Product Description

Her soulful, soaring voice has earned her mythic status. Now, in her own moving words, the woman behind the myth is revealed. The result is a captivating self-portrait of one of this century's most fascinating artists, an Aretha Franklin as real as the songs she sings.
        
For the first time anywhere, Aretha tells her story--the glorious triumphs as well as the heartbreaking pain. With refreshing candor, Aretha tells it like it is, the way she sees it, the way she lived it.
        
A child prodigy of the golden age of gospel, the daughter of a world-famous preacher, Aretha was the anointed successor to Mahalia Jackson and Clara Ward. But her father had a broader vision and helped Aretha enter the field of pop and jazz. By age eighteen, she was under contract to Columbia Records. Six years later, after only a few minor hits, she switched to Atlantic, where she shook the musical world to its roots. Her song "Respect" became the anthem of an epoch, a touchstone for African Americans, for women, for all people struggling to be free. Aretha became the Queen of Soul, the genre's finest interpreter since Ray Charles.
        
In Aretha: From These Roots, the singer gets up-close and personal. In rich detail, she paints a vivid picture of a Detroit long gone: the storefront churches, the basement parties, the explosive R&B shows. She documents her life as a single teenage mother, working to balance home life with career, coping with two challenging marriages and, later, romantic relationships that were the source of both tremendous joy and unforeseen heartache.

        
Along the way, we meet the characters who lit up her life: her charismatic father, the Reverend C. L. Franklin, "the man with the million-dollar voice"; Sam Cooke, the man of her dreams; her singing sisters, Erma and Carolyn, and her manager-brother, Cecil; her famous colleagues--Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Luther Vandross, and Luciano Pavarotti--as well as some famous rivals.
        
Aretha emerges as a triumphant woman of rare wit, willing to share with us her passion for great music, great food, and great love affairs. Her book does more than illuminate some of the most exciting songs ever sung; it lets you into the heart and mind of the mesmerizing woman who sang them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #833536 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-28
• Released on: 1999-09-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Amazon.com Review
Unlike the soul-baring performances that have drawn listeners to her for four decades, Aretha Franklin is a bit cagey when it comes to discussing her personal life in her autobiography, From These Roots. The famously press-shy Aretha is a free-speaking anecdote spinner and a blunt sharer of opinions of coworkers and fellow artists. (Don't get her started on Natalie Cole.) But some areas remain blurry; for instance, her troubled first marriage to a temperamental music-business figure named Ted White is covered in only a tiny handful of pages. Other happier memories of lovers and of her late father, the famed minister Rev. C.L. Franklin, find her in a more expansive mood. Most consistently indelible in this telling, though, is her musical story. Born in 1942, she grew up around some of the century's greatest singers--Clara Ward, Dinah Washington, and Sam Cooke were all family friends. A voice that many consider the world's finest, a strikingly individual touch on piano, and an eclectic ear for material combined to make her a notable artist who moved quickly from the gospel circuit to Columbia Records and moderate success in a variety of contexts, from show tunes to a gritty tribute to Washington. Her reminiscences of those days, and of the conquests that followed when she moved to the forefront of the soul revolution after signing to Atlantic, are obviously still fresh for her. A formidable presence even in her 20s, Aretha continues to be a daunting figure. While From These Roots isn't as splashy a triumph as her 1967 Atlantic debut or her house-rocking at the 1998 Grammys with a rendition of Puccini's "Nessun dorma," the book does make for an irresistible reflection on a singular woman and her art. --Rickey Wright

From Publishers Weekly
While the Queen of Soul's autobiography is no crowning achievement, it offers a breezy tour through the singer's life and trailblazing recording career. Raised in a musical household in Detroit (next door to Smokey Robinson, with frequent visits from Mahalia Jackson, Sam Cooke, Dinah Washington and Rev. James Cleveland), Franklin made her solo singing debut at the age of 10 in her father's church. At 16, she gave birth to her second son, dropped out of high school and recorded her first album. Several romances and two more sons followed, as did 17 Grammies (the most for a female performer) and more than 20 number-one hits. The strength of this memoir, whose coauthor has collaborated on books by Marvin Gaye, Etta James, Smokey Robinson and Atlantic Records owner Jerry Wexler, lies in Franklin's candid discussion of her craft, song selection and various peers. She's not shy about settling old scores with those she believes have dismissed her in printAincluding Gladys Knight, Mavis Staples and Cissy Houston. But she remains emotionally remote when talking about herself, reserving her real passion for her music. Few will finish this book, however, without an urge to add another Franklin disc to their collection. Photos not seen by PW. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Award-winning author and lyricist Ritz assists the "Queen of Soul" in this autobiography that proves you can be a star while still being human. Franklin takes us from being a teenage mother to traveling cross country playing the "Chitlin Circuit" to longtime stardom.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

THIS IS A TERRIBLE BOOK!
I am so disappointed in Aretha's literary attempt. Being that we share the same birthday, I had hoped her story would be endearing. However, I hope that sharing the same birthday does not make me anything like this arrogant, egotistical, man-crazy woman. I am sure her life has been filled with more than music and men, yet this book doesn't touch on much of her personal life at all. One could easily find a discography of her records,which is the main focus of the book. She did not need to write the history of her music- making, that speaks for itself. By omitting relevant and pertinent info such as the name of Mr. Mystique, her children's father,and other notables, she has done a great disservice to her fans and to anyone who purchases this book. Not wanting the public to know about her private life is acceptable. But do not tease us with this token autobiography. not writing anything at all would have been better than this side-stepping "effort." The book is an obvious attempt to add to her financial bottom line. The book is not worth the paper it was written on. As for david ritz,if this is the best he can do, I will not buy another book that he co-authors. Of all the biographies that he helped compile, etta james' was the only honest enough to be interesting. As a published author, he should be ashamed to printed such a book as this. Surely, both of these notable people could have done better. Now I believe all the negative press and rumors about aretha's attitide. Aretha if you read this: GET A GRIP, YOU AIN'T ALL THAT.

Why an Autobiography
I was truly disappointed in this autobiography! The book was poorly written and recounted many petty incidents that seemed to have absolutely no significance. Also, I got very, very tired of Aretha remembering almost every morsel of food that's ever entered her mouth! Who told Aretha she should write an autobiography! If she has trouble discussing the private details of her life and she's a private person, why on earth would you choose to write an autobiography?

NO TRUTH
I found this book to be very disappointing, poorly written, and not altogether honest. I was expecting more from the Queen of Soul. To disrespect other singers was a waste of time. Ms. Franklin should know that Barbara Streisand has pure talent, and has one of the greatest voices of this Century. Also, Ms. Franklin should know that Chaka is another true talent. Everyone has something to contribute Ms. franklin. Although I am sure it was not their intention, this book offers nothing that we (the public) has not already read or heard. The "SOUL" was missing from this account of Ms. Franklin's life. Also, while most have compassion for her father's death, we would have liked to know more about her life and less about him. It would have been human of her to at least speak more about her child that is in an institution. She should have put the rumors to rest about that child and her relationship with her father regarding that child. Aretha comes off as a woman who is very unhappy with herself. What a shame. I must say that the woman can sing. I have all of her records, and will continue to purchase her work. However, this book is not worth reading. God Bless her!