Societys Child

Society's Child

---

Jan 07, Daniela Botterbusch rated it liked it. If you're considering this book, I highly recommend the audiobook Audible version. Janice Ian narrates, and she performs snippets of her own work throughout. Dec 01, Jami rated it really liked it Shelves: I enjoyed this autobiography. I knew of Janis Ian's songs, and I remember "At 17" being one of the songs I learned to play on the piano.

However, I knew nothing of her life, so this was an interesting story for me. She had quite a lot of unique experiences, both positive and negative, and her book also gave glimpses into the recording industry. I loved the format of having her singing part of one of her songs, and then you would get the part of her life that inspired that particular song. It was I enjoyed this autobiography. It was definitely a unique way of telling the story.

I'm glad that she narrated the book, as her narration and singing added to the listening experience. Nov 26, Jlsimon rated it it was amazing. This is my vote for best book read this year. Ian tells her story. What can I say, I laughed, I cried What a truly amazing woman. I wish I knew her. I wish I would be interesting enough to introduce myself to her and get to know her more. I didn't know any of her music, but of course I looked her up. Smart, and funny, and despite her opinion that she is not a beauty I think she is just that.

I wont give away any of the plot but I will offer the following recommendations I This is my vote for best book read this year. I would recommend this book to individual looking for: In fact I think that is why I loved this book, I could feel her feelings. I could feel her joy, feel her fear, feel her frustrations, feel her success.

What a breathtaking individuals. I'll say it again, I wish I knew her. Jun 09, Susan Moss rated it it was ok. I've been a fan of Janis Ian's music for quite a while. I remember when Society's Child first came out I lived At Seventeen I've seen her in concert multiple times as long-ago as college days In fact, I bought this book at FRFF when she was performing and stood in line to have her sign it.

She told stories during her set about her mom's passing a few years before and, since I was care-taking for my own mom the summer before missing the festival , it all hit home. She was gracious during my few minutes with her, holding my hand when I started crying, and then commenting on my Todd Snider Peace Love Anarchy baseball cap "I love Todd. He and I are e-mail buddies. I understand that she was thrust into the spotlight at a young age, and she had to develop coping skills to manage the influx of fame, money, fans.

Janis' therapist continues to tell her that she doesn't trust anyone, but there's also a part of her that trusts everyone There's a guardedness to this autobiography, even though it mostly feels that she's airing all the dirty laundry. Only toward the end, with her mom's passing, her marriage to girlfriend Pat and new life venture of fiction-writing does she begin to seem authentic and warm, but by then it's almost too late. I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet Janis a few times to counterbalance the "sour grapes" account of her life which comes across on the page.

She has, however, always had a wicked sense of humor, best evidenced in this snippet from her acceptance speech after winning a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album her reading of this memoir , in which her competition was Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, Rachel Maddow and Ellen DeGeneres: She has a wonderful voice for narrating, and whenever she is talking about a particular song, she gives us samples of the song by singing it and accompanying herself with her guitar.

It is really a performance. I loved this book and wondered what had happened to Janis Ian. Janis Ian was catapulted into the spotlight in at the age of 15, when her soul-wrenching song "Society's Child" became a hit.

Remember that Loving vs. Virginia, the case that made it unconstitutional to forbid marriage on the basis of race, wasn't decided by the Supreme Court until In , Ian's legendary "At Seventeen" earned two Grammy awards and five nominations. But after seven albums in as many years, she made a conscious decision to walk away from the often grueling music business. During this period, she struggled through a difficult marriage, which ended with her then husband's attempt to destroy her, and a sudden illness that very nearly cost her her life.

The hiatus from music lasted for close to a decade until, in , Ian returned with the release of the Grammy-nominated Breaking Silence. Now, as she moves gracefully into her fifth decade as a recording artist and writer, Ian continues to draw large audiences around the globe. In Society's Child, Janis Ian provides a relentlessly honest account of the successes and failures - and the hopes and dreams - of an extraordinary life.

Jul 10, Lesbianfunworld Online rated it it was amazing. Ha ha ha ha ha what an dolt! Turns out I was wrong on every single thing I thought I knew. And it turns out that Janis was wrong on almost every single thing she thought she knew, so basically we were twinsies. Break through song at 15 years old? Breakdown at 19 years old? Someone stealing her cheques? The one who swears a ghost is stealing money from her while she sleeps?

The one who talks about a song she likes and then whips out a guitar and starts singing it to you? That crazy, awesome, amazing best friend? Yep, that would be Janis.

Navigation menu

I would listen on my way to work, from work, on lunch, at home, in the coffee shop while my wife glared at me across the table… Ahem. Anyway… Get the audio book version so you too can connect with a crazy, awesome and amazing best friend who sings and tells stories. It's very easy to see or, more appropriately, hear why Janis Ian won an Audie and a Grammy for this audiobook. I loved the snippets of her songs that she starts each chapter off with and sometimes includes within a chapter too.

See a Problem?

Her life was fascinating and I loved listening to it. Much of the book, particularly the first half, read like a who's who of the music scene, with Janis dropping names like Bruce Springsteen, Ella Fitzgerald, Janis Joplin, and Pete Seeger li It's very easy to see or, more appropriately, hear why Janis Ian won an Audie and a Grammy for this audiobook. Much of the book, particularly the first half, read like a who's who of the music scene, with Janis dropping names like Bruce Springsteen, Ella Fitzgerald, Janis Joplin, and Pete Seeger like they were old friends -- and it took a bit for me to realize, they actually were her friends.

Society's Child: My Autobiography

It was also fascinating to hear how the music industry changed over the decades. But the book was far more than just a story of the music industry and Janis Ian's rise to fame. It was also about her path of self-discovery and self-acceptance. The hardest parts of the book to listen to were of her emotional and physical abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, and then later as she was taken advantage of by her therapist.

I appreciated how frank, open, and honest she was on abuse and the mental and emotional toll that abuse does to the victim and the long path of recovery after. The section of the book about her continued troubles with the IRS was riveting. I found myself walking around with my earbuds firmly in, ignoring everybody until it I knew she was okay, only to then get sucked into her battle with CFS.

May you live in interesting times, indeed. Before this book, I already liked Janis's music. After, I found I also liked her. She's lived a full, rich, and hard life, but I'm glad that she seems to have found herself in a good place in the end. I look forward to whatever she does next. Aug 24, Tony rated it really liked it Shelves: Janice Ian was one of my idols when I was much younger.

In this autobiography, she manages to tell the story of her amazing success and her equally amazing plunge to the depths. She was a smart Jewish girl from New Jersey who had an ear for words and music. She always marched to the beat of a different drummer or guitarist. Her songs were always soulful, if not downright sad, but she made you listen to the lyrics. We learn about her early penchant for women, her various affairs of various lengths with many — all of which were ultimately disappointing except for her current mate.

We learn about her attempt at a heterosexual relationship and marriage to Tino, a Portugese import who turned out to be an abuser. We learn about her bout with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Throughout these horrors, however, Janis always displays at least a scintilla of hope for the future and a continuing trust in her fellow man. Hopefully she has learned something over the years that will temper her trust in those around her until they have truly earned it.

Since I have been a Janis Ian fan since Society's Child the song came out, I knew that unless the writing was just awful, and really, how could someone who writes the songs she writes write an awful book? I was going to enjoy listening to this book. And the book goes up hill from there. Ms Ian talks about touring as a t Since I have been a Janis Ian fan since Society's Child the song came out, I knew that unless the writing was just awful, and really, how could someone who writes the songs she writes write an awful book?

Ms Ian talks about touring as a teen - she was 14 when she recorded Society's Child - and sitting up at nite jamming with Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Burton, and other stars of the late 60s; she talks about her family being on the FBI watch list, about the summer camps her parents ran for children of people who wanted to get back to the land, and nature, with people like Pete Seeger coming in to teach the children. All of the things that made up her life. And throughout the book there is the music. Each chapter starts with a song from the time period, and most chapters tell how she wrote the important songs in her repertoire.

So the writing wasn't awful, and for a long time fan, the music was just the icing on the cake. All in all an excellent book. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. October Learn how and when to remove this template message. Retrieved September 27, In a video clip on YouTube, Ian's performance begins at 5: Retrieved from " https: Articles needing additional references from October All articles needing additional references.

Views Read Edit View history. This page was last edited on 5 December , at I thought that this was a very well written movie about real life, not life as we would like it. The mother may have been a welfare mother with 6 children, but she did the best that she could. She gave her daughter more love than anyone else could have done under the circumstances. She did try to bring the child's father back into her life, but that didn't work out and she dealt with it.

In my opinion, she was a very brave strong woman who was given more than she could bear, but never gave up, because that wasn't an option.

If you have a child with a disability, giving up is not your choice. Nikki was blessed to be raised with love. Start your free trial. Find showtimes, watch trailers, browse photos, track your Watchlist and rate your favorite movies and TV shows on your phone or tablet! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Full Cast and Crew. Wait, Is Mary Poppins a Witch? The movies I know I have seen Share this Rating Title: Society's Child TV Movie 6.

• Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya), Vol. 2: Death Match! Pegasus vs. Dragon
• STORIE DI PIMPA 5 - PIMPA E LAMICA PEPITA (Le storie di Pimpa) (Italian Edition)
• Evaluation im Spanischunterricht: Überprüfungsmöglichkeiten von Sprechkompetenz (German Edition)
• Childrens Corner No. 6: Golliwoggs Cakewalk
• EX OPPOSITO (Spanish Edition)
• Gaucholand Boy