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My Soul Looks Back
- A Memoir
- Narrated by: Jessica B. Harris
- Length: 6 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 05-09-17
- Language: English
- Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Regular price: $20.97
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Publisher's Summary
In the Technicolor glow of the early 70s, Jessica B. Harris debated, celebrated, and danced her way from the jazz clubs of the Manhattan's West Side to the restaurants of the Village, living out her buoyant youth alongside the great minds of the day - luminaries like Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, and Toni Morrison. My Soul Looks Back is her paean to that fascinating social circle and the depth of their shared commitment to activism, intellectual engagement, and each other.
Harris paints evocative portraits of her illustrious friends: Baldwin as he read aloud an early draft of If Beale Street Could Talk, Angelou cooking in her California kitchen, and Morrison relaxing at Baldwin's house in Provence. Harris describes her role as theater critic for the New York Amsterdam News and editor at then burgeoning Essence magazine; star-studded parties in the South of France; drinks at Mikell's, a hip West Side club; and the simple joy these extraordinary people took in each other's company. The book is framed by Harris' relationship with Sam Floyd, a fellow professor at Queens College, who introduced her to Baldwin. More than a memoir of friendship and first love, My Soul Looks Back is a carefully crafted, intimately understood homage to a bygone era and the people that made it so remarkable.
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- sandy g
- Massachusetts
- 05-13-17
Great read
Very well crafted memoir which in poignant ways underscores the reality that the choices one makes in ones twenties can lay the foundation for ones life. Ms. Harris's parents prepared her to embrace the world with an openness and confidence that serve her well. This is a wonderful story told with honesty and compassion. Her relationships with the gifted artists and writers of her time were amazing. Bravo!
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Taj
- 07-25-18
My soul is pleased
This book was recommended by a dear friend who knows of my admiration for Baldwin and Angelou and Nina and the rest. I’m sure she didn’t know that I’d connect deeper with Jessica who, like me, I imagine upon finishing, feels she existed in the margins in most of it.
Before reaching chapter 4, i’d recommended the book to 15 people. By the end of the book, 50 people. Just amazing! Thank you, Jessica.
-Darnell Lamont Walker