read this book in May to a feminist book club I belong to!) and I couldn't put the book down.

[Deedee Henson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good and well written

[Jim Dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently, I read a book that had mentioned Pam Grier and her iconic status portraying independent characters “who fended for themselves” in movies during the 1970’s. The writer had commented that her autobiography, FOXY: MY LIFE IN THREE ACTS, was definitely worth reading. I remembered seeing her in exciting films like COFFY and FOXY BROWN ... and the truly abominable TWILIGHT PEOPLE ... and I thought it would be a lot of fun to read about the production backstories. Was she at all like her characters (and would her book have cool photographs)?

Imagine my surprise when reading Pam Grier’s autobiography provoked a lot of self reflection. Yes, the production backstories are there, including non-graphic details about some of her more famous romantic liaisons. And, yes, there are some cool photographs included (although not as many as I’d hoped). However, Pam Grier also has an amazing and empathetic perception of living Life ... or as she puts it at one point, “Dealing with the cards you were dealt.” There have been aspects of myself that I’ve been questioning for years and, although we have much different backgrounds and Life experiences, she had a number of insights that literally made me stop reading for a time and begin pondering how they applied to me. She even refers to her Life being in three Acts, exactly as I have done.

This ability to trigger self reflection alone would have been sufficient for me to recommend the book. Yet, there were also stories of how she learned to understand and process unfair discrimination from her Mother’s approach to it. Yes, there are the jaw-dropping “sensational” stories (mainly centered around sexual assault) that are certain to draw Readers to the book and provide horrifying realizations. But, what struck me the most were the continual aspects of discrimination that happened so often that they seemed like nothing out of the ordinary. The story of the town’s busses that wouldn’t stop for her and her Mother on a brutally hot day ... and the very unexpected resolution ... is one that really brought home to me what it felt like to be on “the receiving end.”

It was certainly very easy for me to be “turned on” by the physical beauty of Pam Grier in those 1970’s movies. The funny thing is that she is all right with that, just as long as that is not a person’s sole perception of her. Actors would do well to read about her preparation methods for a performance, and the personal need to deliver quality work. All of us could gain from her responses to challenges that would send many of us scurrying to Facebook to bemoan the injustice of how we are being treated. No, she is not Saint Pam, but she is a very valid role model.

This is a book that I plan to share with others.

[Morgan ***Books and Bougie*** · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had been obsessed with the idea of Pam Grier for as long as I could remember (my friends and family believe that I am a true child of the 70s), but I never knew who Pam Grier was as a person. Her films are iconic, and she deserved every accolade she had ever been given. I started the book with no opinions on who she was. I was a blank slate.

What I learned was that Pam is a woman who deserves a biopic (A GOOD biopic). The book dives deep into her dating life, her battle with cancer, her sexual assaults and the lessons she's learned along the way. I found myself physically saddened by some of the racist people/experiences she has dealt with. Reading her story was like catching up with a big sister after a few years apart. She is brutally honest. She names names. But she remained a sweet woman.

She worked hard for her career. I feel like I learned enough about her to watch her movies and feel like we share a connection. This book is a quick read with easy language. Sometimes I find it annoying when people write memoirs and they fill each chapter with incredibly difficult jargon that I'm positive they probably do not use in casual conversation. This book was just that: a conversation. Give it a read if you've ever been curious about who Pam Grier is. I learned a lot.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always known of Pam Grier, but I didn't really become familiar with her until I started watching The L Word, one of the best shows of all time. I was excited to read her book because I loved her so much on that show. The book was good and has it's interesting parts, but she is a little too squeaky clean and wholesome. Which is good, but doesn't really make for a good book. I love her morals and her feminist ideals but she must have done something wrong that she regretted during her 60+ years of life. And the book literally said nothing about The L Word, which is why I wanted to read the book in the first place! She said she loved her time on there so dearly and she formed such close friendships with the cast but there were no details whatsoever! She talked about her sisterly bond with Jennifer Beals but there were no anecdotes, no stories, nothing! I wanted some L Word juice.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ms. Grier has had a fascinating and turbulent life and she describes it candidly and modestly. It was easy to root for her as she disclosed her experiences with discrimination, sexism, illness, and failed romances with not a shred of whining, blaming, or self-pitying to be found. Ms. Grier seems like a humble, approachable person and she writes as if she's telling you her life story over tea. It was inspiring to read about a woman who lives her life with integrity, determination, optimism and a passion for knowledge, work, and nature. Thanks Goodreads and the publisher for sending me this book.

[Jack Herbert Christal Gattanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I see life as a free-form dance, and we are the choreographers. One day, you're strong and lean, running six miles a day. You dont drink, smoke, or do drugs. And then, all of a sudden, you have cancer. There's no way to prepare for it, but now that you're in it, a saving grace is to be grateful for what you have."

What's nice about digging a little deeper into an actor's career is to discover that they really are much more talented and have a deeper commitment to the art and craft of the profession than you first realized, say, as a 14 year old just digging on the likes of Jackie Brown and Coffy because they look "cool." It's another thing to dig into the life and find how much more there really is to the person, and that life can be a motherfucker, but if someone is at heart decent then a lot of the growth and learning and so on can come far more easily than someone who is a jerk.

In all truth, in terms of quality of writing isnt stellar (and of course as with many memoirs, including the ex boyfriend of Grier's, the late Richard Pryor, she wrote it with someone else acting probably like an interviewer more than anything), though it does help to make it a quick and easy read. It's the kind of book you can pick up and read several chapters in one sitting, but it's never in a way that one feels has to just get thru. Every chapter has some good insight personally and professionally, and there's simply no other better inspiration than to read about how someone like Pam Grier had one book with her - Stanislavski's An Actor Prepares - when in the Philppenes to shoot her first movies, The Big Bird Cage and The Big Doll House. Thats commitment for your ass!

But what bumps this up to the rating it is is that when the book really works it's when the emotion can't be any clearer and deeply felt, whether its talking about her parents separation, her two rapes (like Pryor too, one that is especially terrible as a young child), the relationships with Kareem Abdul Jabar, Pryor (man I learned even more about that complex cat this time) and Freddie Prinze, and certain acting challenges. Maybe the highlight of the book for me though is her chapter on making Fort Apache, The Bronx, where she dug deeper than she ever did before (maybe ever would again?) to play a drugged out prostitute. If one ever sees the movie, shes only in about 10 minutes altogether, but it's almost a slight to say it's Oscar-worthy stuff right there. It's almost more than whether the writing of the book is great or not but that *her* greatness and perseverence shines through so much that it makes it a compulsive read.

I'm also reminded too of the book The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Although it doesnt tick off as many boxes as that did, there is a similar sense of a woman going through the industry, and many different men, and how so much adversity of different kinds (not to mention illness) informs so much to the reader. Its almost like, yeah, some of the cliches of the industry are true... and some aren't. It all depends on the presentation, and Grier takes us through a life and career in a wonderful, sad, uplifting way. She's an inspiration.

PS: the bit where Richard Pryor talked about wanting to someday read War & Peace, or if not at least have it to beat a "motherfucker" with was a riot. The other big highlight is the John Lennon story, specifically picturing him singing out loud (not on stage, just hanging out with Pam Grier in a nightclub) "I Can't Stand the Rain"

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice book about a nice lady. There's something completely unassuming about her. She's genuine and it shows in her performances. I read this before I listened to the TCM podcast "The Plot Thickens" whose fourth season was a biography of Pam Grier. I can't recommend one over the other; you'll have to read the book and listen to the podcast. The book talks more about her emotional approach to films, relationships, racism and trauma. The podcast goes more in depth with her blaxsploitation directors Jack Hill and Michael Schultz, plus Quentin Tarantino, but has less to say about "Mars Attacks!" and "The L Word" and her theatre work which is quite impressive. There's a chapter about her having to juggle her sister's losing battle with cancer in Denver and starring in the Terrence McNally play "Frankie and Johnny in the Clare de Lune" in San Diego. She also got an NAACP award for starring in the Sam Shepard play "Fool For Love" in Los Angeles.

Several stories are the same in the book and the podcast, like getting thrown out of the Troubadour with John Lennon and Harry Nilsson, and her relationships with Freddie Prinze and Richard Pryor, and getting the part in a Paul Newman film, "Fort Apache: The Bronx". The book goes more into her struggle with boyfriend Kareen Abdul-Jabbar as he converted to Islam and wanted to marry her. Some stories are just more emotional in the book than in the podcast, like when a white bus driver in the south let her and her mother onto an empty bus on a blisteringly hot day, or the first time she was allowed to try on clothes in a clothing store in Los Angeles rather than buy them and take them home as they had to do in the south and in Denver. Also a delight in the book is her friendship with Tamara Dobson (of "Cleopatra Jones") with whom she became fast friends and neighbors despite the press trying to create a rivalry between the two queens of blaxsploitation.

I just love this woman, and I feel closer to her having read this book. She feels like an old friend.

[Kimberly Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pam Grier is a remarkable woman. My God, I cannot believe all she went through in her life. We, as audience members, on the outside looking in, always think that celebrities have such a great life, and although Pam has a good life, this woman has gone through some horrible tragedies. A woman who has never been married, never had children, but has had some great loves. I was shocked to learn whom she had lengthy relationships, starting with Kareem Abdul Jabar, Freddie Prinze and Richard Pryor, to name a few. Talk about a woman who has been through it all, literally, from dealing with two traumatic rapes, having cancer, and the death of her sister and nephew, it's amazing she was able to survive it all. What I truly respect about Ms. Grier is that in her memoir, she didn't tell-all, like some celebrities do. She was very respectful of certain people, so not to hurt the innocent, and I appreciated that. This was an outstanding memoir and one that I will never forget. I couldn't wait to read her life story, and I'm so glad I did. God Bless you Pam, you are definitely a she-ro for me! Awesome!!!!!

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember back in the 1970's going to the drive in theater and seeing Pam Grier in the movies. I thought Foxy Brown was great. It was very inspiring to a teenage girl to see strong woman role in the movies. So I was very excited to get the chance to review her memoirs. Pam Grier wrote the book in a way that seems like she is just chatting and telling you what her life is about. Which makes the book a enjoyable personal read. Her memoirs help to bring to life many of the every day difficulties faced by people of color during the 1960s. Her life as many ups and downs and she has yet to find the right man. But somehow she has been able to stay down to earth and true to herself which is hard to anyone, but I think especially true for famous people. Her book is very refreshing yes she has had a lot of bad things happen in her life and she has still been able to stay strong. Pam Grier is just as inspiring as the Foxy Brown I remember from the drive in.

[D Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book. It was a real page turner. Without knowing anything about her, you would probably think she lived the perfect Hollywood life….a life that you could only dream of having. She came from very humble beginnings; had quite a few ups and downs in life; and maintains her feet on solid ground. You’ll find abuse, heartbreak, and inspiration in this book. Two of the take-away points that I found helpful in this book were (1) when Pam warns about being careful not to “find” yourself in someone else’s life and (2) life is a classroom and your experiences are the lessons. She is truly a well-rounded, grounded, positive, inspiring, and strong African-American woman. Thank you, “Ms. Foxy!”

[Rochonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been a Pam Grier fan and was excited to read this book about her life. Her battle with cancer, a survivor of being a black actress in a white male "Hollywood" gave me more reason to respect her and thank her for opening up the doors for other young black women who want to become an actress. She wrote with honesty, expressing little regret for the life she lived. More importantly, she painted herself as more than an actress, but as a well-rounded woman. I would have to totally agree with her. Foxy she is!

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book (ok, I read the entire thing in one evening, not even noticing the time was passing so quickly!) and was really moved by Pam Grier's resiliency and optimism. I also enjoyed her upbeat descriptions of things she enjoyed (traveling to different countries, meeting interesting people...). I haven't seen many of her movies, but I'm inspired to watch more by her descriptions of how much work she puts into developing her characters. I also enjoyed her strong feminist and anti-racist views and hearing about how she has lived out these principles in her life.

[Sharell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since I've been a fan of Pam Grier's for some time now, this book came off as a huge disppointment. The book seems to be really vivid in the beginning, and then kind of drops off of the action when things should be getting good, like around the time she's with Freddie Prinze and Richard Pryor. It seems to me that she's leaving a lot out, either to cover for herself, or someone else. I think anytime you read an autobiography when the subject is completely blameless and spot-free in any situation, it usually means the opposite.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I only knew Pam Grier from her role on The L Word, I wondered if I'd find this book interesting. I was also a little wary of a celebrity autobiography because of howwww baaaaad the Dorothy Hamill autobiography was when I read it earlier this year. She seems really interesting and down-to-Earth. This was a fun diversion read, and I won a copy through First Reads.

[Shibumi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pam Grier is fun, fierce and foxy. Her autobiography highlights the tragic, triumphant and surprising twists of fate moments in the life of the Queen of Blacksploitation genre. This was a good read.

[Chris Giles · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I had become one of the most recognizable female stars of the blaxploitation genre. My characters pulled out shotguns and blew away armies of abusive pimps, aggravating johns, corrupt politicians, pushy whores, and anybody else who got in my way.

This movement of which I was such a prominent member was shadowing the women’s movement, where women were demanding equal rights to men in art, business, family, and all aspects of life. My movies featured women claiming the right to fight back, which previously had been out of the question.

My roles were written as vanguard personalities who were the first to defend themselves against violence and prejudice. At the same time, these women were determined to bring peace to a situation rather than engage in the draconian ways of war in the lower income communities.”

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a book that I waited 10 years to read for some reason, I read in four days. Pam Grier is amazing and I love her and respect her even more after reading her book. It’s hard to rate a memoir because it feels like rating someone’s life but I think she could have written much more.

I loved reading about her personal life but I had hoped for more about her films, too. She spent the most time on Jackie Brown and the Paul Newman film but very little about the others. I wanted Sid Haig shenanigans and more on the 70s films. There’s very little of that. She writes quite a bit about her relationships with Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Freddie Prinze, and Richard Pryor.

WARNING: there are two potentially triggering descriptions of sexual assault and rape.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read.

[Jessi Sardone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pam is a fave in our house and this was a real hoot.

[RYCJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for one thing, and one thing only. Where did the passion in the characters Foxy Brown & Jackie Brown come from!?! In other words, who 'really' is Pam Grier?

I was hesitant at first... you know, waiting for the lid to snap off... when I got to Donatello and from there just watched Foxy go! Good Gosh, this here is the makings of one deft spirit that doesn't just ride, but drives!

What else did I love? Mom, for one, is a jewel, as was the mother/daughter relationship. Pam's principles' was another jewel. The pharmacy. That was a good spot, as was that lead into `becoming Charlotte'. There's nothing like auditioning what you know on a New York city street before an unsuspecting audience and getting ovations before the curtain goes up. Talk about delivery, I learned a whole lot here. Never knew she owned them stunts. But taking a step back to page 88... had to chuckle knowing there's no way a rendering like that can be validated. Tisk, tisk... (and I'm still too tickled) but come on now, Foxy you know better.

All I can say is I have a deep admiration and respect for the aesthetics. Despite its distinctions to those essentials channeled around medicine and government, the arts serve humanity in other ways that no other services compare--a territory FOXY graces with poise, style, and cool the most, to passionately traverse and deliver in good taste.

What a fine memoir. I loved, Loved, LOVED Foxy!

[Jasmine Holloman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prior to reading I was familiar with some of Pam Grier's film work, I wanted to learn more as she was one of the leading ladies of the blaxploitation era. Then, when I saw her interview on Wendy Williams a couple of years ago, and heard of her numerous love affairs , I was furthermore intrigued by her story.

To my suprise, early this year I found the book in a Dollar Tree and finally had time to read it. Not to give too much away the book itself tells a story of a strong woman with the odds against her and still being able to become a huge actress of her time. She never strayed away from any opportunity that came her way nor blocked her blessings.

The book does happen to have several dull points where Grier goes off on several tangents that take away from her story.

The most intriguing part of the book is when Grier touches on her numerous relationships with notable stars. Not one to "kiss and tell" , Grier doesn't give too much to away. Yet, she seems to contradict herself, by always putting the blame on the men in her life.

in the end, once over the dull moments, the book is a great read that is hard to put down, which has many inspiring moments we can relate to in our own lives.

[Fleur · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an absorbing autobiography of Blaxploitation Goddess, Pam Grier. Although I have been a fan of her work ever since I saw Foxy Brown in my late teens, I did not know much about her as a woman at all. Pam details her upbringing in rural Colorado and her formative years as an Army brat, where her family endured racial discrimination at wherever post her father was stationed in the US, only finding peace and a feeling of equality during her father's assignment to Swindon, England. Hers is a privileged perspective as she was able to witness movements of social change from her childhood on. She describes her life, loves (including Freddie Prinz, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Richard Pryor), personal challenges and tragedies without being gratuitous or salacious. It is hard not to admire her courage and strength. Her honesty and self-reflection revealed the common thread that all women share. She tells some wonderful stories, however; to hear her tell some of them in person (as I did at her book signing)was riotously funny. We didn't want her to stop. Bring on the biopic!

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pam Grier and I are birthday twins...that and the fact that she is a badass, awesome female led me to want to read this book. I was fortunate enough to get a first reads copy so it saved me from having to run out and buy it.

Foxy reads like you're having a conversation with Ms. Grier and she's telling you her life story. I'm sure that some die hard fans will already know much of the information that she shares in the book but even if you've heard the stories, it's different to hear them from her directly.

She discusses her history of abuse, loves, losses and her battle with cancer - peppered with tidbits about her film career. Most women will find something to identify with and it makes for an engaging story. This isn't some "Oh I'm rich and famous but I had it hard too" story - Pam Grier keeps it real.

If you're looking for a quick and satisfying read, I highly recommend it.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autobiographies are a tricky proposition. Balancing drama and tension, if there is any, with what amounts to an expanded cirriculum vitae is not an easy task. In Pam Grier's book Foxy the balance works. Sometimes. Sometimes it doesn't. I've always admired her work and had a gut feeling she was personally tough. Unquestionably, the best aspect of this book is knowing about the many hard knocks she's endured while keeping a positive outlook on her life and career. At worst it flips the old writer's axiom into "Tell, Don't Show".
Still, I found myself intrigued and unable to put the book down at times. My gut feeling proved to be true. Gonna go watch Fort Apache, The Bronx again...