Sammy: The Autobiography of Sammy Davis, Jr. Summary and Reviews

Sammy: The Autobiography of Sammy Davis, Jr.
by Sammy Davis, Burt Boyar, Jane Boyar

Sammy: The Autobiography of Sammy Davis, Jr.
List Price: $28.00
Our Price: $12.24
You Save: $15.76 (56%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.65 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Burt Boyar, Jane Boyar, Sammy Davis
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2000-12-08
ISBN: 0374293554
Number of pages: 480
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Book Reviews of Sammy: The Autobiography of Sammy Davis, Jr.

Book Review: Sammy: an autobiography of giant!
Summary: 2 Stars

I gladly give the life of Sammy Davis Jr. 5 stars, however, the Boyers have done this bright icon who came into their lives a disservice by simply expanding on Sammy's two previous autobiographies with more & longer details without any attempt to focus his memories or put order into the reading & that is why I give the book only 2 stars.

Sammy Davis Jr. rose from childhood stardom in vaudeville to become one of the most famous African-Americans of the 1950s & 1960s. At the same time his career, friends & lifestyle were surrounded by controversy & his experiences as a black performer in segregated America.

Of all the celebrities in the American star-studied panoply, Sammy Davis Jr., crossed over more lines. He converted to an unpopular religion; he had no fear of dating & marrying beautiful white women; he was close to the Kennedys & the Nixons; he was a member of Frank Sinatra's notorious Rat Pack & he played with alcohol & drugs. It's amusing to read his opinions of the two songs he liked the least as they became best-sellers - going platinum to his amazement.

I think an Index of his best-selling songs, his legendary Las Vegas performances, his world-wide concerts & his movies & television shows should have been included. Sammy Davis Jr., was also a spokesperson for his people & an Index of the movers & shakers of the Civil Rights Movement & the politicians of his time with whom he consulted & for whom he worked, is vital. There isn't even a curriculum vitae! Do check out my full review of this & other biographies.

Arts & Photography Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Famous Jewish Men
I'm Not Done Yet: Keeping at It, Remaining Relevant, and Having the Time of My Life ImageI'm Not Done Yet: Keeping at It, Remaining Relevant, and Having the Time of My Life
by Ed Koch, Daniel Paisner
Thorndike Press; Published: 2000-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.00
Price in other shops: $26.95
The Flawed Architect: Henry Kissinger and American Foreign Policy ImageThe Flawed Architect: Henry Kissinger and American Foreign Policy
by Jussi M. Hanhimaki
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2004-09-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.98
Price in other shops: $45.00
Private Parts ImagePrivate Parts
by Howard Stern
Pocket; Published: 1997-03-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $23.40
Timebends: A Life ImageTimebends: A Life
by Arthur Miller
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1995-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops: $20.00
Paul Simon ImagePaul Simon - Paul Simon
Release date: 2004-07-13; Music CD
Best price: $5.18
Price in other shops: $7.98
Leonard Bernstein - Reaching for the Note ImageLeonard Bernstein - Reaching for the Note
Release date: 1998-11-24; DVD
Best price: $66.26
Benny Goodman - Adventures in the Kingdom of Swing ImageBenny Goodman - Adventures in the Kingdom of Swing
Release date: 2000-11-07; DVD
Best price: $69.99
The Dreyfus Affair and the Crisis of French Manhood (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science) ImageThe Dreyfus Affair and the Crisis of French Manhood (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science)
by Christopher E. Forth
The Johns Hopkins University Press; Published: 2004-01-06; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $29.98
Price in other shops: $50.00
Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius ImageLudwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius
by Ray Monk
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1991-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.87
Price in other shops: $25.00
Ringmaster ImageRingmaster
RINGMASTER JERRY SPRINGER (DVD MOVIE); Release date: 1999-03-30; DVD
Best price: $4.28
Price in other shops: $14.98
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
The Sammy Davis, Jr. Reader ImageThe Sammy Davis, Jr. Reader
by Sammy Davis
Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Published: 2001-10-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.95
Price in other shops: $20.00
At the Cocoanut Grove ImageJr. Sammy Davis - At the Cocoanut Grove
Release date: 2001-06-19; Music CD
Best price: $9.72
Price in other shops: $13.96
The Best of Sammy Davis Jr.: Live ImageThe Best of Sammy Davis Jr.: Live
Release date: 2007-07-24; DVD
Best price: $5.98
Price in other shops: $11.98
The Definitive Collection ImageSammy Davis Jr. - The Definitive Collection
Release date: 2006-08-22; Music CD
Best price: $9.64
Price in other shops: $13.98
In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr ImageIn Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr
by Wil Haygood
Billboard Books; Published: 2005-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.99
Price in other shops: $19.95
Rat Pack Confidential: Frank, Dean, Sammy, Peter, Joey and the Last Great Show Biz Party ImageRat Pack Confidential: Frank, Dean, Sammy, Peter, Joey and the Last Great Show Biz Party
by Shawn Levy
Main Street Books; Published: 1999-07-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.94
Price in other shops: $15.95
Photo by Sammy Davis, Jr. ImagePhoto by Sammy Davis, Jr.
by Burt Boyar
HarperEntertainment; Published: 2007-02-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.50
Price in other shops: $49.95
Gonna Do Great Things: The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr. ImageGonna Do Great Things: The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr.
by Gary Fishgall
Scribner; Published: 2003-10-21; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $0.49
Price in other shops: $26.00
Why Me? The Sammy Davis, Jr. Story ImageWhy Me? The Sammy Davis, Jr. Story
by Sammy Davis Jr., Jane Boyar, Burt Boyar
Farrar Straus Giroux; Published: 1989-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops: $18.95
Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob ImageDeconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob
by Matt Birkbeck
Amistad; Published: 2008-09-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $8.43
Price in other shops: $25.95