Rage to Survive

By Etta James, David Ritz,

Book cover of Rage to Survive: The Etta James Story

Book description

One of the great women of American music, equally at home singing blues and jazz, Etta regales us with tales of her chaotic childhood, the stars she has known, and her troubled trip to stardom in this mesmerizing autobiography.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Rage to Survive as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

One of my favorite memoirs, Rage to Survive is a no-holds-barred dive into the life and times of powerful singer who traversed the genres of rock and roll, blues, and R&B during her decades-long career. James tells compelling stories about her tough upbringing on the west coast and her teenage immersion into sex, drugs, and early rock and roll (check out her 1955 hit “The Wallflower”); shares her experiences touring in the segregated south during the 1950s; offers gossip about well-known musical figures; and reflects on her development as an artist navigating the recording industry in the fifties,…

If you love Rage to Survive...

Ad

Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest By Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up…

Want books like Rage to Survive?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Rage to Survive.

Browse books like Rage to Survive

Book cover of Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday
Book cover of Shout, Sister, Shout!: The Untold Story of Rock-And-Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Book cover of Liner Notes for the Revolution: The Intellectual Life of Black Feminist Sound

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,587

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in singers, rock and roll, and popular music?

Singers 73 books
Rock And Roll 79 books
Popular Music 56 books