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The Literature File -
Etta James (with David Ritz) - Rage To Survive
Autobiographies can be a hit and miss affair, especially when they're co-written with a jobbing author, no matter how good that writer is. I've never been a particularly big fan of a lot of Ritz' other work - "Divided Soul" (Marvin Gaye) and, particularly, "Brother Ray" (Ray Charles) were OK, but I was disapppointed with the B.B. King bio, preferring the earlier Charles Sawyer effort. This, however, is worth your money, but then you'd have to work hard to screw up a life this interesting!
This is a personal testament to one woman's struggle to survive. Etta doesn't seem to leave much out, but she's largely non-judgemental, both about her own failings and those of others. She tells of her own demons and how self-doubt and her heroin addiction threatened to destroy her, but she never descends into self-pity. There are numerous stories about those she has known and worked with, including Johnny Otis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke, Aretha, Ray Charles, Esther Phillips and Bo Diddley.
I did read one critique expressing disappointment about the lack of personal insight that might explain the rationale for the paths taken and decisions made. I think that misjudges the autobiography as a medium - that kind of analysis is often missing in any self examination (how good are any of us at consistently reading our own motives accurately) and is usually more acutely observed in a biographical treatment. This book should be read on its own terms, as a candid, graphic but entertaining chronicle of a great singer's triumphs and tragedies.
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