Elizabeth Thomson (1)

Joan Baez: The Last Leaf by Elizabeth Thomson should quickly become the definitive biography of Joan Baez. Neither the music, the activism, nor the personal life is given less than their due. This is a complete, as in well-rounded, biography.

I admit to being a big fan, of her music and her activism. I fully expected to like this biography but I expected, which is what usually happens, to hope for the next biography to focus on what this one didn't. Well, Thomson manages to focus on all show more aspects of her life and career while still making it all flow. I have rarely been this impressed with a work about a complex celebrity.

Whether you're a fan of hers, or simply a fan of music history, this will offer wonderful insights into the folk world and the pop world from 1959 to now. If you're interested in social and cultural history, especially social justice and human rights, this will show not only what Baez did but also what a sincere impassioned activist in general can, and should, do. It is admittedly difficult for anyone to always stand up for what they believe is right, yet Baez succeeded far better than the vast majority of us, famous or not.

I think what makes this book really stand out is that it does not become just a recitation of what happened when, then what happened next, etc. There is depth and analysis here. Yet Thomson also doesn't get bogged down in analysis just for the sake of analysis. The flow of the book, from events to the hows and whys, is seamless and the reader gets swept along. I felt like I was reliving some of those times but with new perspective and insight.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

What a disappointment. I felt this was a "bait and switch" or a marketing tactic. This was not a biography, but merely an amplified discography and listing of all the concerts she performed and the people she knew - politicians, musicians, activists, and family.

I was expecting to learn about Joan Baez, her relationships with David Harris, her son Gabriel, Bob Dylan, etc. There was nothing personal in this book. In addition to the important people in her life, the book describes her politics show more but without any of Joan's passion and commitment. At the conclusion of the book, the author writes "It's hard to imagine what it must have felt like for Joan Baez, as she, her band, and crew left Madrid early the following morning [after the final performance in her farewell tour]." I wanted to shout to the author - Why do you need to imagine? The liner notes say you based this biography on interviews with long-time friends and musical associates, and on conversations across four decades with Baez herself. Yet you don't include even one personal quote from Joan, even at the conclusion of her performing career, let alone any time during the important times in her life?

This book is full of details and statistics on her concerts, albums, recording sessions, travels, and her political activism. There are also photos and concert posters. It would be helpful for those who want to know how Baez used her music to support political causes. If you're looking for her personal life, you'll have to read another book. show less

4 stars: Very good

Read this after seeing the Complete Unknown movie, reading Joan's dated memoir and doing a deep dive into the music my parents loved and I grew up on.

From the amazon review:

A celebration of a timeless figure whose music and influence will endure long after her voice is silenced.

Since she stepped onstage unannounced at the 1959 Newport Folk Festival, Joan Baez has occupied a singular place in popular music.

Within three years, she had recorded three best-selling albums and show more had embarked on a tour of southern US campuses, playing to integrated audiences in an era of segregation. When Time magazine chronicled the folk revival in November 1962, her portrait was on the cover. Her voice was “as lustrous and rich as old gold.” She has mentored generations of singer-songwriters, most famously Bob Dylan.

But Joan Baez has always been much more than simply a singer. Even before she stood on the podium beside Dr Martin Luther King at the March on Washington, her voice was raised in sorrow and anger as well as in song. The causes for which she has campaigned are legion and it’s no surprise that she was chosen to open Live Aid in Philadelphia in 1985. In 1993, amid the siege of Bosnia, she donned a flak jacket to sing for the citizens of Sarajevo offering, as so many times before and since, “an act of love, sharing, witness and music”.

Now approaching 80, Baez has stepped down from the stage following a worldwide farewell tour and a final Grammy-nominated album. The Last Leaf is a celebration of a timeless figure whose music and influence will endure long after her voice is silenced. The Discography is by Grammy-nominated music historian Arthur Levy. show less