I Never Walked Alone: The Autobiography of an American Singer
by Shirley Verrett, Christopher Brooks

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Book Reviews of I Never Walked Alone: The Autobiography of an American Singer

Book Review: Leaving us wanting more
Summary: 3 Stars

In many ways this is an admirable book. The (discreetly ghosted) prose is sober; Verrett talks pretty straight. She doesn't believe in emotive gush and doesn't get caught up in details of musical technique. She knows her value - in both artistic and monetary terms - but she is not afraid to admit the occasional mistakes she made in both her personal life and her career. She dishes a little dirt here and there (what would a celebrity biography be without some of that?), but there is no sense of scores being settled: she is rather setting the record straight. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that the chapters of her early years in New Orleans and California - she grew up the child of devout, but not unworldly Seventh Day Adventists - provided insights into a specific era and specific culture rather than merely cataloguing events.

Ultimately, however, I Never Walked Alone was not the satisfying experience I had hoped for. We are never quite taken into Verrett's confidence. We learn of major decisions, yet we do not discover how she arrived at them. The impression is not of a woman with something to hide, but of a woman who doesn't see why we have to know. Yes, a diva should always retain her air of mystery, but Verrett has the frustrating habit of endearingly letting down her guard in one paragraph, only to raise it again in the next. Her greatest vocal and dramatic performances exposed thrillingly raw nerves, but in her autobiography Verrett gives us only fleeting glimpses of the joys, tensions and conflicts that formed her as an artist and a human being.

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