Jewish Book Club discussion

Join us for our poll winner My Name is Barbra. The book is long so we will be reading over the course of two months. All are welcome to join in.

Brina wrote: "Join us for our poll winner My Name is Barbra. The book is long so we will be reading over the course of two months. All are welcome to join in."
Awesome! I loved this book :)

Lynne-
I did as well.
I got the audio after so I could her and some others sing.

I am very curious about this book even though in doubt about whether I'll be able to read it now. Let's see if I can check it out at the library... Yes, it looks like all the hard copies are on the shelf, but there's a longish queue for the audiobook (read by her!). I want to take a look at the book, so I can just get by there and pick it up! 🩷

I rated this a 4.0
My opinions of the book is very early and there are no spoilers.
I would guess everyone knows a little something about Barbra.
I wrote a different review a while ago, and again it disappeared into the clouds.
I would guess everyone knows a little something about Barbra, having read this or not.
What I learned years ago:
It so happens that my Dr. attended the same high school as Barbra in Brooklyn. He tells me that she and Neil Diamond used to sit on the school steps and sing during breaks as students congregated around them on a daily basis. How cool is that years later both became icons.

Barbra was raised in Brooklyn by her mother and her older brother. Her father died of a cerebral hemorrhage when Streisand was just 15 months old, leaving her with a mom who, she writes, "didn’t believe in affection". Streisand once asked her why she never said “I love you," and her mother said, “I didn’t have time.”
So... to adore this woman based only on her acting and voice is..yes, a normal judgement call.
And after reading her book; getting to know Barbra outside of her celeb persona truly impressed me. Learning of her values and morals from the past to the present are admirable, standing up for what she believes in and is very proud of of her Jewish upbringing. There is a clip on YouTube that she refers to in the book about performing in 1978 while calling Golda Meir from the stage. Pull that up if you can. Adorable.

Barbara will also tell you about the struggles in her life that molded her character.
Married to Elliot Gould in 1963, she has one son. Though she did not marry Jon Peters, she had a personal and business relationship from 1973 to 1982 and is the godmother to his two daughters. Barbra married the love of her life, James Brolin in 1998 and is the stepmother of James Brolin's three children.
Many knew before her book that Barbra has a fear of audiences. I looked up the details just to make sure I am accurate as I write this- evidently in 1967 she was performing in Central Park and forgot some lyrics of songs mid-stream which understandably turned into a severe form of stage fright. Curious how many performers use teleprompters these days.
So many people including those in her arena, felt the need to dis her about her nose she refused to fix. She writes.. “Sometimes it felt like my nose got more press than I did,” adding that she was compared to a hound, an amiable anteater and, much better, a Babylonian queen. “I wish I could say none of this affected me, but it did. Even after all these years, I’m still kind of hurt by the insults and can’t quite believe the praise. I guess when you become famous, you become public property … . I must say I’ve never gotten used to it.”

This is a very long book, but well worth it for me.
I additionally got the audio just to hear the songs.

Stacey B wrote: "I rated this a 4.0
My opinions of the book is very early and there are no spoilers.
I would guess everyone knows a little something about Barbra.
I wrote a different review a while ago, and again ..."

I listened to the audiobook and thought it was outstanding!!! (I listened at 1.40 speed because at 1, it was too slow.)

Liza wrote: "Stacey B wrote: "I rated this a 4.0
My opinions of the book is very early and there are no spoilers.
I would guess everyone knows a little something about Barbra.
I wrote a different review a whil..."

Who doesnt love Barbra. :)
Did you by chance pull up the YouTube video?
When I posted my review generally, someone asked me a question about too many details of "rooms" . I responded why (spoiler) -but that she has a "mall" in her basement.

FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE

Here is the Streisand video from 18 years ago.
2,528,187 views Sep 5, 2006
Streisand's conversation with Golda Meir during the 1978 network broadcast of The Stars Salute Israel at 30

https://youtu.be/8uPHaioopKM?si=C41g7...

Another of Barbra's first concert in Tel Aviv in 2011 celebrating
Israel's anniversary

https://youtu.be/aLB_mtoEZWY?si=b-gQ1...

Barbra and Neil Diamond
https://youtu.be/450Unsb5BCw?si=h2hB7...

Did any of these songs touch anyone's heartstrings besides mine?
Makes me extremely proud, yet so sad of the climate today.

I got My Name is Barbra out of the library the other day, to at least check it out. And it's good! I read the intro, the 1st chapter & halfway through the 2nd. She had me laughing twice in the introduction.

When she said she'd been fatherless I expected he'd run off or that her mother hadn't stuck with him. But he died suddenly, in his 30s! A medical emergency. (Not too much of a spoiler since on p. 8.) A brilliant man. We can see where some of her smarts came from.

It's really like she's talking to the reader. And I have the book, not the audio.

Thanks to my library for having it. Surprisingly, I don't think any of the hardbacks were checked out, but there's a queue for the electronic version(s) -- maybe the audio.

Looking forward to see how her determination and self-confidence developed...

I'm sorry that Goodreads no longer sends out notifications so I'm late! I have no library nearby and will probably buy the book but perhaps not in time to read it with the group.
But I wanted to say that I met Barbra many years ago, I guess in the late 1980s or early 1990s. My dad and stepmother worked for her and lived on her ranch in Malibu. On one of my visits, I visited the ranch and met her. I couldn't believe how tiny she was! She must be about 5 feet. And she was much prettier in person than on the screen. It was all quite a surprise.

I might have to read this after all.

Brina, I thought of you because on The Cooking Gene thread, you mentioned Nancy Drew. And Barbra also mentioned Nancy Drew. She said after she saw the movie Anna Karenina, she went straight to reading the book -- for her, a jump all the way from Nancy Drew! 😊

That is so funny. Well she’s “Funny Girl”, right 😉. I will read eventually just not now and yes Nancy Drew is about my brain power capacity at the moment. I did read Anna Karenina but not when home in bed for a week. That was a wonderful book.

Dvora wrote: "I'm sorry that Goodreads no longer sends out notifications so I'm late! I have no library nearby and will probably buy the book but perhaps not in time to read it with the group.
But I wanted to sa..."

Dvora, Im envious. Did she chat with you a bit? I would have never thought she was tiny.

I know, it was a shock. She's got such a tremendous voice and yet she's a little bitty thing.

Parenthetically (but maybe interestingly), here are some other famous short Jewish authors: Dr. Ruth Westheimer (just finished The Joy of Connections: 100 Ways to Beat Loneliness and Live a Happier and More Meaningful Life) and Martin Buber (just finished his bio Martin Buber: A Life of Faith and Dissent). But not with great voices, as far as I know! 😆

...It's hard to imagine these icons as small in stature given their impact on the culture.

Barbra writes she was made fun of because of her appearance, hard for me to imagine, but was recognized as the one with the good voice.

Wonder what led to her becoming "Barbra" instead of "Barbara?"

An email from Libro announced that My Name Is Barbra has won an Audie Award in the category of Autobiography/memoir AND is the Audiobook of the Year. Wow!

I had to stop with the book due to other reading demands but shouldn't forget about the audiobook.

Jan wrote: "An email from Libro announced that My Name Is Barbra has won an Audie Award in the category of Autobiography/memoir AND is the Audiobook of the Year. Wow!

I had to stop with the ..."

Jan, really, dont forget the audio for her voice and music. Its a treat. So happy you shared the info about her award. Wonder if she won an academy award for one of her movies. Maybe Funny Girl?
Did you watch the 30 second interview with Golda I posted?

Now I did! 😁 Thanks, Stacey.