Celia: My Life: An Autobiography

by Celia Cruz

"My name is Ursula Hilaria Celia Caridad Cruz Alfonso. I am the daughter of Catalina Alfonso, who everyone knew as " ollita" and Simon Cruz....

Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography, Music, Biography, Spanish Literature, Memoir

260 pages, Hardcover

First published July 6, 2004

Reviews

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

No te aflijas, chico, ¡vive tu vida con sabor!
Celia Cruz

Desde niña he escuchado la música de la reina de la Salsa, Celia Cruz. Celia nació y se crio en Cuba, pero en realidad ella pertenecía a todos los latinos y el mundo. La Guarachera del mundo (como también se le conocía) tenía una voz fenomenal, una pasión, una humildad y un carisma fuera de este mundo. Celia fue una intérprete magnífica que siempre le dio todo a su público. A lo largo de su prolífica carrera, grabó más de 50 álbumes, ganó 7 premios Grammy y recibió una estrella en el Paseo de la fama de Hollywood. La inspiración de leer su autobiografía llego después de ver la serie Celia (en español) en Netflix. Originalmente empecé a leer el libro en inglés, pero no podía "escuchar" la auténtica voz de Celia hasta que empecé a leer el libro en español. Ahí si me pude imaginar a Celia al lado mío relatándome toda su vida. Unas de mis partes favoritas fue su anécdota sobre cómo nació su famosa frase azúcar. Celia: Mi Vida, está llena de historietas sobre su vida desde Cuba hasta los Estados Unidos. La autobiografía incluye una gran parte sobre su comienzo musical en Cuba, su tiempo con La Sonora Matancera, el amor de su vida, Pedro, y también sobre su doloroso exilio de Cuba. La autobiografía está bien escrita y llena del humor y cache inigualable de la Guarachera de Cuba. El libro también incluye un paquetón de fotos de la trayectoria de su vida. Celia colaboro con muchísimos artistas de diferentes géneros y del mundo entero. Su voz y música siempre inspirará e invitará a las futuras generaciones a celebrar y atesorar los ritmos palpitantes de la música latina. Celia Cruz fue y será siempre un orgullo latino y no cabe duda que su música vivirá para siempre. ¡Azúcaaar!

My Takeaway

Since I was a kid I listened to the music of the Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz. Celia was born and raised in Cuba, but she belonged to all Latinos and the world. La Guarachera of the world (as she was also known) not only possessed a captivating singing voice, but was full of passion, humbleness, and incredible charisma. Throughout her prolific career, she recorded over 50 albums, won 7 Grammy awards and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I was inspired to read her autobiography after watching the series Celia (in Spanish) on Netflix. Celia: My Life, is full of vignettes of her musical life from Cuba to the United States. I originally began reading her autobiography in English, but I couldn't "hear" Celia's voice and switched to the Spanish version. Much better!! I felt as if Celia was right next to me narrating me her life. One of my favorite parts was the anecdote of how her famous phrase, azúcar came to life. The autobiography was written during the last few months of her life and includes her humble musical beginnings in Cuba, her time with La Sonora Matancera, the love of her life, Pedro, and her painful exile from Cuba. The autobiography is well written and full of Celia's unique wit and humor. The book also includes a whole lotta of photos of her musical trajectory. Celia collaborated with diverse artists of various genres and from all over the world. No doubt Celia Cruz was and will always be the Queen of Salsa and a source of Latino pride. I believe her voice and music will continue to inspire future generations to celebrate and appreciate the pulsating rhythms of Latin music. Azúcar!!!

[She's Always Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celia Cruz: My Life- Book Review
Written By Colette Byfield


Once in a while a truly memorable celebrity biography is written and this is one of them. Published in 2004, a year after the death of Celia Cruz, this story bursts with all of the conviviality and energy as if Ms. Cruz were speaking directly to me.

I had heard of Celia Cruz, but was not at all familiar with her music or her impact on salsa music as we know it today. I would venture to say that there may not be any salsa music if not for Ms. Cruz’ particularly singing and dance style, overflowing with pure joy and mixed with the strong blend of Spanish, i.e. Afro-Cuban emotion.

The book is well written, especially for a translation. Ms. Cruz admits that her English was never very good however translator/co-writer Ana Hernandez successfully conveys the thoughts of this highly expressive Cuban artist into a very readable and emotive narrative that feels much more like a personal conversation over Cuban coffee.

Many celebrity biographies are little more than thinly veiled attempts to explain away some scandalous behavior and assuage the public while maintaining their own reputations. While Ms. Cruz does take time to explain many personal successes and failures, particularly breaks with her music companies, the reader doesn’t feel as if she’s explaining or dodging, just telling her side of it, with that classic Celia smile.

I wish more autobiographies were part of required reading because as great personalities like Celia Cruz pass away, they are not replaced. Their experiences and thoughts are not merely personal, but historical and ought to be part of any decent curriculum. Of particular interest are Celia’s vivid memories of her life in Cuba, pre and post Castro. Needless to say there was no love lost between those two and several painful memories detailed by Celia, fully explain why.

Any music lover should have this as part of their collection since a detailed music anthology is included. Celia fans should know that this work inspired me to find her music and numerous concert appearances on YouTube, so her music lives on as new fans, like me become aware of her considerable talent.

Celia Cruz-My Life is not just a book, it’s a novella, a walk through time, a front row seat, a story of love and courage and amazing grace. She hides nothing. All of her emotions come through loud and clear, including her own amazement at her incredible career and subsequent influence upon other artists.

This is one of my few 5 star reviews because her book is complete where others lack. Technically perfect, with no typos, wonderful editing that expertly condenses a long and illustrious career into a perfectly sized book, and a fluidity that moves and engages the reader from the first page.

After reading this book, you will feel the bitter disappointment that such a great talent Celia Cruz is no longer among us followed by the peace of that she has left us an even more amazing legacy; Celia Cruz - My Life.

[a · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a beautiful soul, this book taught me so much about her. I'm so happy to have grown up listening to her music.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was one of the few individuals that visited the Freedom Tower in Miami, waiting for hours in line to pay tribute to the Queen of Salsa and it is incredible that it is going to be 20 years since Celia Cruz has passed away. It feels like it was yesterday because the Queen has always been in my life and the amount of coincidences that I have with Celia Cruz makes it feel a bit eerie but nevertheless important to recognize what an iconic figure she was as a musician and as a Cuban fighting for her country’s freedom.

I was invited to attend a concert celebrating Celia Cruz’s music and they had Lucrecia and La India performing which was a magical night between La India’s powerhouse vocals and uniting the audience with Celia Cruz’s music that forever will live in our hearts and soul. It dawn on me that as much as I know about Celia Cruz’s life, it is very superficial since there’s so many stories that have become Cuban folklore in regards to her life story. It made me want to read a biography about her and when searching for a book, I came across this autobiography that I am surprised not a lot of people have talked about this enough especially Cubans!

Before Celia Cruz passed away, she recorded hours upon hours about her life and through these tapes they transcribed into and fit it into a book. I want to give the warning that if you want a full scope of her life, I recommend reading elsewhere because while this is her autobiography, it is more sharing her memories and thoughts while still maintaining a veil as to who is Celia Cruz and her life. She did not like sharing her life to any journalist and in this format it helps her control the narrative of her life and dispel any rumors and flat-out lies that has been perpetuated in the gossip media.

Overall I enjoyed the book, it help connect a ton of the missing information that I did not know about or rather has been glossed over in my lifetime that provided clarification like how she left Cuba and why Fidel Castro and his regime refused to allow her to ever return to Cuba particularly that she could not attend the funeral of her parents and family members which is devastating and showcase the trauma and struggles that Cuban exiles faced before the 21st century.

My sole complaint about the book is sometimes she would go off course and pay homages to friends, family, and musicians who have passed away and would take a few pages to get back to the topic of her life. At first it was random but then it became a persistent occurrence throughout the book and while I am not one to dictate how someone should tell their life story, it definitely pulls the reader out like for example, when she is talking about fleeing Cuba to Mexico, at one point when discussing the stress and anxiety of deciding to go to Mexico, she goes on a random tangent paying tribute to a friend that doesn’t add any nuance to the background information about fleeing from Cuba that it makes you wonder why was this added to the book at this particular moment in the narrative?

While her manager and husband writes at the end of the book, it doesn’t give clarification whether Celia Cruz knew that she was going to die (and remain in denial about it) or if they withheld that information from her which is what they did with Celia Cruz’s mother with her cancer diagnosis. Most Cubans think that she died from breast cancer but it was actually a brain tumor that was growing and the operation to remove it was not a success as the tumor kept growing. It doesn’t change the outcome but the way the book ends with her own words give the impression that she did not know and that she was looking forward to going on tour again with her new album. In the end it was wonderful revisiting a familiar face of my childhood and Celia Cruz will always be the Queen of Salsa and what a honor it is to be a Cuban that can cherish her and for the world to worship her music and legacy.

[Sistermagpie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew basically nothing about Celia Cruz before reading this book. She sounds like a great woman to work with. It's an autobiography where the author's voice comes through loud and clear. Some of my favorite passages were the ones where she would give her opinions on certain questions. For instance, whether the word salsa is appropriate or insulting as a term for a sort of pan-Latin music. Celia sounds like both an artist and a businesswoman, explaining that it's a marketing term and that young people who wouldn't come to hear traditional Latin music would show up for salsa. But it was still really interesting to hear about all the different styles of music from different places.

Of course her strongest opinions are reserved for Fidel Castro, who drove her from her country as a young woman and made it impossible for her to return. She's kind of a living rebuke to the man, beloved all over the world without having to force anyone to do it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1957, Celia Cruz sang with Josephine Baker in Venezuela. Baker had trouble with the rowdy crowds of "Coney Island," Caracas.

In 2000, Celia wore a blue wig to the Grammys and, after winning, she partied all night with Jennifer Lopez before catching a 7 am flight to her next tour date, still in the blue wig.

In between she sang everywhere and met everyone. Does she reveal the "real" Celia? I don't know, she spent her entire life singing, so I think you just have to listen to her to hear that.

[Isabella Moreno · Rating 5 out of 5]

An almost, most would have, canceled interview with journalist Ana Cristina Reymondo, Celia's recent undisclosed health concerns, and the encouragement of those in Celia's circle led to hundreds of hours of recorded conversations between Reymondo and Cruz; previously unplanned, never on La Reina de Salsa's To-Do list, perhaps even the furthest from her mind....it's all here in this absolute gem of a book.

Celia "was allowed to pass into this world" in 1925. The initial interview took place in the Fall of 2002 and was published in January 2003. July 16, 2003 Celia transitioned. The recorded conversations for this book took place in the few precious months as Celia was navigating potentially life threatening disease and treatments, and one can imagine, thoughts of mortality. This knowledge, this timeline, sheds a special light on the words of the book: 1) it is truly a miracle we have Celia's retelling and 2) she was retelling, reliving & reflecting knowing that she might might be "on the threshold of death". The book was published in 2004. As the book was coming to an end, and I plotted out the timeline outlined above, I was overcome by just how rare of an accounting I was witnessing.

The book reads like a conversation, like an elder holding a captivated audience who hang onto her every last word. And then what, we'd ask, but we wonder since we are reading. I was not able to put the book down, and each time I did, longed to return to it. I would love for the audiobook version, to hear Celia's voice...wow.

I learned about: Cuba, the exile experience, the relationship between Cuba (& Cubanos) and Mexico, Salsa and Mexico, the birth of Salsa, Salsa and the WORLD, to name just some. I was allowed to witness love and loss and yearning and gratitude - of mother, family, homeland, adopted homeland, friends, community. I approached the book with the unconscious assumption that I knew so much. I walked away realizing I began the book with knowledge the size of a grain of rice. I kept my phone nearby googling something, somebody every few pages, leading me to click more, read more, learn more, returning to Celia's words with a deeper contextual understanding of who what when where...maybe, sometimes, perhaps some why's.

So often we are forced to imagine, to guess, to wish, or depend on others' interpretations (or fabrications)...not this time. You may not agree with everything. You may have questions. You may find yourself scratching your head wondering, de veras? But here we have Celia's recollection of Celia's life, and that's exactly how chapter 1 begins, "...I decided to tell my story in my own words...Who better to tell my story than the woman who actually lived it, right?"

[Court · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been wanting to read this book for at least a year. I've had access to the audiobook during that time however I haven't been able to find a physical copy or text file anywhere. Last year I did not feel confident enough to be able to listen to an entire audiobook in Spanish without having major difficulty, so I procrastinated on even trying. I'm glad that I finally got around to trying. I had zero difficulty with it, and quite honestly probably would have succeeded in listening to this last year had I tried. Enough about me, though...

Celia: Mi Vida is based on hundreds of hours that Celia did in the months prior to her death. In these interviews, she touched on many, many things. She touched on growing up in Cuba, her friends and family, religion, politics, the love she found while chasing her dreams and so on.

I didn't go into this book knowing a lot about Celia. I had a lot to learn and was eager to do so. On one hand, I feel like I learned a lot about what she was passionate about. I learned a lot about what made her happy, what made her sad as well as what made her tick. On the other hand, I left wondering if there were more things that I could've learned about her.

Something that made me a bit sad was how it seemed like Celia judged young women and girls who got taken advantage of by men who had power in the entertainment industry. It's not always there but throughout the book there are quite a few moments that leave a "I'm not like those other girls" kind of energy. To be fair, Celia wasn't like many of the women she mentioned, but I wonder why it was so important for her to stress that so much.

Some of her POVs on religion and colorism confused me as she seemed very confident in her beliefs, but the beliefs she held were conflicting in nature.

All that said, this book was created in the early 2000s and that must be taken into account. Many parts of our cultures have remained the same while many other parts of our cultures have changed. Oh, and how could we forget... She recorded hundreds of hours of interviews in the months prior to her death! As she dealt with worsening health problems, she stayed focused in wishing to share her story in her words for many to read. I think that having done that was very thoughtful and generous of her.

Celia rocked many people's worlds, and that is being proven decades after her death where people are still singing and dancing to her music and wanting to learn everything that there is to learn about her.

This book is an excellent choice for those wishing to learn more about Celia from Celia herself.

¡Azúcar!

[Marion Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a music lover, there are some songs you hear and immediately make you want to dance. Even if you cannot dance, the song commands you to move your body to the beat. The Queen of Salsa (La Reina de la Salsa), Celia Cruz, has many songs that fit the prior description. Every time, I hear La Vida Es Un Carnival or the modern classic, Quimbara, dancing ensues. I have listened to those songs many times over the years, but I knew little about Celia’s music on the whole.

A couple of years ago, I found a copy of Celia’s autobiography, Celia: My Life, for a dollar and snap it up. It has been sitting on my bookshelf for a while and I finally read it. Celia told her life story growing up in pre-Castro Cuba until her last days in 2003, where she had reached the status as the “Queen of Salsa.” Celia described her success and longevity in these words:

The secret doesn’t lie in being fashionable or in prancing around half-naked. Although I have always been very cutting-edge and I have used many styles of music in my repertoire. I don’t adapt myself to a specific style of music just because it’s in vogue. The secret lies in the way you treat your audience. You have to promise to give them the best of your God-given talent.

That’s wisdom from a legend. The book highlighted like her work with the famed Cuban band La Sonora Matancera, the collaborations with the great (one of my absolute favorites) Tito Puente & the incredible Johnny Pacheco, and how she evolved as music tastes changed. Celia talked about her family, especially her parents and Tia Ana. She described her life being a Cuban exile and strong feelings toward Fidel Castro. Also, how she came to use azucar! (sugar) in her performances. Through it all, Celia survived until the end and reading this autobiography opened my eyes to a world I did not have any knowledge of.

It surprised me to learn how many exiled Cuban musicians emigrated to Mexico during the time she was rising to prominence and the connection between the two countries. Of course, they have a shared language, but Celia spoke fondly of the Mexican people and had deep roots with our southern neighbor.

In closing, I’m so glad that I finally read the Queen of Salsa’s autobiography. It gave me a little more insight into the magic of Cruz’s music and her connection to the Spanish-speaking world. Also, she is an American success story as well, and she belongs in the same musical neighborhood as Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, & Billie Holiday. Celia: My Life is a must for her fans and I hope a link with others to learn about this incredible and unique talent.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Celia Cruz and had the good fortune to see her perform live 4 times. She exuded energy and joy in each performance. While I liked getting to read about Celia's feelings and opinions, the rating was lowered because her co-author (and really the one who should have corralled the reminisces into a cohesive narrative) was not up to the task. To me, it seems as if Ana Cristina Reymundo simply recorded Celia's words and transcribed the tapes with little or no editing or sprucing up Celia's stories into a cohesive book. In one paragraph, Celia is relaying the death of her nephew at age 23 and the next paragraph talks about a concert or award with no appropriate segue into a lighter subject (this is just one example, but the one that stood out most for me).

There are plenty of wonderful pictures. I think the reader gets a sense of Celia's love for life and music and her good-heartedness along with her strong faith, but Reymundo just did not do a good job of editing or writing up Celia's story. The epilogue by Omer Pardillo-Cid and the thanks written by Celia's husband, Pedro Knight, were much more eloquent than the entire book of Celia's reminisces. Anyone who understands Spanish could have transcribed Celia's story the way Ms. Reymundo did so in this book. It's a shame because such a wonderful musical icon deserves better.

[Lisandra Garcia]

Este libro lo encontré por casualidad en casa de mi mamá. Lo leí por pura curiosidad, no sabia si me fuese a gustar o no una historia biográfica, pero algo en mi insistía en que lo leyera. Y me alegro de haberlo leído. Aprendí mucho sobre Cuba y el origen de la salsa. Tuve un vistazo a lo que era la vida de una artista tan grande como lo fue ella y los inconvenientes que trae dicha responsabilidad. Muchas de sus experiencias como ser humano (no como estrella de la música) me hicieron identificarme con ella, mientras que muchas otras veces solo podía seguir leyendo con admiración su forma de ver la vida.

Sin embargo, el epilogo me toco el corazón. El duelo es duro y confuso. Algo que puedo entender genuinamente. La narrativa de Omer durante esos últimos momentos con ese ser querido me recordó mucho a mi propia experiencia. De haber leído el libro en años anteriores, este no hubiera tenido el impacto que tuvo ahora para mi. A pesar de ser un libro de hacen varios años, este era el momento para mi de leerlo.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Celia's, I think this book will interest you. Her strength, faith, and dedication to the freedom of her fellow Cuban exiles shines through in this book. The way that she put her craft first and carried herself with dignity and grace is reflected in her writing. If you're looking for a salacious celebrity autobiography, look elsewhere. However, if you have been inspired by Celia's music and want to more information about her career, her faith, and cute anecdotes of her family life and marriage, this is for you.

[Elly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book 💕 Celia Cruz is beautiful!

[Licha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a riveting read charting the course of Celia Cruz's life from a poor barrio in Havana (where she was was so poor she began singing so she could win prizes of food) to a penthouse in New York City. There are many touching and funny moments that Celia relates through the voice of her ghostwriter Ana Cristina Reymundo. Probably the one I laughed the loudest over is when Tito Puente sent her a book in the mail simply addressed to Celia Cruz, New York City and it was actually delivered to her! There's also the time she willingly filled in for a scantily clad dancer, but realized at the last minute that she was too embarrassed to go on.

The saddest part of the book is when she went on tour and after the plane left Cuban airspace the director of the Sonora Matancera orchestra she sang with announced they would not be returning. The biggest sorrow of her life was the death of her mother Ollita from cancer and how the Cuban government refused to let Celia attend her death bed. It began her lifelong hatred of Fidel Castro.

Whether you are the biggest fan of Celia Cruz in the world or you've never heard of her, this book will probably entertain you.

[Jose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que Triste Me hace, Pero Que Feliz tambien porque Celia Era Una/es Persona Tan Linda, Una Voz Lindisama. Que Libro. In Paz Descanse Celia mi Negrita Cubana Y La Reina.

How sad it makes me, Yet How Happy also, Because Celia Was/Is A Beautiful Person, So Beautiful, Beautiful Voice. Great Book, Rest in Peace Celia My
Cuban Queen.. Highly Recommend this book. I have it in spanish.

Makes Me Feel proud to be of Cuban Parents and Family.

[Jase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring, vivacious re-telling of a great lived fully and passionately. A fantastic read about an intriguing and beguiling woman and entertainer who loved her Cuba as well as her new home in the United States dearly, and lived her life with faith, rhythm, and kindness.

[Eleazar Valdez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una tristeza que Celia no haya podido a regresar a su amada Cuba, su historia aunque en diferentes circunstancias es un reflejo de los 11 millones de indocumentados que viven en los EE.UU, una biografía digna de leer.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my blog post on it:

http://gypsylibrarian.blogspot.com/20...

[Carlina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celia Cruz was and is still so very inspiring. It is so amazing how successful she became as the queen of salsa in such a male dominated world and time.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely narrator, interesting stories, good stuff.

[Sharonbrown · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved this -- if you are a fan of older (b&w) musicals, you will recognize this amazing lady.

[Bryan Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight to this talented performers life! A must read. It was fun readingabout this great artists. Easy read.

[Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her own words and very well told. She had a great life. Her story is worth reading and she deserves all the love given to her. Wonderful example of love.