“Harry Belafonte is not just one of the
greatest entertainers of our time; he has led one of the great American lives
of the last century. Now, this extraordinary icon tells us the story of that
life, giving us its full breadth, letting us share in the struggles, the
tragedies, and, most of all, the inspiring triumphs. Belafonte grew up,
poverty-ridden, in Harlem and Jamaica.
His mother was a complex woman—caring but withdrawn, eternally angry and rarely
satisfied. His father was distant and physically abusive. It was not an easy
life, but it instilled in young Harry the hard-nosed toughness of the city and
the resilient spirit of the Caribbean
lifestyle. It also gave him the drive to make good and channel his anger into
actions that were positive and life-affirming. His journey led to the U.S. Navy
during World War II, where he encountered an onslaught of racism but also fell
in love with the woman he eventually married. After the war he moved back to
Harlem, where he drifted between odd jobs until he saw his first stage play—and
found the life he wanted to lead. Theater opened up a whole new world, one that
was artistic and political and made him realize that not only did he have a
need to express himself, he had a lot to express. He began as an actor—and has
always thought of himself as such—but was quickly spotted in a musical, began a
tentative nightclub career, and soon was on a meteoric rise to become one of
the world’s most popular singers. Belafonte was never content to simply be an
entertainer, however. Even at enormous personal cost, he could not shy away from
activism. At first it was a question of personal dignity: breaking down racial
barriers that had never been broken before, achieving an enduring popularity
with both white and black audiences. Then his activism broadened to a lifelong,
passionate involvement at the heart of the civil rights movement and countless
other political and social causes. The sections on the rise of the civil rights
movement are perhaps the most moving in the book: his close friendship with
Martin Luther King, Jr.; his role as a conduit between Dr. King and the
Kennedys; his up-close involvement with the demonstrations and awareness of the
hatred and potential violence around him; his devastation at Dr. King’s death
and his continuing fight for what he believes is right. But My Song is far more
than the history of a movement. It is a very personal look at the people in
that movement and the world in which Belafonte has long moved. He has
befriended many beloved and important figures in both entertainment and
politics—Paul Robeson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Sidney Poitier, John F. Kennedy,
Marlon Brando, Robert Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro, Tony Bennett, Bill
Clinton—and writes about them with the same exceptional candor with which he
reveals himself on every page. This is a book that pulls no punches, and turns
both a loving and critical eye on our country’s cultural past. As both an
artist and an activist, Belafonte has touched countless lives. With My Song, he
has found yet another way to entertain and inspire us. It is an electrifying
memoir from a remarkable man.”
