Denzel Washington Books

A must read! Wil Haygood's book, In Black and White, The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr. not only captures the mesmerizing and oftentimes daunting physical movement of the man- Sammy- in the seemingly separate worlds of black and white but unapologetically captivates the reader with Sammy's human quest for love and approval.

The author skillfully provides the reader with a historical landscape to navigate the multidimensional aspects of the making of "Sammy" from his vaudeville childhood days to the inscription on the headstone of his final resting place--
Sammy Davis Jr. "The Entertainer" He Did It All...and indeed he did.

After reading the book, I can't wait to see Sammy "in living color" thanks to Denzel Washington's insight to purchase the screen rights.

Written by Deleso Alford Washington, J.D., LL.M.

Wil Haywood, staff writer for the Washington Post, won the 2004 Hurston-Wright Legacy Award in Nonfiction, plus a host of other awards for In Black And White: The Life Of Sammy Davis Jr., so it's only fitting his impressive and entertaining biography of the life of Sammy Davis Jr. be reprinted in paperback to reach new generations of audiences with his award-winning life of one of America's most popular and versatile performers and entertainers of the 20th Century.

Maybe the definitive biography of Sammy Davis Jr. can never be written. Or maybe it simply hasn't been done. This book is a mixed bag.

The book filters the story of Sammy Davis Jr. through race, everything is either black or white. As a result, you do get some interesting concepts, that Davis did not want to "be" black, as if all blacks (or for that matter, all whites) had something in common.

You do get extensive thoughts about his love for blonde women, and his affairs with Kim Novak is given a prominent amount of space.

You also have a wonderful portrait of Will Mastin, a man who is ignored in every other book about Davis.

But other things are glossed over, his drug and alcohol abuse, his Rat Pack days, even his marriage to May Britt.

Oh, do not expect anything about his music in here, absolutely nothing about any of his records.

This book does not reflect the spirit of the life of Sammy Davis, Jr. I'm afraid that it relects the spirit of the life that the author, Wil Haygood, unfortunately must have led.

I am very familiar with the details of Sam's life, I have heard it in his own words. Sam was a very pragmatic optimist who imagined the world in a very color-blind way. This is where Mr. Haygood leads the un-informed reader very far away from Sam's actual beliefs.

Sam didn't want to be white, he wanted to be the best. That is what he constantly strived for. Sam stood up to racism so many times, in so many ways. How many times was his nose broken in race baited fights from his hitch in the Army ? Sam experienced the ignorance of racism many, many times, from many different people. But for every racist he had to battle, he also saw many more people who he loved, trusted & repected, and who he knew felt the same way towards him.

Almost all of the material in this book is 'lifted' from the books co-written by Sam and Jane & Burt Boyar. These works are the true story. These people were there when these events happened, they witnessed them first hand. Not only has Mr. Haygood taken what actually transpired and twisted it to fit his agenda, he berates the people who daily lived through these experiences with Sam.

This is well written, thorough, entertaining, and really a superb history lesson. Great Job Mr. Haygood.

If you are looking for a definitive, "traditional" biography of Denzel Washington, this book is definately not it. Author Douglas Brode (who, it should be noted, is a well-respected writer of film and television personas) offers the reader a biographical filmography of sorts, which appeals more to film wonks and students of cinema than it does to the average Denzel fan. Strictly speaking, Brode just doesn't reveal exactly who Denzel Washington is off-screen; indeed, the first chapter, "Deconstructing Denzel," is as close as the reader gets to finding out about Denzel's past (included are brief mentionings of his youth, his pre-acting days and his time at Fordham University, where he got his first taste of "serious" acting). The rest of the book takes the film-by-film approach to Washington's career, squeezing Denzel's personal life into the extra spaces of the context in which each film is discussed. This approach becomes problematic -- and frustrating -- as the reader never really is able to fully recontstruct Denzel after the book's intro, a fact that further enhances the charismatic performer's notoriously [and ironically] enigmatic and aloof off-screen persona (anyone who's read or seen an interview of Washington knows exactly what I mean). The book, however, shines in its extensive analysis of Washington's films from a critical standpoint and enables the reader to be privy to "behind-the-scenes" information on all of his films, from the forgettable "Carbon Copy" (1981) to "Courage Under Fire" (1996), while adding an impressive technical insight not found in many mainstream bios of "celebrities." That said, it is regrettable that there is little mention of Denzel's non-cinematic successes and failures; I would have liked to have read more on his "St. Elsewhere" days as well as his early struggles as an actor on the New York theater scene. I also would have enjoyed more information on his family, particularly his wife, Pauletta, an accomplished artist (pianist, actress, songstress) in her own right. Make no mistake: despite its numerous flaws, the book is a valuable resource for Denzel fans and is especially good as a reference to supplement one's viewing experience after watching any one of Washington's powerful performances (excluding the one in the aforementioned "Carbon Copy") that prove why he remains such a widely admired [and coveted] "A-list"-actor.

---- K.J. Martin

East of the Sun and West of the Moon has always been my favorite fairy tale and I collect different versions. I was excited to find an audio version until I heard it. The music is very distracting and makes listening to the words difficult. There is nothing wrong with just reading a story. The human voice is melodic enough that you don't need to add all that other stuff. It changes the whole mood of the story and I really didn't like it.

There was no product description and I know why. The book was not in good condition. The first 10 pages are scotch taped into the book. I am very disapointed in the seller for not using a description to inform buyers of the state the book is in. I would not buy from this seller again. To any other buyers be advised on what you are buying.