Morgan Freeman: A Biography

by Kathleen Tracy

Just one look into Morgan Freeman's eyes and it is apparent that this is a man who has lived a full, sometimes hard, life. To better appreciate his achievements and successes, this book will equally show the triumphs and the struggles and failures he has overcome in his colorful life through an assortment of personal accounts and entertaining anecdotes.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

193 pages, Hardcover

First published June 25, 2006

Reviews

[Guo Hui · Rating 4 out of 5]

After watching all of Morgan Freeman's movies, i knew that for sure he was my favorite actor beyond the age of 50. This man is absolutely true and wise because of he views life. Not only does his narrations show this deep, soulful voice, his personality and mindset is even more profound. This man's experiences during his childhood are also very fun to read about. In this biography however, it's just a bunch of quotes slapped together in a book. I feel that if there was a book to be written about such a man, there needs to be time and effort into making it. Morgan Freeman as a person is very interesting and probably makes an amazing grandfather. Although this book doesn't fully explain and showcase the significance and genius of this man, it's still worth reading. I recommend this biography to anyone who loves Morgan Freeman.

[Barry Hammond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another entry in the Barricade Books Legends series this isn't the detailed academic tome that its subject deserves but a quickie biography meant to fill a gap. Mostly based on other newspaper and magazine interviews it gives some background and substance to a figure who doesn't talk much about himself. In that, it's a valuable read and will do until someone writes a better researched volume that is deserved by his achievement. A stop-gap but an interesting one. - BH.

[Edith Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have been reading this book for a few weeks but couldn’t seem to get into the story like other biographies I’ve read. Have decided to not finish it as it feels like a challenge to keep going. Expected more story rather. Than lots of quotes.

[Will · Rating 1 out of 5]

I expected an actual biography about the man but this is not that at all. Kathleen Tracy seems to have gathered info from various sources and compiled them in a book that she calls a biography. It is more like a timeline of events about Morgan Freeman then a peek into his life and how he feels and thinks. There is nothing about his relationships with family and friends that I expect from a well written biography, which this is not.
I will be on the lookout for an actual biography about Mr Freeman as I don't think an autobiography will be forthcoming.

[Adam Cormier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morgan Freeman is an extremely private man. This book details his start as an actor, including theatre work and his experiences as being one the first black male actors to have success in Hollywood. The book tends to focus more on his work in film and theatre projects than on his personal life, I got the impression that it was hard sharing information for him, which I can respect.

The book does a great job of relaying the challenges he faced as he attempted to break into the Hollywood acting scene. He was, and is to this day, one of the premier black male actors to have longevity in movies (others being Denzel Washington, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Fishburne, etc).
I only wish that he would have been more comfortable opening up and sharing more of his personal life, but a good read nonetheless.

[Dr. Jonny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good book about one of the best narrators that I have ever heard. It talks about how even a person as famous as him have hardships in his life. However there is one thing that is strange about the book. It has a few grammatical and spelling errors in the part that I read and it seems like that shouldn't happen. So either there is no editor or there was no checking after the book was done. It also seems like it repeats a lot of quotes. Other than those it talks about his life and how he prepared for his roles when he wasn't narrating.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morgan Freeman is one of my favorite actors, and overall this book was pretty good, which is why I gave it 4 stars. It tells of how he approaches a character, but what was more fun was the back stories of some of the movies he played in. However, either the author or editor did not do their jobs because there's too many grammatical/spelling errors in the book. I'm noticing this more and more in books, and I have to wonder if there are any editors anymore.

[Karen Okamoto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the biography of Morgan Freeman. He comes across very similar to how he was presented by Kathleen Tracy in the book.
He is an honest, thoughtful man, that is a good father, and grandfather model for us all. His attitude toward himself was humble and worthy of admiration. Definitely something I recommend reading.

[Wellington · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Morgan Freeman even more after reading this book.

However, this is what i would call a formula book. The author mainly just cobbled together quotes from other sources. There are at least a couple quotes used twice in the book. Wonder if that was intentional?

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great topic, I thought the authors writing style and how the book was put together was lacking. I would have learned more about person and less quotes. This is like some movies not a money maker, it was poorly written and put together.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed discovering more about Morgan Freeman's life and philosophies, but felt this book was a bit thrown together, with quotes rather than how I'd like an autobiography to flow.

[Beth Kong · Rating 2 out of 5]

would have like more personal stories from Mr. Freeman or close family/friends. Felt it had a lot of quoted reviews of his performances.

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Morgan Freeman is an award winning actor but this book does not measure up. The pages are filled with quotes, some duplicated, to be presented as a biography. I have seen a few of his movies but I looked forward to reading about his life that prepared him fir the movies and afterwards.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked up because I've always admired Morgan Freeman and now that I've watched his series "The Story of God," I really wanted to know more about his life. Book was OK but not great -- a lot of it focused on why he chose/declined certain roles, and what it was like trying to make it as a black actor. Yes, that's his story -- but it missed a lot of other details. At one point, it discussed his son playing a minor role in a movie, and I had no idea he even had a son!

Because I am a professional proofreader, I found the typos and large number of grammatical errors to be a big distraction. Some of them were so blatant/basic fixes it almost seemed as though no one bothered to even read through the book before printing. This book is a decade old -- maybe they'll come out with an update someday.

[Michelle Tremblay Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved it. I have always been a fan of Mr. Freeman and his book is just like he appears to be. Look forward to the next installment of his career.

[Jared]

before you read this, I want you to know that when ever you read something by Morgan freeman, you have to read it in a Morgan freeman voice. I liked reading about someone soothing and reading in his voice just makes you tired. just think about his voice makes you tired. I am already feeling sleepy. anyways I liked reading about his life and how he became who he is today and it was truly a great book and would recomend.