4 minute read
Book Reviews
By The Staff of The Undefeated, ESPN HMH (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) 2019 • 96 pages • $17.99
Profile by Melanie Maxwell
Featured on “The View” as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration Jan. 20, 2020, this book is “a collection of dreamers, doers, noisy geniuses and quiet innovators, record breakers and symbols of pride and aspiration,” according to Kevin Merida, editor in chief, The Undefeated, ESPN. However, “It’s not a list of the Greatest Black Americans of All Time or the Most Influential Blacks in History. Or even the Dopest Brothers and Sisters Who Matter Most This Week,” Merida writes in the book’s preface. “It is a list––fervently debated among the staff of The Undefeated, a list chiseled and refined––of 44 blacks who shook up the world, or at least their corner of it.” While admitting that this is not a complete list of “jaw-dropping black achievers,” this book is an homage to the 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama, who was the first African American to hold this office. Those “achievers” featured include Quincy Jones, Sidney Poitier, Jay-Z, Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou. And, “From Frederick Douglass to Oprah Winfrey to Barack Obama, we hope this collection inspires you to learn more about the incredible contributions black Americans have made to our country,” Merida concludes.
For more information, visit https://theundefeated.com.
By Elton John Henry Holt & Co. 2019 • 384 pages • $30
Reviewed by Darcy Peters
Elton John has penned an enjoyable look at his amazing life. His autobiography covers decades of the remarkable career that this multiple Grammy-winning legend and flamboyant superstar has created. Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in 1947 to a working-class family, he was an only child of an unhappy couple. His parents eventually divorced, but John was left with basically no relationship with his father and endlessly troubled tangles with his mother. Blessed with the ability to quickly mimic any tune he heard, John developed his love of music. When he discovered rock ’n’ roll, he became obsessed. He played with small groups and made the rounds, attempting to get gigs. After another of his many rejections, he was given the name of a song lyric writer, Bernie Taupin. Their partnership became one of the most enduring and successful in musical history. “Bernie writes the words, gives them to me, I read them, play a chord and something else takes over, something comes through my fingers,” John writes in the book. After a slightly successful first album, John was advised to go to America, where he began performing with wilder and wilder costumes. Following successful gigs at the Troubadour, he was overwhelmed by the number of his idols and celebrities he was meeting. He also began his first serious relationship with John Reid, who eventually became his manager. John was always worried about his sexuality being made more public, and when The Sun newspaper outed him, the reaction was much less than he had feared. John name-drops aplenty from his days in Hollywood during the ’70s and ’80s. He shares anecdotes from Bob Dylan to Brian Wilson, and his own collisions with substance abuse. When he was introduced to cocaine, John jumped right in and spent years using the drug. After many years, John’s addiction to cocaine, and later to alcohol, landed him in rehab. He has remained clean and sober for nearly three decades. A key theme in recovery is service to others, which has sparked his multitude of philanthropic interests. After meeting with Elizabeth Taylor, John was inspired by her AIDS advocacy, and he created the Elton John Aids Foundation, which has generated millions of dollars for the cause. His Oscars after-party has become not only a Hollywood tradition, but also a major fundraiser for his foundation. And, he counts himself lucky that he did not contract the disease. John’s turbulent personal life changed when he met and fell in love with David Furnish. The couple cemented their commitment with a civil ceremony in 2005, and, when same-sex marriages became legal in Britain in 2014, they wed. The couple wanted children, and, after much red tape and time, they successfully had two sons together through a surrogate––Zachary, now 8, and Elijah, 6. John and Furnish’s extended “family” circle included many world-famous celebrities. They were both great friends with Gianni Versace, and they were devastated when he was murdered. John’s close friendship with Princess Diana ended with her death. In tribute to her, Taupin changed the lyrics of “Candle in the Wind,” to include an homage to the popular princess of Wales. John performed the rewritten version of that song, the biggest-selling single of all time (which sold more than 33 million copies), at her funeral in 1997. A new challenge came to John with a request from Disney to write songs for an animated film, “The Lion King.” He had not yet written for a film, and he wrote these songs with lyricist Tim Rice. The movie and the music became a massive hit, giving John some of his highest sales. This entertaining autobiography is full of stories written in self-deprecating and sarcastic terms describing the public and private life of celebrity icon Sir Elton Hercules John.
