Sammy: The Autobiography of Sammy Davis, Jr. | 
 enlarge | Authors: Sammy Davis, Burt Boyar, Jane Boyar
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Category: Book
List Price: $28.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 503243
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 480
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.5
ISBN: 0374293554
Dewey Decimal Number: 792.7028092
EAN: 9780374293550
ASIN: 0374293554
Publication Date: December 8, 2000
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Condition: BRAND NEW 091808
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Sammy Davis, Jr. (1925-90) rose from childhood stardom on the vaudeville stage to become one of the most famous African American entertainers of the 1950s and '60s (and the only black member of Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack). At the same time, he spent most of his career surrounded by controversy and ridicule--over his affairs with white film stars, his 1960 marriage to Swedish actress May Britt, his conversion to Judaism, his closeness to the Kennedys (and later Richard Nixon), and his problems with alcohol and drugs.When Davis published his first memoir, Yes, I Can, in 1965, it was a critical and popular success--acclaimed for a candor and thoughtfulness rare in celebrity autobiographies and for its painful evocation of life as a black peformer in segregated America. Davis's 1980 memoir, Why Me?, laid bare Davis's troubled relationship to the Kennedys, his ambivalence toward the Black Pride movement, the end of his marriage to Britt (and his complex open marriage with Altovise Davis), and his flamboyant, self-loathing misbehavior, from ruinous extravagance to flirtations with Satanism.Davis's co-writer Burt Boyar has revised Davis's memoirs, incorporating material from unpublished interviews, and has added a new introduction and epilogue. The result is a testament to an unacknowledged--often uncomfortable--leader in the struggle for racial equality.
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| Customer Reviews:
 inspiring October 18, 2005
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I thought this book was very inspiring. This book was very good, and kept me very interested. I like how they put in pictures, and exact dates of when things happened to Sammy Davis Jr. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about an all around performer.
Reviewer: Samantha, Cisneros
Poorly edited-Read "Yes I Can" instead July 20, 2001
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
For beginners, this isn't bad. But those who are familiar with "Yes I can" and "Why Me?" (the Davis bios that this book was edited from) will not be happy. Too much of the good stuff from "Yes I Can" is missing, such as Sammy's guilt over his treatment of James Dean and his own mistreatment at the hands of other children and teenagers. Those were some of the most moving parts of that book and they should be included here. Oh well, you can always read the original.
 Sammy: an autobiography of giant! March 25, 2001
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I gladly give the life of Sammy Davis Jr. 5 stars, however, the Boyers have done this bright icon who came into their lives a disservice by simply expanding on Sammy's two previous autobiographies with more & longer details without any attempt to focus his memories or put order into the reading & that is why I give the book only 2 stars.Sammy Davis Jr. rose from childhood stardom in vaudeville to become one of the most famous African-Americans of the 1950s & 1960s. At the same time his career, friends & lifestyle were surrounded by controversy & his experiences as a black performer in segregated America. Of all the celebrities in the American star-studied panoply, Sammy Davis Jr., crossed over more lines. He converted to an unpopular religion; he had no fear of dating & marrying beautiful white women; he was close to the Kennedys & the Nixons; he was a member of Frank Sinatra's notorious Rat Pack & he played with alcohol & drugs. It's amusing to read his opinions of the two songs he liked the least as they became best-sellers - going platinum to his amazement. I think an Index of his best-selling songs, his legendary Las Vegas performances, his world-wide concerts & his movies & television shows should have been included. Sammy Davis Jr., was also a spokesperson for his people & an Index of the movers & shakers of the Civil Rights Movement & the politicians of his time with whom he consulted & for whom he worked, is vital. There isn't even a curriculum vitae! Do check out my full review of this & other biographies.
Sammy A review December 26, 2000
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
This book tries to cram together Yes I Can and Why Me? and in the process the humor and emotions which made those books great, especially Yes I Can, is lost. There is VERY LITTLE new material here. This book is a waste of time to anyone who already knows about Sammy and if they don't this isn't the place to start.
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