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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
medium-paced
A very interesting look into the life and mind of Ray Charles, at least circa the mid-1970's. I had some trepidation because I barely got through the first 20 minutes or so of RAY, but this was much more fun and less biopic-y. The idea of a white ghostwriter speaking in Ray Charles' voice is a little shady for me, but David Ritz pulls it off.
An incredibly honest and mostly unapologetic summary of Ray's life and career in his own words. Nothing is hidden here and no element of Ray's life seems to be off the table: his mother, his school life, wives, the many many affairs, his absent parenting, drugs, family tragedies, blindness, racism, and of course the music, it's all covered in brother Ray's typical language and cadence (although he swears a lot more than I've ever heard in interviews).
A highlight for me was actually the final 2 chapters written entirely by David Ritz. He discusses how he got the job of co-writing the book (posting letters in braille) and the process: Many late night conversations over several months before sitting with Mr Charles and painstakingly going through the drafts together, line by line, until Ray was happy with everything. The benefits of this process are very clear when reading the book. It's as though Ray is sitting you down personally and telling you his story in his own way.
Sadly, Ray Charles was diagnosed with cancer many years after the first edition of this book was published. Ritz maintained his friendship with Ray during this time up until his death and the final chapter of this edition is heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure as we get verbatim conversations between Ritz and Charles as they discuss religion, illness, life, and death.
A highlight for me was actually the final 2 chapters written entirely by David Ritz. He discusses how he got the job of co-writing the book (posting letters in braille) and the process: Many late night conversations over several months before sitting with Mr Charles and painstakingly going through the drafts together, line by line, until Ray was happy with everything. The benefits of this process are very clear when reading the book. It's as though Ray is sitting you down personally and telling you his story in his own way.
Sadly, Ray Charles was diagnosed with cancer many years after the first edition of this book was published. Ritz maintained his friendship with Ray during this time up until his death and the final chapter of this edition is heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure as we get verbatim conversations between Ritz and Charles as they discuss religion, illness, life, and death.
This has the feel of an uncle who starts telling stories around the thanksgiving table and doesn't know when to stop. Starts out interesting, then it gets rambling and more unhinged as it goes. Some pretty misogynistic attitudes strewn throughout. I find it interesting for a "here's me looking back on my life" autobiography to be written in his 40s - I'd be curious if these stories would be told in the same way by him a few decades later.
emotional
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
This book was ridiculous. Ray Charles was a crazy guy and seems willing to say almost anything in this account of his life. Very enjoyable read.
I got halfway before deciding his nonchalance about permiscuity and extramarital affairs was not worth any more of my time.
emotional
informative
slow-paced
A truly enjoyable autobiography. I ate it up. You can really hear Ray Charles' voice throughout, mercurial and bold as brass. It doesn't hurt that his life was truly remarkable, a genuine rags-to-riches story without all that painful lack of common sense. He is unabashed and unapologetic about being a skinflint, a disciplinarian, a philanderer and a drug addict. Reading this book felt like spending some time with someone truly comfortable with themselves. He might have big faults, but he sure seemed to have been fun to talk to. The ghost writer's afterward, describing the process of interviews, braille transcriptions and oral revisions, was a voyeuristic pleasure, and the second afterward describing Ray's final years was, well, hard and tear-jerking, as it can only be.