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That's My Story and I'm Sticking to It
A candid account of one of America's most provocative filmmakers that belongs on the shelf of any serious movie lover. Spike Lee tells the cinematic story of the preeminent director, whose pioneering films―from Do The Right Thing, Jungle Fever , and Malcolm X to 25th Hour , Bamboozled , and The Inside Man ―helped transform the face of late twentieth-century America. With unprecedented access to the Lee family and new interviews with stars and celebrities―including Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Rosie Perez, Adrien Brody, John Turturro, and many others―film critic Kaleem Aftab chronicles Spike Lee's explosive rise to stardom, exploring such important issues as Black Nationalism, Hollywood stereotyping, and the rise of a powerful black middle class. Lee's prominence in American culture continues in 2006 with the release of The Inside Man and a forthcoming documentary on Hurricane Katrina. Spike Lee tells us as much about the last two decades of American social history as it does about the life of this fascinating director.
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
430 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2005
8 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Spike Lee
79 books95 followersShelton Jackson Lee, better known as Spike Lee, is an Emmy Award - winning, and Academy Award - nominated American film director, producer, writer, and actor noted for his films dealing with controversial social and political issues. He also teaches film at New York University and Columbia University. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 14, 2021
This is mostly a biography of Spike Lee as a filmmaker - there are few insights into his life outside of work and little about his family. I would have liked to know more about his parents and grandparents, for instance. That said, as a biography of a filmmaker, this is a great book. It underlines the positive contribution Spike Lee has made to the uplifting of ethnic minority communities in America. He has, from the outset of his career, put substantial efforts into facilitating the progress of others to break into the world of filmmaking.
Spike Lee doesn't always make a popular statement - he tends to say what he thinks is the right thing, as opposed to what others may wish to hear. He may be a capitalist, working to uplift himself and others economically, but he is apt to address ethical and moral questions, maintaining a creative integrity sometimes in the face of harsh criticism. I am very impressed by the way this biography, with Spike Lee's authorisation, gives the reader reflections on Spike's work from various sources - some complimentary and some not so flattering. This works to give the reader a rounded sense of the subject and, ultimately, I was given a portrait of a man, flawed, as are we all, but hard-working, talented and committed to improving the lives of others. Spike Lee hasn't got everything right in the past, but he is someone open to learning from mistakes and improving, which is why he is still surprising and impressing us with his work. The surprises are likely to continue....
Spike Lee doesn't always make a popular statement - he tends to say what he thinks is the right thing, as opposed to what others may wish to hear. He may be a capitalist, working to uplift himself and others economically, but he is apt to address ethical and moral questions, maintaining a creative integrity sometimes in the face of harsh criticism. I am very impressed by the way this biography, with Spike Lee's authorisation, gives the reader reflections on Spike's work from various sources - some complimentary and some not so flattering. This works to give the reader a rounded sense of the subject and, ultimately, I was given a portrait of a man, flawed, as are we all, but hard-working, talented and committed to improving the lives of others. Spike Lee hasn't got everything right in the past, but he is someone open to learning from mistakes and improving, which is why he is still surprising and impressing us with his work. The surprises are likely to continue....
July 12, 2014
The Spike Lee we get to know in "That's My Story" isn't primarily Lee the director, Lee the sports fan, or Lee the music aficionado. Instead we get to know Lee the philanthropist, donating his time and money from projects and his teaching to bring new blood into the film industry. Tying into that is a great history of Lee the capitalist, utilizing every opportunity in the public eye to expand his brand both creatively and commercially. We also get to know a bit about the conservative side of Lee, which problematizes almost all of his relationships with women in film, and has made it impossible for me to look at his masterpieces the same way.
Aftab assembles enough information about Lee's career to make a damn good mini-series, a la Woody Allen, should he choose. But he keeps the tone light and conversational, never letting the negative aspects of Lee's life overwhelm the more complicated or positive aspects, always letting one piece build the tapestry of Lee instead of segmenting his life into lessons. It's never a dry read, and frequently humbled me for how much I still have to learn about black filmmakers in America and the struggles they've had.
An excellent read of a complicated personality, and I recommend it even if you aren't a fan of the man.
Aftab assembles enough information about Lee's career to make a damn good mini-series, a la Woody Allen, should he choose. But he keeps the tone light and conversational, never letting the negative aspects of Lee's life overwhelm the more complicated or positive aspects, always letting one piece build the tapestry of Lee instead of segmenting his life into lessons. It's never a dry read, and frequently humbled me for how much I still have to learn about black filmmakers in America and the struggles they've had.
An excellent read of a complicated personality, and I recommend it even if you aren't a fan of the man.
March 28, 2014
First the flaws.
The editor tries to divide the book into chapters based on Spike Lee's films. This approach might have worked for a book on Michael Mann or Cameron Crowe as those directors often take several years between films. But for Spike Lee, a director who, at the time of the book's writing, had averaged a film a year for 20 years almost, this approach could get unwieldy.
Secondly, certain details are presented in a confusing fashion. For instance, the way the 1994 shooting of Tupac Shakur is presented, readers who are unfamiliar with what happened may think this is the shooting that killed him.
Now on to the good.
The book is informative and presents Spike as a human being. It neither demonizes nor canonizes him. Also, the information presented is entertaining and enlightening.
Note that this book is not a memoir. It's more of an oral history.
Good read. But still waiting for the memoir.
The editor tries to divide the book into chapters based on Spike Lee's films. This approach might have worked for a book on Michael Mann or Cameron Crowe as those directors often take several years between films. But for Spike Lee, a director who, at the time of the book's writing, had averaged a film a year for 20 years almost, this approach could get unwieldy.
Secondly, certain details are presented in a confusing fashion. For instance, the way the 1994 shooting of Tupac Shakur is presented, readers who are unfamiliar with what happened may think this is the shooting that killed him.
Now on to the good.
The book is informative and presents Spike as a human being. It neither demonizes nor canonizes him. Also, the information presented is entertaining and enlightening.
Note that this book is not a memoir. It's more of an oral history.
Good read. But still waiting for the memoir.
Read
April 30, 2021This book really captured the immense amount of influence Spike Lee had and is still having on the film industry. As a filmmaker, he inspired millions of watchers with his complex narratives and ideas about the state of the United States. As a pop culture figure, he gave the black community hope that black artists are finally being able to voice their opinions to the world. Before reading though, I definitely recommend to watch most of his movies first. The book in structured so that each chapter is about a different project he directed in chronological order. I personally had seen a little over half of the movies, and the chapters about the films I hadn’t seen felt a little sluggish towards the pacing of the book as whole. Overall, this novel successfully captures the perspective-pushing nature of Spike Lee’s career journey that combines the ideas from his films into his real life.
July 10, 2009
This is such a informative and entertaining book on film, filmmaking, and the life of one of the most consistant, provoking, filmmakers of our time. Spike Lee's story can be very inspiring and he is a man who went after his dream, it's just in him to tell stories. It's interesting because he talks about the time he met his wife to be...the struggles making Malcolm X, the pressure him and Denzel went through while making it, and before then.
I had the priviledge in meeting Spike Lee-he's laid back, kind, and outspoken. :-).
I had the priviledge in meeting Spike Lee-he's laid back, kind, and outspoken. :-).
January 29, 2019
Angry that Oliver Stone got more money for JFK than he got for Malcolm X, Lee “took to calling Warner Bros studio lot “the plantation.” “Warner Bros don’t view black people as important, it’s as simple as that.”
January 27, 2020
This is a good, readable book, for those who have seen some of his films, but also to get a glimpse into this complicated person's life, and his films. Would give it a 3.5 if Goodreads would use the .5 system.....
April 13, 2012
I thought it was a good biographical account of his career but very annoying, arrogant and showed how totally self indulgent he is.
April 1, 2025
Ed Norton, who Spike Lee works with in the underrated 25th Hour, predicts something that I think will come to light in the future: "In the same way that Taxi Driver was for that post-Vietnam generation, Do the Right Thing and these movies are for us. Spike is not going to get his full due until the generation that was most impacted by his movies becomes the mainstream adult generation."
Granted, that generation is now -- or is passing the baton off to the millennial/Gen Z. Personally, it took me a while to get around to it, but as Lee is still rolling out movies that are still part of the public conscience, we should talk about how his greats are really fucking great. She's Gotta Have It and Bamboozled are still my favorites, but because Lee's experiments are littered across his filmography, I'm afraid that people will see Lee's attempts to try something new as box office duds or "bad" movies. There might be a movie that I don't connect with, but I know a Spike Lee movie once I watch it.
That's My Story follows Lee's career from his days at Morehouse up until She Hate Me, which may be disappointing for those who wanted the inside scoop for his later stuff, like Inside Man and BlackKKlansman. Lee, as well as many of his collaborators (from cinematographer-turned-director Ernest Dickerson, costume designer Ruth Carter, producer Lisa Jones, all the way down to frequent cast members John Turturro and Samuel L. Jackson), provide conversations for writer Kaleem Aftab. It doesn't feel trite; dissent in Lee's work ethic and ideas are shared by his peers in addition to the criticism spoken against his films. Lee is known as a controversial talking head, which makes the dissent believable.
The book will get into the technical BTS of certain movies, which I enjoyed as a film lover. Producing and financing is a huge topic, as Lee will sometimes find funders for certain movies that studios won't back (even with the surmounting success of black-led movies, some Lee movies just didn't carry a promised ROI). Each chapter holds place for one or two movies, so it's fun to see some love for Crooklyn and 4 Little Girls (I didn't know Lee did a documentary!).
The most surprising and unsurprising thing about Lee is that he doesn't seem to be a communicative person, even when his public image suggests otherwise. He is a director who observes on set, but actors may not receive direction from him. Instead, improvisation and one-takes are done. Old-school actors like Harvey Keitel were not a fan. I also was surprised at the specific thoughts shared by the women that he's worked with. I don't expect all male screenwriters to nail a woman's experience, but I had always felt that Lee's female characters were flawed and real. Instead, stories shared by Rosie Perez and Annabella Sciorra leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I get the impression that Lee is somewhat reserved about dictating how actors should act, but that leaves less protection for graphic scenes that I think would have benefitted the first-time actresses that he sought after.
Because the book stops before Spike Lee's current presence in the later '00s and '10s, his successes and troubles just feel like a sliver of his life. Despite his fallbacks, I think there is still so much to cover that I'd hope Aftab will be interested in a Part Two. Hopefully, as a Lee fan, that won't be in the near future.
Granted, that generation is now -- or is passing the baton off to the millennial/Gen Z. Personally, it took me a while to get around to it, but as Lee is still rolling out movies that are still part of the public conscience, we should talk about how his greats are really fucking great. She's Gotta Have It and Bamboozled are still my favorites, but because Lee's experiments are littered across his filmography, I'm afraid that people will see Lee's attempts to try something new as box office duds or "bad" movies. There might be a movie that I don't connect with, but I know a Spike Lee movie once I watch it.
That's My Story follows Lee's career from his days at Morehouse up until She Hate Me, which may be disappointing for those who wanted the inside scoop for his later stuff, like Inside Man and BlackKKlansman. Lee, as well as many of his collaborators (from cinematographer-turned-director Ernest Dickerson, costume designer Ruth Carter, producer Lisa Jones, all the way down to frequent cast members John Turturro and Samuel L. Jackson), provide conversations for writer Kaleem Aftab. It doesn't feel trite; dissent in Lee's work ethic and ideas are shared by his peers in addition to the criticism spoken against his films. Lee is known as a controversial talking head, which makes the dissent believable.
The book will get into the technical BTS of certain movies, which I enjoyed as a film lover. Producing and financing is a huge topic, as Lee will sometimes find funders for certain movies that studios won't back (even with the surmounting success of black-led movies, some Lee movies just didn't carry a promised ROI). Each chapter holds place for one or two movies, so it's fun to see some love for Crooklyn and 4 Little Girls (I didn't know Lee did a documentary!).
The most surprising and unsurprising thing about Lee is that he doesn't seem to be a communicative person, even when his public image suggests otherwise. He is a director who observes on set, but actors may not receive direction from him. Instead, improvisation and one-takes are done. Old-school actors like Harvey Keitel were not a fan. I also was surprised at the specific thoughts shared by the women that he's worked with. I don't expect all male screenwriters to nail a woman's experience, but I had always felt that Lee's female characters were flawed and real. Instead, stories shared by Rosie Perez and Annabella Sciorra leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I get the impression that Lee is somewhat reserved about dictating how actors should act, but that leaves less protection for graphic scenes that I think would have benefitted the first-time actresses that he sought after.
Because the book stops before Spike Lee's current presence in the later '00s and '10s, his successes and troubles just feel like a sliver of his life. Despite his fallbacks, I think there is still so much to cover that I'd hope Aftab will be interested in a Part Two. Hopefully, as a Lee fan, that won't be in the near future.
February 4, 2020
A good look at the movie industry and promoting what sells. Stick to what's true to you and don't fall behind what sells it what the crowd is doing.
December 8, 2010
The work of one of America's more important filmmakers is ill-served by this reverential biography. Aftab arranges the narrative around Lee's films, from breakout hit She's Gotta Have It (1986), through such cinematic touchstones as Do the Right Thing (1989) and Malcolm X (1992), ending with the flop She Hate Me (2004). The resulting string-of-boxcars structure is a little disjointed, but it keeps the focus on Lee's often controversial and politically engaged films and delivers a flow of moviemaking anecdotes that give a sense of the director's domineering, manipulative, charismatic personality. Unfortunately, this very authorized biography staggers under the weight of the many lengthy tributes to Lee's genius and his statesmanship as the standard-bearer of African-American cinema.
Complaints are sometimes aired about the director and his movies (he does cop to allowing "unreconstructed male chauvinism" to mar his films), but criticisms are quickly shouted down by rebuttals from Lee and a chorus of admiring actors and colleagues. Aftab's poorly organized text often feels like a collection of barely edited interview transcripts, with Lee and his friends' rambling on for paragraphs on end. The outcome is a sluggish, defensive biography of a man who deserves a more incisive treatment.
Over the course of his career, film director Spike Lee has alienated many groups: Italian Americans, Asian Americans, Jews, lesbians--and, most recently, paying moviegoers. Because of this book's packaging (first-person subtitle, head-on author photo, "as told to" writing credit), fans and foes alike may think they're getting a candid, jointly authored memoir written in Lee's voice. But Spike Lee is actually an oral history in which the director's voice is but one of many. Aftab interviewed scores of family, friends, and filmmaking collaborators, then created a reportorial narrative, organized by film. (The method will be familiar to anyone who's read the companion books to Lee's earlier films.)
But if readers are disappointed at not getting more from Lee himself, there's consolation in that what his colleagues and critics say can be more revealing. And although the book has Lee's imprimatur, Aftab is not afraid to take issue with Lee. As might be expected with such a controversial subject, too much time is spent getting sides of arguments, and the writing is somewhat stiff, but this is still an invigorating look back at the work of one of our least predictable, most important filmmakers. As for really getting to know Lee, we'll have to wait until he writes his own story.
Complaints are sometimes aired about the director and his movies (he does cop to allowing "unreconstructed male chauvinism" to mar his films), but criticisms are quickly shouted down by rebuttals from Lee and a chorus of admiring actors and colleagues. Aftab's poorly organized text often feels like a collection of barely edited interview transcripts, with Lee and his friends' rambling on for paragraphs on end. The outcome is a sluggish, defensive biography of a man who deserves a more incisive treatment.
Over the course of his career, film director Spike Lee has alienated many groups: Italian Americans, Asian Americans, Jews, lesbians--and, most recently, paying moviegoers. Because of this book's packaging (first-person subtitle, head-on author photo, "as told to" writing credit), fans and foes alike may think they're getting a candid, jointly authored memoir written in Lee's voice. But Spike Lee is actually an oral history in which the director's voice is but one of many. Aftab interviewed scores of family, friends, and filmmaking collaborators, then created a reportorial narrative, organized by film. (The method will be familiar to anyone who's read the companion books to Lee's earlier films.)
But if readers are disappointed at not getting more from Lee himself, there's consolation in that what his colleagues and critics say can be more revealing. And although the book has Lee's imprimatur, Aftab is not afraid to take issue with Lee. As might be expected with such a controversial subject, too much time is spent getting sides of arguments, and the writing is somewhat stiff, but this is still an invigorating look back at the work of one of our least predictable, most important filmmakers. As for really getting to know Lee, we'll have to wait until he writes his own story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2014
All in all it's an ok biography of Spike, but it's sold as an AUTIObio, and this book is NOT in Spike's voice. Sure there are some random quotes, but it is NOT Spike's "story".
While it covers all Spike's films (up to and including She Hate me), it barely covers Spike's TV, commercials, music video and producing work and very, very rarely gets into usual biography material, meaning life outside of the work.
Informative on covering the movies but not at all an autobiography.
While it covers all Spike's films (up to and including She Hate me), it barely covers Spike's TV, commercials, music video and producing work and very, very rarely gets into usual biography material, meaning life outside of the work.
Informative on covering the movies but not at all an autobiography.
January 4, 2011
Biografia Autorizzata
Ho scoperto tante cose in questo libro, non solo su Spike Lee ma anche sul cinema americano e sulla comunità così detta black.
Nota al traduttore: africano-americano o italiano-americano sono termini che in italiano sono altamente cacofonici. Meglio adottare afro-americano e italo-americano. Per quanto mi davano fastidio li ho dovuti correggere tutti io con la matita.
Ho scoperto tante cose in questo libro, non solo su Spike Lee ma anche sul cinema americano e sulla comunità così detta black.
Nota al traduttore: africano-americano o italiano-americano sono termini che in italiano sono altamente cacofonici. Meglio adottare afro-americano e italo-americano. Per quanto mi davano fastidio li ho dovuti correggere tutti io con la matita.
October 8, 2010
I like Spike Lee so learning more about him and his processes was good for me. Learning about hiccups that happen and how soundtracks came together was interesting. It broke each movie down to tell you the behind the scenes story. It's a must read for Spike Lee fans.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews