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Ronnie Gilbert: A Radical Life in Song
*Running Time => 10 hrs. and 8 mins.*
Ronnie Gilbert has had a long and colorful career as a singer, actor, playwright, therapist, and independent woman, whose lifelong work for political and social change has been central to her role as a performer. Raised in Depression-era New York City by leftist, working-class, secular Jewish parents, Gilbert is best known as a member of the Weavers, the quartet of the 1950s and '60s that survived the blacklist and helped popularize folk music in America. Her joyous contralto and vibrant stage presence enriched the celebrated group and propelled Gilbert into a second singing career with Holly Near in the 1980s and '90s. As an actor, Gilbert explored developmental theater with Joseph Chaikin and Peter Brook and wrote and performed in ensemble and solo productions across the United States and Canada.
Ronnie Gilbert brings the political, artistic, and social issues of the era alive through song lyrics and personal stories, traversing sixty years of collaborations in life and art that span the folk revival, the Cold War blacklist, primal therapy, the back-to-the-land movement, and a rich, multigenerational family story. Much more than a memoir, Ronnie Gilbert is a unique and engaging historical document for readers interested in music, theater, American politics, the women’s movement, and left-wing activism.
©2015 Ronnie Gilbert (P)2021 Audible, Inc.
Ronnie Gilbert has had a long and colorful career as a singer, actor, playwright, therapist, and independent woman, whose lifelong work for political and social change has been central to her role as a performer. Raised in Depression-era New York City by leftist, working-class, secular Jewish parents, Gilbert is best known as a member of the Weavers, the quartet of the 1950s and '60s that survived the blacklist and helped popularize folk music in America. Her joyous contralto and vibrant stage presence enriched the celebrated group and propelled Gilbert into a second singing career with Holly Near in the 1980s and '90s. As an actor, Gilbert explored developmental theater with Joseph Chaikin and Peter Brook and wrote and performed in ensemble and solo productions across the United States and Canada.
Ronnie Gilbert brings the political, artistic, and social issues of the era alive through song lyrics and personal stories, traversing sixty years of collaborations in life and art that span the folk revival, the Cold War blacklist, primal therapy, the back-to-the-land movement, and a rich, multigenerational family story. Much more than a memoir, Ronnie Gilbert is a unique and engaging historical document for readers interested in music, theater, American politics, the women’s movement, and left-wing activism.
©2015 Ronnie Gilbert (P)2021 Audible, Inc.
10 pages, Audible Audio
First published October 2, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 8, 2015
In these times, where most entertainers make headlines for the wrong reasons or for the pure value of their entertainment, remembering the activist role of many folk singers back in the 50's and 60's is important. Ronnie Gilbert was part of The Weavers as they struggled with being labeled as communists and un-American, and worked with Pete Seeger and others during the folk movement heyday. In this volume, she conveys her strongest memories in vignettes, giving us glimpses of her personal and public life.
February 12, 2017
I first heard Ronnie Gilbert sing when I went to a Holly Near/Ronnnie Gilbert concert. They sang of courage, of oppression, of their love of women and so much more. I knew Ronnie Gilbert was in the Weavers and certainly knew who Pete Seeger was and when I received this review copy from Netgalley I was thrilled to learn more about this amazing singer/activist who's voice was so clear and true that I ran out and bought all of her CD's.
And so, I was fairly disappointed in her memoir. I learned a lot about her; the facts of her life. I did enjoy reading about her time after the Weavers and with Holly Near and understanding the arc of her activism throughout the years. Yet, the memoir felt flat. While I came to appreciate the life that she lived I did not understand who she was; her motivations and what she felt at different choice points or about the people in her life. For example, I never understood why she became involved in primal scream and what it meant for her. For me, Ronnie Gilbert: A Radical Life in Song had breadth but little depth. This is more a biography than a memoir and though I appreciated coming to know this vibrant and courageous woman I would have liked to understand her heart and spirit even more.
Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion.
And so, I was fairly disappointed in her memoir. I learned a lot about her; the facts of her life. I did enjoy reading about her time after the Weavers and with Holly Near and understanding the arc of her activism throughout the years. Yet, the memoir felt flat. While I came to appreciate the life that she lived I did not understand who she was; her motivations and what she felt at different choice points or about the people in her life. For example, I never understood why she became involved in primal scream and what it meant for her. For me, Ronnie Gilbert: A Radical Life in Song had breadth but little depth. This is more a biography than a memoir and though I appreciated coming to know this vibrant and courageous woman I would have liked to understand her heart and spirit even more.
Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion.
April 10, 2016
I was disappointed in the book. I only knew a little about Ms. Gilbert, and after reading this (decidedly, and unapologetically episodic) autobiography, I know even less. Too bad because I think she was a very interesting person-- I guess the things she thought to tell us didn't reveal much to me.
December 27, 2015
I reviewed this memoir for the S.F. Chronicle (published today in Book Review). I loved Ronnie Gilbert's singing and politics -- wish the book had the same exuberance.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/books/arti...
http://www.sfchronicle.com/books/arti...
June 6, 2017
This is a wonderful memoir of the woman best known as a members of the 1950s folk group The Weavers, who died a few months ago at the age of 88.
I admit I knew her only as a singer, someone who had originally performed with the Weavers starting in the 1940s. She was one of the founding members (along with Pete Seeger) and went on to perform with Holly Near (who wrote the forward) in the 80s and 90s. Frankly, I was not aware of the amazing life she led, with other careers including actor, playwright, and therapist. In this book, Ronnie shares her memories, bringing the incredible social issues she was involved in alive using song lyrics and personal stories. Along the way, she reveals the various things that defined her life: folk music in the 50s and 60s (featuring Pete Seeger), the Cold War blacklist that cost so many artists their ability to work, primal therapy, the women’s movement and lift-wing political activism.
The daughter of immigrants from Ukraine and Poland, Ronnie came by her activism naturally: at around age 10, her mother (a garment worker, union activist and member of the Communist Party) took her to a union rally where Ronnie hear Paul Robeson sing (she later called this event “transformative”).
The Weavers broke up in the mid-60s, and Ronnie focused energy on the theater, followed by becoming involved as a therapist after receiving her degree in Psychology in the 1970s. In 1980, a reunion performance of the Weavers took place, and later Ronnie and Holly Near traveled and performed with Pet Seeger and Arlo Guthrie.
One of the primary themes is the importance of women and the link to music. As Ronnie says: “That’s what the women’s movement was about for me: poetry, music, and passion. The message? The best message, the only message: Love yourself, your friend, and your lover. If possible, love your enemy. If not, walk away and love something else.”
Enjoyable as memoir, this is an amazing history of the women’s movement and women’s music that blossomed in the late 1970s and 80s. Ronnie’s passion is clear as she remembers people, events, and songs, and uses all to tell the story of her trailblazing life. I know several people who would love reading this: one is a lifelong activist, with no musical talent (or interest, actually); one is a musician who will devour the stories of singers and songwriters and the challenges they faced, often due to their activism; and a couple are women with a deep interest in women’s history. I am grateful to NetGalley for providing me with this copy in advance, in order to write a review. I can’t wait to see the final product, which will include tons of photos!
I admit I knew her only as a singer, someone who had originally performed with the Weavers starting in the 1940s. She was one of the founding members (along with Pete Seeger) and went on to perform with Holly Near (who wrote the forward) in the 80s and 90s. Frankly, I was not aware of the amazing life she led, with other careers including actor, playwright, and therapist. In this book, Ronnie shares her memories, bringing the incredible social issues she was involved in alive using song lyrics and personal stories. Along the way, she reveals the various things that defined her life: folk music in the 50s and 60s (featuring Pete Seeger), the Cold War blacklist that cost so many artists their ability to work, primal therapy, the women’s movement and lift-wing political activism.
The daughter of immigrants from Ukraine and Poland, Ronnie came by her activism naturally: at around age 10, her mother (a garment worker, union activist and member of the Communist Party) took her to a union rally where Ronnie hear Paul Robeson sing (she later called this event “transformative”).
The Weavers broke up in the mid-60s, and Ronnie focused energy on the theater, followed by becoming involved as a therapist after receiving her degree in Psychology in the 1970s. In 1980, a reunion performance of the Weavers took place, and later Ronnie and Holly Near traveled and performed with Pet Seeger and Arlo Guthrie.
One of the primary themes is the importance of women and the link to music. As Ronnie says: “That’s what the women’s movement was about for me: poetry, music, and passion. The message? The best message, the only message: Love yourself, your friend, and your lover. If possible, love your enemy. If not, walk away and love something else.”
Enjoyable as memoir, this is an amazing history of the women’s movement and women’s music that blossomed in the late 1970s and 80s. Ronnie’s passion is clear as she remembers people, events, and songs, and uses all to tell the story of her trailblazing life. I know several people who would love reading this: one is a lifelong activist, with no musical talent (or interest, actually); one is a musician who will devour the stories of singers and songwriters and the challenges they faced, often due to their activism; and a couple are women with a deep interest in women’s history. I am grateful to NetGalley for providing me with this copy in advance, in order to write a review. I can’t wait to see the final product, which will include tons of photos!
May 25, 2020
Ronnie Gilbert is best known as the gutsy, girl singer of the Weavers, the singing group that brought folk music into the living rooms and hearts of Americans during the early 1950s. Along with her fellow Weavers, she suffered and survived blacklisting during the McCarthy period and went on to have successful careers as a singer, actress and therapist.
This memoir charts her growth from her Jewish-Socialist childhood in the poor neighborhoods of New York. It is most interesting when she’s describing her hard-scrabble childhood and her years singing with the Weavers. Later it gets confusing because she shifted careers and identities frequently, yet lacked the ability to make these choices coherent and compelling in print. To give one example: Her transition from straight to lesbian seemed to happen with the ease of flipping a light switch. I find it hard to believe that a transition that fundamental didn’t cause more angst or soul searching or experimentation.
She commits the cardinal sin of writing: telling instead of showing. For example, she describes Toshi Seeger as the organizing principal in Pete Seeger’s life, but she never shows how this worked. Speaking of Pete Seeger, I wondered what working with him would be like. Did Gilbert, an admirer of glittering gowns and luxury hotels, ever quail when confronted with that moral alarm clock, the relentlessly virtuous Pete Seeger? Did the preaching of Pete and Lee Hayes ever cause a bit of guilt or a secret desire to indulge in caviar sandwiches washed down with gallons of Dom Perignon?
She worked with some of the greatest talents of the folk music, experimental theatre and experimental psychology worlds for several generations, but reading these memoirs gives me little insight on what working with Peter Brook or Pete Seeger or Uta Hagan or Holly Near was like. She was a therapist, but she never explained what exactly she did to help her patients. No juicy case studies a lá The Fifty Minute Hour here!
To sum up, this was an enjoyable, somewhat superficial look at brilliant and multi-faceted career.
This memoir charts her growth from her Jewish-Socialist childhood in the poor neighborhoods of New York. It is most interesting when she’s describing her hard-scrabble childhood and her years singing with the Weavers. Later it gets confusing because she shifted careers and identities frequently, yet lacked the ability to make these choices coherent and compelling in print. To give one example: Her transition from straight to lesbian seemed to happen with the ease of flipping a light switch. I find it hard to believe that a transition that fundamental didn’t cause more angst or soul searching or experimentation.
She commits the cardinal sin of writing: telling instead of showing. For example, she describes Toshi Seeger as the organizing principal in Pete Seeger’s life, but she never shows how this worked. Speaking of Pete Seeger, I wondered what working with him would be like. Did Gilbert, an admirer of glittering gowns and luxury hotels, ever quail when confronted with that moral alarm clock, the relentlessly virtuous Pete Seeger? Did the preaching of Pete and Lee Hayes ever cause a bit of guilt or a secret desire to indulge in caviar sandwiches washed down with gallons of Dom Perignon?
She worked with some of the greatest talents of the folk music, experimental theatre and experimental psychology worlds for several generations, but reading these memoirs gives me little insight on what working with Peter Brook or Pete Seeger or Uta Hagan or Holly Near was like. She was a therapist, but she never explained what exactly she did to help her patients. No juicy case studies a lá The Fifty Minute Hour here!
To sum up, this was an enjoyable, somewhat superficial look at brilliant and multi-faceted career.
June 23, 2017
To say Ronnie's book is inspiring is an understatement! In her youth Ronnie gifted the world with her talent as part of The Weavers. In her later years she gave the world the gift of new theatre performances and her career with Holly Near, and as her life was ending, she gifted us with her legacy anew in the pages of a most wonderful book. Her radical life in song will touch lives for generations to come.
May 12, 2025
This is a wonderful, heartfelt bio from a courageous, insightful woman-singer-activist-compassionate author whose life ran somewhat parallel to mind and inspired many, many moments along the way! I wish I had known her, we walked some of the same streets, sometimes at the same time and witnessed to what was happening along the way on our journeys towards an uncertain future.
September 14, 2015
[ I received this book free from the publisher through NetGalley. I thank them for their generousity. In exchange, I was simply asked to write an honest review, and post it. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising]
"A memoir isn’t a well-researched biography by a historian. It is a remembering fat with feelings."~ Holly Near, from the introduction
As an avid singer, and for over forty of my soon to be 59 years a lover of folk, politcal, anti-war and(radical) lesbian and womens' music, I was saddened to hear of the death this year of Ruth Alice Gilbert. Ronnie Gilbert was a lesbian singer of world renown in my eyes. I'd known she'd been part of the "hootanany movement" when I was really young, and sort if knew about The Weavers through reading about "that Pete Seeger fellow" my parents would shake their heads about. However, it would take many years before I learned just who she was and how she was still so active...and in my eyes, so old!
Born in New York in 1926 to radical parents, Ronnie was brought up as a self proclaimed "red diaper baby". Culturally Jewish, she claimed atheism as her religion when asked. Not the best student, she dropped out to get a job after her mother, divorced from her father, wasn't able to work. She'd later return and get her diploma.
A skilled traveler most of her life, she became part of the newly formed folk group The Weavers with Pete Seeger, Lee Hayes and Fred Hellerman. The Weavers were instrumental in (re) introducing folk and traditional music to a post-war US, but their radical choices did nothing to keep them off the radar of McCarthy. The Weavers were short lived.
Music and theater were Ronnie's passions. Married, and divorced, she and her daughter traveled and learned, as Lisa divided her time between parents. Ronnie went on and became a therapist. But music was always there. She had a solo career, and acted for a while. Then, she began to connect with the Womens' Movement, and the type of political folk songs that came with it. She toured with Holly Near for years ( Holly wrote the Introduction of this book), and that lead to a 22 year love with Donna Korones. Active until almost the end, the final chapters of the memoir talk about being a radical activist with a walker!
"We’re still here Choosing songs over fear With walkers and canes we are standing And we’re still here."- from the song "We're Still Here" by Holly Near from the album Peace Becomes You
One of the greatest things about this book is that it's a memoir: first person recollections from a radical, spirted, feisty lesbian whose never been afraid to speak her mind. The history in this book is priceless. The music timeless. She's never given up to go with the crowd, hasn't cared that she stands out, and lived her life true to her passion.
"A memoir isn’t a well-researched biography by a historian. It is a remembering fat with feelings."~ Holly Near, from the introduction
As an avid singer, and for over forty of my soon to be 59 years a lover of folk, politcal, anti-war and(radical) lesbian and womens' music, I was saddened to hear of the death this year of Ruth Alice Gilbert. Ronnie Gilbert was a lesbian singer of world renown in my eyes. I'd known she'd been part of the "hootanany movement" when I was really young, and sort if knew about The Weavers through reading about "that Pete Seeger fellow" my parents would shake their heads about. However, it would take many years before I learned just who she was and how she was still so active...and in my eyes, so old!
Born in New York in 1926 to radical parents, Ronnie was brought up as a self proclaimed "red diaper baby". Culturally Jewish, she claimed atheism as her religion when asked. Not the best student, she dropped out to get a job after her mother, divorced from her father, wasn't able to work. She'd later return and get her diploma.
A skilled traveler most of her life, she became part of the newly formed folk group The Weavers with Pete Seeger, Lee Hayes and Fred Hellerman. The Weavers were instrumental in (re) introducing folk and traditional music to a post-war US, but their radical choices did nothing to keep them off the radar of McCarthy. The Weavers were short lived.
Music and theater were Ronnie's passions. Married, and divorced, she and her daughter traveled and learned, as Lisa divided her time between parents. Ronnie went on and became a therapist. But music was always there. She had a solo career, and acted for a while. Then, she began to connect with the Womens' Movement, and the type of political folk songs that came with it. She toured with Holly Near for years ( Holly wrote the Introduction of this book), and that lead to a 22 year love with Donna Korones. Active until almost the end, the final chapters of the memoir talk about being a radical activist with a walker!
"We’re still here Choosing songs over fear With walkers and canes we are standing And we’re still here."- from the song "We're Still Here" by Holly Near from the album Peace Becomes You
One of the greatest things about this book is that it's a memoir: first person recollections from a radical, spirted, feisty lesbian whose never been afraid to speak her mind. The history in this book is priceless. The music timeless. She's never given up to go with the crowd, hasn't cared that she stands out, and lived her life true to her passion.
September 7, 2015
For those of us who thought that Ronnie Gilbert was JUST part of the legendary Weavers, this autobiography in an eye opener. Far from just being part of the Weavers, Ronnie Gilbert’s life has been a series of stepping stones, leading to new adventures in the arts and living.
She was part of the early protest song movement before the Weavers, and then came the Weavers, a group that burst on the music scene in the early 50s, only to be hurt by the McCarthy scare of the 50s – one of the dark periods in American history.
Yet her life didn’t end with the disbanding of the Weavers; instead, she
became an actress and knew and worked with many of the famous directors and playwrights of the era.
She became a Primal Scream therapist out of her own need for help and renewal; lived in worked in British Columbia for a number of years, before returning to a more activist life.
Her activist life, begun with her mother’s devotion to social justice, is till not over – this is an amazing revelation for me, and demonstrates just how one can lead the active, socially conscious life well into old age.
She was part of the early protest song movement before the Weavers, and then came the Weavers, a group that burst on the music scene in the early 50s, only to be hurt by the McCarthy scare of the 50s – one of the dark periods in American history.
Yet her life didn’t end with the disbanding of the Weavers; instead, she
became an actress and knew and worked with many of the famous directors and playwrights of the era.
She became a Primal Scream therapist out of her own need for help and renewal; lived in worked in British Columbia for a number of years, before returning to a more activist life.
Her activist life, begun with her mother’s devotion to social justice, is till not over – this is an amazing revelation for me, and demonstrates just how one can lead the active, socially conscious life well into old age.
August 11, 2016
Book received through Goodreads Giveaways. I have no clue what took me so long to get this book read. I can't blame the college classes since I've read so many other books. I actually really enjoyed it, and will definitely read it again. I grew up listening to the Weavers since my parents were fans of the music. So I was thrilled to get this book through Goodreads. Everyone who likes Folk music knows who Pete Seeger was, almost as many could tell you about Lee Hays. Ronnie Gilbert seemed to be pushed to the background, at least to me. This book gives you more insight into what lead to her decisions to join the group, what happened with her life during and after the "Red Scare" of the 50's to what she did up to her death last year. It is a great musician's biography, and a look back at our parents and grandparents time that because it's not that long ago we think we know everything about.
April 19, 2016
I grew up knowing Ronnie Gilbert as just a member of the folk group The Weavers. Little did I know that she lead such a rich, amazing life. Ronnie's memoirs are an engaging read detailing her struggles growing up through The Great Depression, surviving McCarthy's Communist hunt, and learning to grow, thrive, and excel in life. Ronnie Gilbert was a brilliant woman with more facets than one can imagine, and I think that everyone should know about this woman who was so very much more than "just a folk singer".
February 20, 2016
I am a huge Weaver's fan. I grew up on their music and have read books about everyone,but Fred.
I enjoyed this memoir, but felt it was somehow not enough. Perhaps it was just too short for such a incredibly rich life. I felt like it just didn't somehow capture the vibrant woman that I saw singing. It was flat in a way that her voice never was. Possibly her death meant it didn't have revisions that would have added the dynamic quality.
I enjoyed this memoir, but felt it was somehow not enough. Perhaps it was just too short for such a incredibly rich life. I felt like it just didn't somehow capture the vibrant woman that I saw singing. It was flat in a way that her voice never was. Possibly her death meant it didn't have revisions that would have added the dynamic quality.
April 6, 2017
This was a wonderful book to read. Lots of new information about this remarkable woman and her various lives and careers. I wish she had spent a little less time on details in the 70s and a lot more on the 80s and 90s. I wanted more about the tours with HARP and less about the cabin in the woods. Still, so many interesting things in a life filled to the brim with challenge to authority and the radical seeking of new experience and ideas, oh, and the music!
June 8, 2016
This book was about a free spirit who was a founding member of The Weavers. Ronnie Gilbert did things her way her entire life whether it be singing in a group being hounded by HUAC, acting in plays that were original and different, writing a play about the famous coal mine organizer Mother Jones or finding a woman partner late in life. She did it all.
June 14, 2016
I'm not sure this book has much to offer if you're not already a fan. I can't actually tell if she finished the book, or if this is what she had written before she died. But I was happy to read it and learn more about her.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews