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Title: Toni Tennille

Subtitle: A Memoir

Author: Toni Tennille, Caroline Tennille St. Clair

Narrator: Toni Tennille

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-01-16

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 517 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Since bursting onto the scene in the mid '70s, the pop duo Captain and Tennille have long defined the sparkling, optimistic idea of everlasting love, both in their music and through their image as a happy and, seemingly, unbreakable couple. They were an irresistible pair to millions of fans all over the world, further underscored by the rousing "yes, we can!" gospel of their biggest hit, "Love Will Keep Us Together". But underneath the image was an entirely different story that the fans never saw: a woman who fought a lonely struggle against the controlling and often bizarre behavior of her emotionally inaccessible husband.

Toni Tennille: A Memoir is a visceral account of Toni Tennille's life from her childhood in the segregated South to her thrilling rise to fame in the world of pop music to where she is now: no longer one-half of a famed couple but a stronger woman for all she has experienced - both the good and the bad. Toni hopes that her story will help anyone who feels trapped in a toxic relationship realize that it is never too late to break away from it.

Critic Reviews:

"Thick with a Southern affect, [Tennille's] narration is as candid and raw as it is warmly honest. Her voicing, not surprisingly, is excellent and moving." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Loved it for several reasons

I chose to listen to this book because I came from a very difficult marriage with someone who I believe never loved me even though I tried and tried. I thought I could get some closer listening to Toni's story. And I did!! But I also enjoyed hearing about her childhood and career! Toni is an amazingly talented and strong woman. I throughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to fans and survivors of strenuous marriages and relationships. I'm so glad she is happy now, just like me!!

A Most Excellent and Authentic Read!

If you could sum up Toni Tennille in three words, what would they be?

Loving, Compassionate, and Long-Suffering

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ms. Tennille (Toni) is my favorite character. This is her Memoir. She speaks unabashedly about her family and life's journey. She has been able to convey the reasons her marriage ended with ex-husband (Daryl Dragon) without "throwing him under the bus." Of course, she speaks about her entire life's journey, so reading the Memoir and/or listening to it on audible is a must! She is a classy lady and seems to want to connect with her fans. This sets her a part from the average celebrity and places her in the exceptional category!

What about Toni Tennilles performance did you like?

I feel like she is speaking personally to me as she tells her story. She conveys her life's journey in a way that invites the reader to want to know her.

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Title: You're Better than Me

Subtitle: A Memoir

Author: Bonnie McFarlane

Narrator: Bonnie McFarlane, Alexander Cendese

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-23-16

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 227 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

In the spirit of Mindy Kaling, Kelly Oxford, and Sarah Silverman, a compulsively listenable and outrageously funny memoir of growing up as a fish out of water, finding your voice, and embracing your inner crazy person from popular actress, writer, and comedian Bonnie McFarlane.

It took Bonnie McFarlane a lot of time, effort, and tequila to get to where she is today. Before she starred on Last Comic Standing and directed her own films, she was an inappropriately loud tomboy growing up on her parents' farm in Cold Lake, Canada, wetting her pants during standardized tests, and killing chickens. Desperate to find "her people" - like-minded souls who wouldn't judge her because she was honest, ruthless, and, okay, sometimes really rude - Bonnie turned to comedy.

In her explosively funny and no-holds-barred memoir, Bonnie tells it like it is and lays bare all of her smart (and not-so-smart) decisions along her way to finding her friends and her comedic voice. From fistfights in elementary school to riding motorcycles to the World Famous Comic Strip to Late Night with David Letterman and through to her infamous C word bit on Last Comic Standing, You're Better than Me is her funny and outrageous trip through the good, bad, and ugly of her life in comedy. McFarlane doesn't always keep her mouth shut when she should, but at least she makes people laugh. And that's all that matters, right?

Members Reviews:

love Bonnie was great to hear her story.

I wanted to go back in time and be her friend. It's always nice to have a friend like her in your life. Your a good egg Bonnie. thanks for the "dick" jokes and the dick jokes. Good things to you and all in your life. Jason Meyers

Sandy!!! She wrote a book...it's crazy, a book!!!

First off, love Bonnie. From her Stand up to her podcast and radio show hilarious and miserable all the way. Overall the book was great typical comedian memoir with a bit of nonsense thrown in at the end. Felt the audio version could of used a better performance though. I'm so used to hearing this talented woman go through her myriad of voices and inflections on her various shows that the flat reading of this left a bit to be desired. Rambling on in your own words for eight plus hours can be tedious and I'm sure some hack producer encouraged it to be this way but I'm sure it's way better than a marbled mouthed Legend would of done.

LOL'd a bunch

This book came recommended to me by a stand up comic friend, and I absolutely laughed out loud at this book more than any other book I can ever recall. Def some moments of racially insensitive comments, but beyond that, she's a wacky lady with a funny autobiography.

New favorite!

I absolutely love this book. And I'm so glad I got it as an audiobook where I got to hear Bonnie read it. Her narration adds to the story. Very funny, but it also inspired me. She works her butt off and has faced circumstances that would make most give up. She isn't preachy and doesn't brag. She just tells it as it is from a perspective of someone who is used to obstacles. Now when I deal with difficulty, I just think "Bonnie did it and she grew up without running water, so I got this".

wonderful and addictive.

the only part I didn't like was hearing her talk about letting her agent choke. I hope she was kidding.

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Title: Sing to Me

Subtitle: My Story of Making Music, Finding Magic, and Searching for Who's Next

Author: LA Reid

Narrator: Dion Graham

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-02-16

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 418 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Legendary music producer LA Reid - the man behind artists such as Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Kanye West, Rihanna, TLC, Outkast, Pink, Justin Bieber, and Usher - changed the music business forever. Now he tells his story, taking fans on an intimate tour of his life.

Sing to Me is a fascinating journey from Reid's small-town R&B roots in Cincinnati, Ohio, and his work as a drummer to his fame as a Grammy Award-winning music producer and his gig as a judge on the hit reality show The X Factor. Reid takes listeners behind the scenes of the music industry, charting his rise to fame and sharing stories of the countless singers he's met, nurtured, and molded into stars.

Part music memoir, part inspirational business guide, Sing to Me is full of Reid's trademark passion and ingenuity and introduces a multifaceted genius who continues to shape pop culture today.

Members Reviews:

Wow!! What a journey!!!

This was some story people. I gotta thank L.A. for sharing with us his journey. This was the most inspirational 'book I've listened to' in years. I never knew the depth in which he was involved in the music game. I've followed him since the late 80's but only knew of him as the drummer in The Deele who was down with Babyface as a production team. Now I have a better understanding and appreciation for L.A. What bugged me out was learning about the 4 songs Anita Baker turned down. She HAS to be somewhere beating herself monthly like Lynn Whitfield in 'Thin Line' after the massive success those records had. There were so many "oh sh!+" & "really?" moments - all making for one excellent biography. Very educational also. Thanks L.A. I will be listening to this story again. The narrator was excellent. Not one dull moment. He was superb in articulating the story. L.A. - I can't thank you enough for putting this out.

Very engaging! I couldn't stop listening.

I've listen to so many books about record executives as well as artists and musicians. This book is very well done. The narrator is excellent and adds a lot of energy to the book. The story itself is interesting and inspiring. I highly recommend.

If you love music , you should buy this book.

If you love music, you should buy this book. I hope baby comes out with a book too.

This is a good book

I'm impressed about the gradual build of material this book is definitely a must read. It helps me to understand my favorite music much more

Excellent

I loved this book! While getting to know more about music mogul LA Reid, I was also treated to a lesson in music. Not only did I learn the back story on many of my favorite songs, but I was also exposed to a few different bands and singers that I had not previously heard. You'll want to listen to this one from start to finish and will think about it when you aren't listening.

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Title: The Year of Lear

Subtitle: Shakespeare in 1606

Author: James Shapiro

Narrator: Robert Fass

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-26-16

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 98 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

In the years leading up to 1606, since the death of Queen Elizabeth and the arrival in England of her successor, King James of Scotland, Shakespeare's great productivity had ebbed, and it may have seemed to some that his prolific genius was a thing of the past. But that year, at age 42, he found his footing again, finishing a play he had begun the previous autumn - King Lear - then writing two other great tragedies, Macbeth and Antony and Cleopatra.

The Year of Lear sheds light on these three great tragedies by placing them in the context of their times while also allowing us greater insight into how Shakespeare was personally touched by such events as a terrible outbreak of plague and growing religious divisions. For anyone interested in Shakespeare, this is an indispensable book.

Critic Reviews:

"[Shapiro's] well-written, scholarly exploration will stand as an influential work that is a joy to read." (

Kirkus Starred Review)

"With a voice of gentle authority and a good command of historic detail and literary deconstruction, Audie-winning narrator Robert Fass takes the listener on a fascinating tour of a pivotal time in William Shakespeare's life and career.... The American-accented Fass leaves aside classic theatrical rhythms and delivers the many passages of the Bard with a conversational clarity that is much appreciated." (

AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Detailed and satisfying

Shapiro takes another journey through a year in Shakespeare's life, this time documenting the world surrounding the creation of the plays "King Lear," "Macbeth," and "Antony and Cleopatra." Elizabeth is dead, James is on the throne, and the Lord Chamberlain's Men are now the King's Men, complete with the scarlet livery they're required to wear on ceremonial occasions.

Shapiro is good at describing the political and religious currents: James wants to unite England and Scotland. A group of Catholics plot to blow up the king and Parliament and place the king's daughter on the throne. James takes up the "popish" practice of curing the King's Evil. King Christian of Denmark visits and drinks everyone under the table. Fellow playwrights are imprisoned for making fun of the Scots. A distant relative of Shakespeare's is hanged, drawn, and quartered; and his own daughter Susanna is fined for avoiding Anglican services.

It would be nice if somehow a more intimate picture of Shakespeare himself came into focus from this mass of detail, but he remains elusive. Shapiro insists he's not trying to recover Shakespeare's private life; at this point no one can. What we CAN recover is some of the zeitgeist, the issues that caused people sleepless nights, the bits and pieces of daily life, news from home and abroad; and see how these bits show up in the plays. Conclusions can at times be made about Shakespeare's artistic goals and methods: Shapiro provides an excellent guide to the differences between the two versions of "Lear" and what they may signify. But we still don't know whether Shakepeare loved his wife, or whether he preferred his beef medium rare or well done.

The narrative is detailed and at times - during the description of the Gunpowder Plot, for example - it moves forward at breakneck speed.

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Título: Jorge Luis Borges: Más allá del tiempo y la eternidad [Jorge Luis Borges: Beyond Time and Eternity]

Autor: Online Studio Productions

Narrador: uncredited

Formato: Unabridged

Duración: 36 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 12-18-15

Editor: Online Studio Productions

Calificaciones: 4 de 5 de 17 votos

Categorías: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Resumen del editor:

La singular vida de uno de los escritores más destacados de la literatura del siglo XX. Dueño de una grandiosa imaginación, Borges expuso su mundo interior a lo largo de sus obras, las cuales constituyen un gran aporte a la literatura y al pensamiento humano. Su exigente educación, su temprano amor por las letras, su prolífica producción literaria y su genialidad creativa hicieron de él un artista e intelectual incomparable.

Please note: This audiobook is in Spanish.

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Title: Truman Capote and the Legacy of In Cold Blood

Author: Ralph F. Voss

Narrator: Ellery Truesdell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-15

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

Ralph F. Voss examines Capote and In Cold Blood from many perspectives, not only as the crowning achievement of Capote's career, but also as a story in itself, focusing on Capote's artfully composed text, his extravagant claims for it as reportage, and its larger status in American popular culture.

Voss argues that Capote's publication of In Cold Blood in 1966 forever transcended his reputation as a first-rate stylist but second-rate writer of "Southern gothic" fiction; that In Cold Blood actually is a gothic novel, a sophisticated culmination of Capote's artistic development and interest in lurid regionalism, but one that nonetheless eclipsed him both personally and artistically. He also explores Capote's famous claim that he created a genre called the "nonfiction novel", and its status as a foundational work of "true crime" writing as practiced by authors ranging from Tom Wolfe and Norman Mailer to James Ellroy, Joe McGinniss, and John Berendt.

Critic Reviews:

"The most useful volume yet written on this remarkable cultural intersection of American literary genius and real-life prairie horror.

Truman Capote and the Legacy of 'In Cold Blood' is the best companion volume imaginable for Capote's astonishing book." (

Kansas History)

"A riveting, finely written psychological/literary analysis, combined with meticulous historical research." (Claudia Durst Johnson, author

Understanding To Kill A Mockingbird)

"The book is especially well written... an entertaining view of the subject and a thorough review of the materials." (Norman Sims, author of

True Stories: A Century of Literary Journalism and

Literary Journalism in the Twentieth Century)

Members Reviews:

BORING.

Narrator was OK bit you can't make a purse out of a sow's ear. Nothing new, mind numbing boredom. How did this monstrosity even get published? Bleh...

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Title: Psychedelic Bubble Gum

Subtitle: Boyce & Hart, the Monkees, and Turning Mayhem into Miracles

Author: Bobby Hart

Narrator: Bobby Hart, Micky Dolenz

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-19-15

Publisher: Bobby Hart and Glenn Ballantyne

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

From the man who wrote the songs that outsold the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in 1967, comes the story of the first decades of his life in Hollywood and New York. Immerse yourself in Grammy, Golden Globe, and Academy Award nominated songwriter Bobby Hart's world as he shares the story behind his success; from humble beginnings comes a musical goliath. Psychedelic Bubble Gum is an exclusive glimpse into Hart's personal journey as he moves on the fast track to fame. This vivid narrative follows Hart's gradual rise in the music industry as half of the duo Boyce and Hart, as he and his friend and partner Tommy Boyce wrote the songs that launched the Monkees to stardom, and eventually reaching over 100 million in sales. Along the way is all the heartbreak and drama that accompanies fame and fortune - an uprooted life, conflicted morals, and the sacrifice of his wholesome high school sweetheart Becky. With unbending sincerity, Hart details a life of extravagance, betrayal, loss, disillusionment, and an unstoppable personal struggle to find spiritual balance, peace, and love. Psychedelic Bubble Gum is a roller coaster ride through the 1960s and 1970s during America's whirlwind era of free speech, mysticism, and psychedelic pop culture - and, of course, rock and roll. Packed with intimate behind-the-scenes encounters with pop star royalty, Psychedelic Bubble Gum is tempered by humor, honesty, and a singular understanding of the industry.

Members Reviews:

A fun and surprisingly powerful book

Bobby Hart delivers an amazing account of his life and career filled with laughter, wonder, miracles and amazement.

I got so much more from this book than I ever imagined. Thank you for opening up and sharing your truly remarkable life.

It was ok

Expected more about the Monkees. The book wasn't as in depth as I was hoping but still enjoyed overall. If not a fan of sixties rock and roll the book might be boring.

Great first half! Sort of...

I read all of these rock 'n' roll era biographies. This was an interesting read. Or listen I should say. I would say overall it was bland with some interesting points during the 60s during the height of their careers in the monkees era.

The last hour or so really got stale and he pretty much just wants to sell the reader on his way of life and religion of yoga. It was like a two hour movie drawn out for three hours.

The narration was read by the author, he reads it well although he sounds like he has a mint in his mouth and takes a lot of deep breaths.

I would say skip the book and watch the documentary.

Have Bobby Hart read you his life story!

Would you listen to Psychedelic Bubble Gum again? Why?

I enjoy listening to different chapters over and over because the story is so interesting. It's always amazing to hear a story like this from the author himself.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Since this is an autobiography, the favorite character has to be Bobby Hart. The story begins when he is young and basically clueless about the music business, and we get to follow along with his ups and downs. Bobby is a real person who has done amazing things.

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Title: Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll

Subtitle: How One Man Discovered Howlin' Wolf, Ike Turner, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis Presley, and How His Tiny Label, Sun Records of Memphis, Revolutionized the World!

Author: Peter Guralnick

Narrator: Kevin Stillwell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 29 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-10-15

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 139 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

The author of the critically acclaimed Elvis Presley biography Last Train to Memphis brings us the life of Sam Phillips, the visionary genius who singlehandedly steered the revolutionary path of Sun Records.

The music that he shaped in his tiny Memphis studio with artists as diverse as Elvis Presley, Ike Turner, Howlin' Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash, introduced a sound that had never been heard before. He brought forth a singular mix of black and white voices passionately proclaiming the vitality of the American vernacular tradition while at the same time declaring, once and for all, a new, integrated musical day. With extensive interviews and firsthand personal observations extending over a 25-year period with Phillips, along with wide-ranging interviews with nearly all the legendary Sun Records artists, Guralnick gives us an ardent, unrestrained portrait of an American original as compelling in his own right as Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, or Thomas Edison.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

Critic Reviews:

"Peter Guralnick's two-volume life of Elvis Aron Presley is not simply the finest rock-and-roll biography ever written. It must be ranked among the most ambitious and crucial biographical undertakings yet devoted to a major American figure of the second half of the 20th century." (Gerald Marzorati, New York Times Book Review)

"Guralnick casts a penetrating eye into the darkness.... He makes all other music historians look like skimmers." (Michael Corcoran, Austin American-Statesman)

"A triumph of biographical art...profound and moving.... Even the minor revelations are positively spellbinding.... Mr. Guralnick's narrative is rendered with an intimate, restrained intensity eerily reminiscent of the plaintive tone of Presley's ballads, that tremulous yearning of America itself." (Stephen Wright, New York Times Book Review)

Members Reviews:

Good Rockin' Tonight!

This is the book on Sam Phillips, Sun Records, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and on and on that I've been waiting for. I spent a credit for this one and I would've spent a hundred.

Peter Guralnick is best known for his two bios on Elvis Presley--which are incredible reads on the rise (what goes up) and fall (must come down) of the '50s rock 'n' roll legend. Get em.

But also get this one. In fact, get this one first. As Guralnick writes in the author intro, he was invested in the Elvis and the Sam Cooke books, but he was personally involved in the Sam Phillips bio because he knew the producer for 25 years. All Sam asked Guralnick to do when writing his life's story was to "tell the truth."

And it's a remarkable truth and remarkably well told. Sam Phillips opened a recording studio in Memphis at just the right moment, in 1950, right before the rock 'n' roll explosion. He grew up in the South with ears that heard genius blues musicians where others' eyes only saw black men and women.

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Title: The Last Love Song

Subtitle: A Biography of Joan Didion

Author: Tracy Daugherty

Narrator: Bernadette Dunne

Format: Unabridged

Length: 26 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-30-15

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 22 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

In The Last Love Song, Tracy Daugherty, the critically acclaimed author of Hiding Man (a New York Times Notable book) and Just One Catch, delves deep into the life of distinguished American author and journalist Joan Didion in this, the first biography published about her life. Joan Didion lived a life in the public and private eye with her late husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, whom she met while the two were working in New York City, when Didion was at Vogue and Dunne was writing for Time. They became wildly successful writing partners when they moved to Los Angeles and cowrote screenplays and adaptations together. Didion is well known for her literary journalistic style in both fiction and nonfiction. Some of her most notable work includes Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Run River, and The Year of Magical Thinking, a National Book Award winner shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize. Daugherty takes listeners on a journey back through time, following a young Didion in Sacramento through to her adult life as a writer. Daugherty interviews those who know and knew her personally while maintaining a respectful distance from the reclusive literary great. The Last Love Song reads like fiction; lifelong fans and listeners learning about Didion for the first time will be enthralled with this impressive tribute.

Members Reviews:

Riveted for 1591 miles

I started reading the hardcover edition while I was in Florida but did not have enough time to finish it before driving north for the summer. The audiobook held my attention for the entire 1500+ miles. I have been a fan of Didion since Play It As It Lays and was especially touched by The Year of Magical Thinking; this Daugherty biography provides rich context for all the Didion works that were like signposts in my life.

Pitch perfect biography

Forget the naysayers. This marvelous biography perfectly captures Didion and her time. Bernadette Dunne's voice is pitch perfect. Leaves you thirsting to re-read Didion and the Dunne's.

Joan Deserves More

The book wastes too much time summarizing not just her books but her husband's and brother-in-law's books. If someone is reading a biography about a writer they're already familiar with their work. I wanted more about her life. And there were entire sections of the book lifted so directly from Dominick Dunne's Vanity Fair articles that I'm curious if the print book is mostly footnotes.

Loving Didion

I have always loved reading Joan Didions books,

. Listening to this bio was of course the next step. I think Tracy Daugherty wrote an unique Didionest type bio. I loved hearing it. A must for Didion fans.

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Title: Why Sinatra Matters

Subtitle: Anniversary Edition

Author: Pete Hamill

Narrator: Joe Knezevich

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-20-15

Publisher: Hachette Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Artists, Writers, & Musicians

Publisher's Summary:

In honor of Sinatra's 100th birthday, Pete Hamill's classic tribute returns with a new introduction by the author.

In this unique homage to an American icon, journalist and award-winning author Pete Hamill evokes the essence of Sinatra - examining his art and his legend from the inside, as only a friend of many years could do. Shaped by Prohibition, the Depression, and war, Francis Albert Sinatra became the troubadour of urban loneliness. With his songs he enabled millions of others to tell their own stories, providing an entire generation with a sense of tradition and pride belonging distinctly to them.

With a new introduction by Hamill, this is a rich and touching portrait that lingers like a beautiful song.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

Critic Reviews:

"Hamill's illuminations are considerable without ever stooping to facile psychologizing.... He does a better job of placing Sinatra's saga in a social and political context than any of his biographers have.... Why Sinatra Matters is most valuable in its explication of how Sinatra came to formulate a musical style that was a sound track to urban American life." (Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer)

"A graceful reminiscence of Sinatra after hours serves as the frame for shrewd reflections on the singer's art, his personality, his audience, and - most interesting - his ethnicity, a subject about which Hamill, against all odds, contrives to say fresh and persuasive things." (Terry Teachout, New York Times Book Review)

"As succinct and laconically classy as its title." (Adam Woog, Seattle Times)

Members Reviews:

Yes, Sinatra matters

Sinatra matters for a lot of reasons that don't have anything to do with his singing. We know the short definition about Sinatra: Italian, tough-guy, singer, womanizer, etc. This book shows that Sinatra was much more than those tropes.

Pete Hamill is maybe the only writer we have who knows and loves the setting and times of Sinatra's career. Even so, he's not a gushing cheerleader. He is that most wonderful type of author we have - a true storyteller of true life.

Frank is/was the Man!

I love reading anything & everything about the Chairman. This book adds a number of personal stories about the man himself dealing with others on a more intimate level.

Good book to read

Excellent book by author who talked to Sinatra when Sinatra was older and talked among other things about growing up as things in the country were changing.

still relevant today

a very enjoyable summary of franks life including all of the long hard days while learning to sing. and of course a bit of mafia trivia . story of how poor immigrants used to make it..still relevant today

Five Stars

Great book by a terrific New York City based author.