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And A Voice to Sing With: A Memoir
• The perfect time for a reissue: In October 2009, PBS will air a ninety-minute primetime special on Joan Baez as part of the Emmy Award-winning American Masters series. Told often from Baez’s perspective, but supported by a rich performance and historical archive, the documentary centers on her career as a musician, power as an artist, those who influenced her, and those she championed. She will also be on a 27-city U.S. tour starting July 2009..
• A musical force and a catalyst for social change: At the age of eighteen Baez was an international star with a Time magazine cover story; fifty years later she has thirty-three albums to her credit. She also marched alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., was jailed for supporting the draft resistance, and sang in the first Amnesty International tour. An extraordinary woman who has led an eventful life, Baez’s memoir is as honest, unpretentious, and courageous as she is. .
• A musical force and a catalyst for social change: At the age of eighteen Baez was an international star with a Time magazine cover story; fifty years later she has thirty-three albums to her credit. She also marched alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., was jailed for supporting the draft resistance, and sang in the first Amnesty International tour. An extraordinary woman who has led an eventful life, Baez’s memoir is as honest, unpretentious, and courageous as she is. .
561 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1989
118 people are currently reading
2079 people want to read
About the author
Joan Baez
137 books104 followersAmerican political activist Joan Baez sang folk.
People know highly individual vocal style of Joan Chandos Baez, a writer. This soprano features a three-octave vocal range and a distinctively rapid vibrato. Her topics deal with social issues.
People best know her hits "There but for Fortune," "Diamonds and Rust," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," and to a lesser extent, "We Shall Overcome," "Love Is Just a Four-letter Word" and "Farewell Angelina." After the 1960s, her music strayed considerably and encompassed everything from rock and pop to country and gospel.
She also performed "Sweet Sir Galahad," and "Joe Hill" at the festival of 1969 at Woodstock. Her passion, notably in the areas of nonviolence, civil and human rights, and the environment in more recent years lasted even longer than well-known early relationship with Bob Dylan.
She performed publicly for nearly a half century, released more than thirty albums, and recorded in at least eight languages.
Baez, a writer, especially in the mid-1970s, most often interpreted work and covered Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Jackson Browne, Paul Simon, the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, and myriad other persons.
In more recent years, she interpreted diverse writers, such as Steve Earle, Natalie Merchant, and Ryan Adams, and found success.
People know highly individual vocal style of Joan Chandos Baez, a writer. This soprano features a three-octave vocal range and a distinctively rapid vibrato. Her topics deal with social issues.
People best know her hits "There but for Fortune," "Diamonds and Rust," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," and to a lesser extent, "We Shall Overcome," "Love Is Just a Four-letter Word" and "Farewell Angelina." After the 1960s, her music strayed considerably and encompassed everything from rock and pop to country and gospel.
She also performed "Sweet Sir Galahad," and "Joe Hill" at the festival of 1969 at Woodstock. Her passion, notably in the areas of nonviolence, civil and human rights, and the environment in more recent years lasted even longer than well-known early relationship with Bob Dylan.
She performed publicly for nearly a half century, released more than thirty albums, and recorded in at least eight languages.
Baez, a writer, especially in the mid-1970s, most often interpreted work and covered Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Jackson Browne, Paul Simon, the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, and myriad other persons.
In more recent years, she interpreted diverse writers, such as Steve Earle, Natalie Merchant, and Ryan Adams, and found success.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
February 26, 2015
There is a stately old bookshelf in my living room that I reserve for the books that-should a flood or fire overtake my home-would be the first ones out the door.
Joan Baez's memoir has earned a spot on that bookshelf. Her narrative is intimate and heartfelt, and I was just as captivated by her recollections of the people and events that inspired her albums as I was by her re-telling of her harrowing experiences as an advocate for peace overseas.
This is a beautifully written book that will resonate with those interested in the anti-war movement and pacifism as much as with fans of Baez's music.
Joan Baez's memoir has earned a spot on that bookshelf. Her narrative is intimate and heartfelt, and I was just as captivated by her recollections of the people and events that inspired her albums as I was by her re-telling of her harrowing experiences as an advocate for peace overseas.
This is a beautifully written book that will resonate with those interested in the anti-war movement and pacifism as much as with fans of Baez's music.
February 20, 2017
What's an ex-military guy doing reading about Joan Baez? It's hard to explain, but I did read in her book and I am not alone. For some reason older ex-military guys often soften to her later in life, and many make it a point to meet her. I guess we think she was a gutsy anti-war chick, or at least she was authentic about it as opposed to being a fashionista like Jane Fonda, or a coward like some of the men that dodged the draft. I think the book is well-written, and I can tell she wrote it herself as opposed to using a ghost writer. I doubt I will ever agree with all of her politics, but I must say I do like this woman and this autobiography is well worth the read. Her voice is golden, and she actually has a few songs that I like. I found her Spanish songs to be very well done. Her renditions of "La Llorona" and "El Preso Numero Nueve" are the best I have heard in the Spanish-speaking world. Her guitar play is excellent.
June 28, 2020
"Ten years ago I bought you some cufflinks
You brought me something
We both know what memories can bring
They bring Diamonds and Rust."
This fragment of lyrics comes from Diamonds and Rust, the most beautiful song ever written - I am old enough to be certain. A unique combination of heart-rending poetry that conveys deepest truths about love past, spine-tingling melody, and absolutely flawless singing. Joan Baez has written the music, the lyrics, and performed the song. Thirty-three years later, Ms. Baez, now almost eighty, is still making music.
And a Voice To Sing With. A Memoir (1987) is Ms. Baez' autobiography. Its structure follows the standard rules: the artist's life, performances, loves, and social and political activism are described chronologically. During her school years, she avoids ostracism for being "brown" (her father, a physicist, was of Mexican origin) yet not speaking Spanish only thanks to her musical talent and phenomenal voice. She studies at Boston University and performs in coffee shops; in 1960 her first album comes out to become a huge success. Her popularity continues through all decades from 1960s all the way until now. Of all popular artists she has probably been the most involved in social and political activism.
One of the most amazing facts about Ms. Baez' life is that she has been friends with three Nobel Prize winners. First and foremost, Ms Baez recounts her romantic affair with the future Nobel Prize Winner in Literature. Yes, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan were together for quite some time in the 1960s. She beautifully writes about him:
I very much like the chapter The Black Angel of Memphis dedicated to her numerous conversations with another Nobel Prize winner, this time the Peace laureate. She writes:
The reader will also find a dramatic and very well-written account of Ms. Baez' visit to Hanoi, Vietnam, in 1972, during intense bombing. Whatever political "side" the reader is on, this is a deep, thought-provoking chapter. Speaking about "sides," I love Ms. Baez not only for Diamonds and Rust and few other songs but also for rejecting the political orthodoxy. In her activism she has been hated by both right-wingers and left-wingers. She has never subscribed to any particular set of political beliefs, and has always been for freedom, civil and human rights, and non-violence. I have found one chapter absolutely depressing. Ms. Baez was one of the organizers of the Ring Around Congress, where the "women and children of America would go to Washington and join hands around Congress." The tensions and intrigues between activists of different races almost prevented the project from completion. One of the most repugnant facets of politics: left-wingers of one kind hate left-wingers of another kind more than they hate the right-wingers.
I believe Ms. Baez wrote the memoir herself, without ghost-helpers. While the prose is accomplished, with some passages outright beautiful, the text feels too long. There are too many details, and it stretches belief that the author precisely remembers her thoughts from 25 years earlier (she does not mention keeping any diaries). Some of the almost 400 pages are hard to keep one's attention focused on. Still, I recommend the book very, very highly!
By the way, it would be very hard to find a more inspiring person than Joan Baez. If there were a Nobel Prize for the Most Extraordinary Person Overall, she'd be the obviously deserving winner. And the lyrics of Diamonds and Rust are an example of what Nobel-Prize-class poetry is about.
Four-and-a-quarter stars
You brought me something
We both know what memories can bring
They bring Diamonds and Rust."
This fragment of lyrics comes from Diamonds and Rust, the most beautiful song ever written - I am old enough to be certain. A unique combination of heart-rending poetry that conveys deepest truths about love past, spine-tingling melody, and absolutely flawless singing. Joan Baez has written the music, the lyrics, and performed the song. Thirty-three years later, Ms. Baez, now almost eighty, is still making music.
And a Voice To Sing With. A Memoir (1987) is Ms. Baez' autobiography. Its structure follows the standard rules: the artist's life, performances, loves, and social and political activism are described chronologically. During her school years, she avoids ostracism for being "brown" (her father, a physicist, was of Mexican origin) yet not speaking Spanish only thanks to her musical talent and phenomenal voice. She studies at Boston University and performs in coffee shops; in 1960 her first album comes out to become a huge success. Her popularity continues through all decades from 1960s all the way until now. Of all popular artists she has probably been the most involved in social and political activism.
One of the most amazing facts about Ms. Baez' life is that she has been friends with three Nobel Prize winners. First and foremost, Ms Baez recounts her romantic affair with the future Nobel Prize Winner in Literature. Yes, Joan Baez and Bob Dylan were together for quite some time in the 1960s. She beautifully writes about him:
"[...] his eyes were as old as God, and he was fragile as a winter leaf. He was a Sunday child, fidgeting there on the couch in an oversized jacket and new cufflinks and I was Mom. But I was also sister mystic and fellow outlaw, queen to his jack, and a twin underground star. We were living out a myth, slumming it together in the Village."There is also a beautiful passage about Bob Dylan, written in a second-person narrative - this is first-rate literature. I admire Ms. Baez' talent to write about him with such passion and love and then write about her rather sharp disillusionment with him several years later.
I very much like the chapter The Black Angel of Memphis dedicated to her numerous conversations with another Nobel Prize winner, this time the Peace laureate. She writes:
"You, more than anyone else who has been a part of my life, are my hope and inspiration. [...] Every time I hear your voice, it brings me back to the foot of the mountain. I don't lack the courage, Martin. It's just that in the eighties I can't seem to find where the path begins.The chapter about Ms. Baez' meeting with yet another Nobel Peace Prize winner, Poland's Lech Wałęsa, resonates with me so much for personal reasons - I lived in Poland when Wałęsa's Solidarity was crushed by the Soviet-influenced government, and when he became a worldwide symbol of push for freedom. The passage about her singing Gracias a la Vida for Mr. Wałęsa is deeply moving.
The reader will also find a dramatic and very well-written account of Ms. Baez' visit to Hanoi, Vietnam, in 1972, during intense bombing. Whatever political "side" the reader is on, this is a deep, thought-provoking chapter. Speaking about "sides," I love Ms. Baez not only for Diamonds and Rust and few other songs but also for rejecting the political orthodoxy. In her activism she has been hated by both right-wingers and left-wingers. She has never subscribed to any particular set of political beliefs, and has always been for freedom, civil and human rights, and non-violence. I have found one chapter absolutely depressing. Ms. Baez was one of the organizers of the Ring Around Congress, where the "women and children of America would go to Washington and join hands around Congress." The tensions and intrigues between activists of different races almost prevented the project from completion. One of the most repugnant facets of politics: left-wingers of one kind hate left-wingers of another kind more than they hate the right-wingers.
I believe Ms. Baez wrote the memoir herself, without ghost-helpers. While the prose is accomplished, with some passages outright beautiful, the text feels too long. There are too many details, and it stretches belief that the author precisely remembers her thoughts from 25 years earlier (she does not mention keeping any diaries). Some of the almost 400 pages are hard to keep one's attention focused on. Still, I recommend the book very, very highly!
By the way, it would be very hard to find a more inspiring person than Joan Baez. If there were a Nobel Prize for the Most Extraordinary Person Overall, she'd be the obviously deserving winner. And the lyrics of Diamonds and Rust are an example of what Nobel-Prize-class poetry is about.
Four-and-a-quarter stars
February 6, 2023
This was one of the best autobiographies I've ever read, and it never gets boring, because Joan Baez walked the tightrope between music and activism with equal dexterity. The best parts of the book, for me, was:
1. Her high school sketches, especially a perfect sketch of James Dean (she later recounts her meetings with Marlon Brando and Don Johnson with equal enthusiasm).
2. A revealing portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that shows a side of him that's more than human, making him even more endearing for the work he accomplished.
3. Bringing anti-war activism out of the universities and into suburban middle-class homes with her Ring Around Congress demonstration, bringing soldier's mothers involved in the protest.
4. Protesting the plight of the Laotian boat people to Chip Carter, who influenced his father President Jimmy Carter to take action on this atrocity.
5. Rob Halford shyly asked Joan if she heard his incredible cover of Diamonds And Rust, and she cheerfully said, "I heard it before my son did!"
Don't worry, she's got a lot to say about you-know-who and the making of his film Renaldo and Clara, pointing out his sexism ("all the women were cast as prostitutes") and the bloody mess that was the Rolling Thunder Revue, which brings us to the best sentence in the whole book:
"Goodbye, Bob. You looked happy on Farm Aid. I thought maybe I shouldn't write all this stuff about you, but as it turns out, it's really about me anyway, isn't it? It won't affect you. The death of Elvis affected you. I didn't relate to that, either".
Someone deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.
1. Her high school sketches, especially a perfect sketch of James Dean (she later recounts her meetings with Marlon Brando and Don Johnson with equal enthusiasm).
2. A revealing portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that shows a side of him that's more than human, making him even more endearing for the work he accomplished.
3. Bringing anti-war activism out of the universities and into suburban middle-class homes with her Ring Around Congress demonstration, bringing soldier's mothers involved in the protest.
4. Protesting the plight of the Laotian boat people to Chip Carter, who influenced his father President Jimmy Carter to take action on this atrocity.
5. Rob Halford shyly asked Joan if she heard his incredible cover of Diamonds And Rust, and she cheerfully said, "I heard it before my son did!"
Don't worry, she's got a lot to say about you-know-who and the making of his film Renaldo and Clara, pointing out his sexism ("all the women were cast as prostitutes") and the bloody mess that was the Rolling Thunder Revue, which brings us to the best sentence in the whole book:
"Goodbye, Bob. You looked happy on Farm Aid. I thought maybe I shouldn't write all this stuff about you, but as it turns out, it's really about me anyway, isn't it? It won't affect you. The death of Elvis affected you. I didn't relate to that, either".
Someone deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.
October 27, 2013
2.5
She's Joan Baez, so four stars for her interesting life. Had to deduct a star and a half for poor writing, though. She should have had a ghost writer collaborator, or at the very least, a decent editor. I mean, she's Joan Baez!
She's Joan Baez, so four stars for her interesting life. Had to deduct a star and a half for poor writing, though. She should have had a ghost writer collaborator, or at the very least, a decent editor. I mean, she's Joan Baez!
December 22, 2024
This was enjoyable but took me ages to finish because I was never 100% hooked. I will say it was cool to read about Live Aid and the Rolling Thunder tour and everything that Joan was involved in between the 60s and the 80s. Every once in a while though she would say something wild. The kind of thing that makes you go “did I read that right?” Anyway, this is probably 5 stars for someone but it ain’t me babe hahahaha
May 31, 2024
It is no secret that Joan Baez is a masterful writer. If you’ve seen any of her interviews, you’ll notice she writes exactly as she speaks; in blunt, short, poignant sentiments. Over the course of her career, Baez was a leader in The American Folk Revival movement and an anti-war activist. That to say, is never a dull moment in her memoir! You will be hooked from beginning to end.
She oftentimes address the person she is writing about directly at the end of their respective chapters, offering such a valuable insight into the crazy world she formed apart of. It’s typical Joan Baez, beautifully bold and unapologetic. I’ll be dwelling on The Rolling Thunder portions a lot specifically, since there is so much to unpack from that Dylan tour already.
Overall, one of the best memoirs I have yet to read. Would highly recommend !!
She oftentimes address the person she is writing about directly at the end of their respective chapters, offering such a valuable insight into the crazy world she formed apart of. It’s typical Joan Baez, beautifully bold and unapologetic. I’ll be dwelling on The Rolling Thunder portions a lot specifically, since there is so much to unpack from that Dylan tour already.
Overall, one of the best memoirs I have yet to read. Would highly recommend !!
April 8, 2016
Nice to read something in my 'poptastic' shelf that has been written from the inside looking out. The autobiogs do tend to be less cluttered by the mundane. Baez's 1987 memoir 'And A Voice To Sing With' is certainly not mundane. When J.B. published this, she was 46. The sixties queen of folk is now 70, and is still driving old dixie down.
Her memoir spans the best part of six decades, covering her childhood and family life, to the coffee houses of Massachusetts and sixties fame. Newport to Woodstock, through Rolling Thunder and all the way to Live Aid. Yet, interwoven in this story is her activist activities. Marching with King on his civil rights actions, her anti Vietnam protests and visits to Hanoi and Cambodia, then her active involvements with Amnesty International. Where human rights has been an issue Baez has become involved, from the U.S. south to East Asia, Latin America, Poland, Palestine and Northern Ireland, in has swept Joanie, never a phonie, with her Gibson acoustic to lead a chorus of We Shall Overcome.
What is even more awesome is the list of musical and activist adventures that she has been involved in since the publication of this book. Look out for memoir part two.
Her memoir spans the best part of six decades, covering her childhood and family life, to the coffee houses of Massachusetts and sixties fame. Newport to Woodstock, through Rolling Thunder and all the way to Live Aid. Yet, interwoven in this story is her activist activities. Marching with King on his civil rights actions, her anti Vietnam protests and visits to Hanoi and Cambodia, then her active involvements with Amnesty International. Where human rights has been an issue Baez has become involved, from the U.S. south to East Asia, Latin America, Poland, Palestine and Northern Ireland, in has swept Joanie, never a phonie, with her Gibson acoustic to lead a chorus of We Shall Overcome.
What is even more awesome is the list of musical and activist adventures that she has been involved in since the publication of this book. Look out for memoir part two.
November 18, 2022
I love both Joan Baez's music and her continued activism (she performed from her home in lockdown, and was the only person, to my knowledge, to list mortuary staff among the key workers to be thanked and celebrated). This book had been on my wishlist for years, so I was delighted to pick it up in the RSPCA shop and didn't care that it smelled of cigarettes.
What a life, what a blessed and also chaotic life! One thing that stands out to me is how supportive her parents were of their daughter's decision to go and sing folk music in coffee houses; they made the right call, though. I was fascinated by the story behind 'Where Are You Now, My Son?': the trip to Hanoi which turned out to involve surviving bombing raids on the city. Also interesting to me is that Baez is emetophobic, terrified of vomiting, as I am.
The book ends with Live Aid, with Joan telling the children of the Eighties "this is your Woodstock."
She's done a hell of a lot more since then.
What a life, what a blessed and also chaotic life! One thing that stands out to me is how supportive her parents were of their daughter's decision to go and sing folk music in coffee houses; they made the right call, though. I was fascinated by the story behind 'Where Are You Now, My Son?': the trip to Hanoi which turned out to involve surviving bombing raids on the city. Also interesting to me is that Baez is emetophobic, terrified of vomiting, as I am.
The book ends with Live Aid, with Joan telling the children of the Eighties "this is your Woodstock."
She's done a hell of a lot more since then.
May 6, 2008
Marvelous voice. Amazing Life. Unfortunately the book is so poorly written.
February 22, 2017
Wonderful and fascinating book. I learnt much about one of my favourite singers and what makes her tick. Of course, this book is now thirty years old. I would love a follow up!
April 2, 2025
joan baez has, perhaps, led the most interesting life of all of humanity. her memoir was written more like a story, full of so many well-remembered and conveyed people and conversations that make you feel like you not only knew these people personally, you had lived with them. writing a review for her memoir is a daunting task because of how much time it spans and how much happened to her. my favorite segments were the ones about her visit to vietnam, what she had to say about the early folk scene and martin luther king jr, and the rolling thunder revue. i can't convey the incredible impact her life has had and how utterly fascinating and talented she is and how well she recounted her life. just read this book !!!!
July 8, 2021
Not a review, just more comments, and the repeated wish that I'd read this in the late 80s, when it was all still fresh. (Ah, Live Aid!)
Cute mention of technology in the Acknowledgements: among the people she thanks was "Steve Jobs for forcing me to use a word processor by putting one in my kitchen."
Cute mention of technology in the Acknowledgements: among the people she thanks was "Steve Jobs for forcing me to use a word processor by putting one in my kitchen."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 1, 2025joan i love you but this was a snooze at points
May 13, 2014
This is supposed to be a biography, and while I don’t dispute Ms Baez has been involved in many events that shaped our modern history, this book seems to be more like fiction to me. It is hard to believe she was in so many places, was involved in so many things, and just happened to know so many people instrumental to entertainment and civil rights. Oh, and also believe that the government was out to get her too. It’s possible, and I’m not saying that she wrote anything untrue. However, I couldn’t help, but think of Forrest in the Forrest Gump movie always in the right place at the right time to meet presidents, musicians, etc.. Well, that is just my opinion of the story. For a fact, I don’t know her so I don’t know how accurate the book is.
I can say that the book was difficult for me to read. Part of it was that I had a hard time believing much of what I read. However, the book was difficult to read otherwise. She frequently jumped back and forth through time. She would also suddenly start writing to the people she was talking about. Bob Dylan was written to directly in the book. It was confusing. For the majority of the book she would write as a first person narrator. Then suddenly she was having an angry, or mournful, conversation with Bob Dylan or some of her other past loves. Often, it was anger she spewed at the page. Then, without warning, she would slip back into first person narrator again and go on with the story she was recounting.
The book was just difficult for me to read. I tried, I pushed through, but as I continued to battle with and try to wrap my head around her writing style I thought “why am I forcing myself to read this?” With that, I stopped. I tried skipping ahead a chapter or two, but it was more of the same.
To be clear, I DID NOT finish reading the book.
She frequently refers to her “demons”, meaning anxiety or mental problems and seeing psychiatrist, throughout what I read of the book. However, I never read a part where she states what her diagnosis was. I could guess thought I won’t publicly. Her personality does seem to come through the book, so if you were to read it you could probably venture a guess as well.
I can say that the book was difficult for me to read. Part of it was that I had a hard time believing much of what I read. However, the book was difficult to read otherwise. She frequently jumped back and forth through time. She would also suddenly start writing to the people she was talking about. Bob Dylan was written to directly in the book. It was confusing. For the majority of the book she would write as a first person narrator. Then suddenly she was having an angry, or mournful, conversation with Bob Dylan or some of her other past loves. Often, it was anger she spewed at the page. Then, without warning, she would slip back into first person narrator again and go on with the story she was recounting.
The book was just difficult for me to read. I tried, I pushed through, but as I continued to battle with and try to wrap my head around her writing style I thought “why am I forcing myself to read this?” With that, I stopped. I tried skipping ahead a chapter or two, but it was more of the same.
To be clear, I DID NOT finish reading the book.
She frequently refers to her “demons”, meaning anxiety or mental problems and seeing psychiatrist, throughout what I read of the book. However, I never read a part where she states what her diagnosis was. I could guess thought I won’t publicly. Her personality does seem to come through the book, so if you were to read it you could probably venture a guess as well.
July 15, 2022
so many things I didn’t know
How many songs I sang in Girl Scout camp had been sung by Joan Baez only ten years before. That her son went to the same boarding school that mine did. And that she felt the same awkwardness on Parents weekend. That she risked her life for peace. That she can be a snob like the rest of us. That she can draw.
How many songs I sang in Girl Scout camp had been sung by Joan Baez only ten years before. That her son went to the same boarding school that mine did. And that she felt the same awkwardness on Parents weekend. That she risked her life for peace. That she can be a snob like the rest of us. That she can draw.
March 7, 2011
As a huge Baez fan, I'm, well, biased (baezed?) when it comes to this book. It made me laugh and cry. It's a very honest book in which she describes her life and career, her experience in Vietnam, her demons, her stage fright... To me, Joan Baez is like wine - the older, the better.
November 3, 2013
I enjoyed the walk through folk music history during the 60's and 70's. I was reminded of what a political figure Joan Baez was and came away with a respect for her resolve to do the right thing in an unselfish way. The book was well-written and reflects Joan's personal intelligence.
July 19, 2022
The first half is very good and focussed, particularly the chapter about the December trip to North Vietnam where she is shelled by the US government. The second part falls apart rapidly, with far less focus and too much inane sexual liaison details.
January 18, 2025
I will likely struggle to enjoy her music after reading this book. Such a self-centered narcissist. The book’s writing is very flowery which was to be expected but she also has a one-sided axe to grind. She truly comes off as insufferable.
June 28, 2007
I love Joan Baez. Her autobiography is honest, funny and sometimes takes your breath away. I think it's amusing what she has to say about Bob Dylan
July 8, 2008
The easiest kind of relationship for me is with ten thousand people. The hardest is with one.
September 29, 2010
I was disappointed with this one...boring really...WAY too much detail about all her political activities...ugh
March 30, 2013
Written in the '80, it's the life (so far) of this great singer.
I find it interesting
I find it interesting
May 7, 2012
Good topic. The first half was interesting, but I was less interested in her travels...didn't have the same feel as the early life stories.
July 14, 2012
I wish I had not read this book. Cannot enjoy her music any more since I waded through that nervous whiney psycho stuff.
February 2, 2014
another life well lived and still going....Woodstock to Live Aid and beyond.
January 13, 2021
上次看完 just kids 说不再看喜欢艺人的自传，奈何忍不住手贱，果然又踩雷了。一点也不喜欢。内容上不说了，翻译体例上，大量的歌名不给英文原文，我想搜着听都得去翻原版
October 30, 2021
The most significant memory I have of my grandparents is that of dancing with them and my sister to ‘De Colores’ from Joan’s Gracias a la Vida after dinner time while we were growing up. Now, 19 and at university, I have found myself singing ‘Prison’s Trilogy’ at Scottish pubs and being told by a stranger at a hostel about my resemblance to young Joan, inspired by my Hispanic characters and my slim body figure.
Last week I impulsively bought Baez’s autobiography and songbook on a second hand webstore and took it with me on a road trip across Scotland. Thanks to a bunch of travel sickness tablets and taking breaks to admire the autumn colored landscapes of the Highlands, I devoured this book in less than a week accompanied by the soundtrack of her earliest folk covers.
While I don’t think that I have any kind of special connection to this woman, I have grown to treasure and understand the Queen of Folk in a way that will probably mould my personality through the coming years.
When you listen to Joan’s voice, it is easy to idolize her as an angel which has come to Earth to save us all from sin with her protest songs. Amazingly enough, after reading her self written stories, I have discovered that she is not a single bit more perfect than any of the people I meet on a daily basis. She struggles with self confidence, selfish thoughts and stubbornness, just like any other person does.
I consider it relieving to see that someone as wonderful and empowering as Joan Baez can feel so familiar and reachable to me. It gives me hope of achieving great things regardless of my mistakes and blemishes. Because one can always focus on what they can offer to the rest in order to fix the world a little bit. If you truly believe in a cause and stay true to yourself, you’ve already achieved most of your duty. Joan knew what she wanted and did the best she could with the talents she had been born with. She was self aware of her defects and seemed to me like an honest woman that represented herself quite well in front of the masses.
I am currently on my journey to discover what my talents are and what good I can offer to others with them. Reading this book has made me more confident about making mistakes along the way and to most probably, never achieving my ideal of becoming an immaculate Nobel peace prize nominee. I then say, gracias Joan, and to your music that accompanies me on the way.
Last week I impulsively bought Baez’s autobiography and songbook on a second hand webstore and took it with me on a road trip across Scotland. Thanks to a bunch of travel sickness tablets and taking breaks to admire the autumn colored landscapes of the Highlands, I devoured this book in less than a week accompanied by the soundtrack of her earliest folk covers.
While I don’t think that I have any kind of special connection to this woman, I have grown to treasure and understand the Queen of Folk in a way that will probably mould my personality through the coming years.
When you listen to Joan’s voice, it is easy to idolize her as an angel which has come to Earth to save us all from sin with her protest songs. Amazingly enough, after reading her self written stories, I have discovered that she is not a single bit more perfect than any of the people I meet on a daily basis. She struggles with self confidence, selfish thoughts and stubbornness, just like any other person does.
I consider it relieving to see that someone as wonderful and empowering as Joan Baez can feel so familiar and reachable to me. It gives me hope of achieving great things regardless of my mistakes and blemishes. Because one can always focus on what they can offer to the rest in order to fix the world a little bit. If you truly believe in a cause and stay true to yourself, you’ve already achieved most of your duty. Joan knew what she wanted and did the best she could with the talents she had been born with. She was self aware of her defects and seemed to me like an honest woman that represented herself quite well in front of the masses.
I am currently on my journey to discover what my talents are and what good I can offer to others with them. Reading this book has made me more confident about making mistakes along the way and to most probably, never achieving my ideal of becoming an immaculate Nobel peace prize nominee. I then say, gracias Joan, and to your music that accompanies me on the way.
January 23, 2021
Recently I heard a BBC radio programme about Dylan and Baez. I realised that although I’ve had this book for quite a few years, I have read it only the once and could recall very little about it. So I read it again. I am one with the British folk/folk-rock singer Martin Carthy who knew both Dylan and Baez, and on the radio programme opined that Dylan was so single-minded in his pursuit of success that he treated Joan quite cruelly. Joan Baez sings and performs in order to make a living and in order to finance the things in her life that are important to her. She was not sucked into the extravagant, self-indulgent life style of so many other celebrity performers and I admire and respect her for that. Nor does she, it seems, sing and perform because she feels compelled to; regrettably perhaps, this has meant that she did not progress and grow artistically—a wasted talent, to use the words of Martin Carthy again. She confesses in both overt and covert ways to not being/feeling a part of the broader music scene of the sixties and this is perhaps nowhere more obvious than in the chapter on Woodstock; a little over three pages is all it gets.
Scanning through the reviews here, it’s interesting to see the number that express disappointment that their heroine did not/cannot live up to and meet their expectations. How the mighty are fallen. I found the book to be honest and more intimate than one might expect to get from others in her position. It’s not, in my view well written; reading in many parts like a school essay or a diary narrative with frequent use of words in quotes to indicate—well, what? I found it quite easy to skim-read or even to skip long parts and I don’t feel that I missed very much.
I am only a handful (or two) of years younger than Baez and I always did and still do find her voice to be more than a bit too pure, to the degree that it lacks character. However, I did always admire her commitment to social justice and to those here who comment that there is too much about her political life in the book I’d say “Huh?…What do you expect? That’s who she is”. If you want a nice easy pop-idol biography, look to the Spice Girls; if you want to read about the extravagances of pop/rock stardom look to Elton John. You won’t find any of that here and that’s to her credit in my opinion.
Scanning through the reviews here, it’s interesting to see the number that express disappointment that their heroine did not/cannot live up to and meet their expectations. How the mighty are fallen. I found the book to be honest and more intimate than one might expect to get from others in her position. It’s not, in my view well written; reading in many parts like a school essay or a diary narrative with frequent use of words in quotes to indicate—well, what? I found it quite easy to skim-read or even to skip long parts and I don’t feel that I missed very much.
I am only a handful (or two) of years younger than Baez and I always did and still do find her voice to be more than a bit too pure, to the degree that it lacks character. However, I did always admire her commitment to social justice and to those here who comment that there is too much about her political life in the book I’d say “Huh?…What do you expect? That’s who she is”. If you want a nice easy pop-idol biography, look to the Spice Girls; if you want to read about the extravagances of pop/rock stardom look to Elton John. You won’t find any of that here and that’s to her credit in my opinion.
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