And a Voice to Sing With by Joan BaezMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was one of the best biographies I have ever read – auto-bio, memoir or otherwise. It is the first book I have read in a very long time where once I had finished it, I felt eager to read it once again, straightaway. It was so well written, intriguing, exciting, poignant and of course quite lyrical in so many sections throughout. The narrative is often touching and captivating but when she recollects her harrowing moments, as an ambassador for non-violence and peace, there is a sense of doggedness despite any danger there may be towards her.
The first section of the book about Joan Baez’s family and schooling is particularly interesting when you learn some of the earlier influences that had an effect upon her attitude to the less fortunate people of the world. She was very close to her sisters, Pauline and Mimi; in awe of her father and very fond of her mother.
I have been a fan of Joan Baez for over 50 years and her rendition of ‘Plaisir d’amour’ has always been a particular favourite. It is not surprising to see how popular she has been since her first LP in the 1960s. And yet her involvement in politics and various protest movements has continued. She has known several Nobel Prize winners, including Lech Walesa and Martin Luther King. Her affair with Bob Dylan obviously left its mark and was compelling reading for me. Her love and self-doubts about motherhood are revealed to a small extent, with touches of obvious regret, but her love and devotion towards Gabe, her son, are heart-warming and unsurprisingly tender.
The edition of ‘And a Voice to Sing With’ I have recently read was published in 1988 and I am left wondering what Joan Baez thinks today about the state of the world of the 21st century.
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