![](https://image.librarything.com/pics/fugue21/magnifier-left.png)
![](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0307269957.01._SX180_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg)
Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
Loading... The Protest Singer: An Intimate Portrait of Pete Seeger (2009)by Alec Wilkinson
![]() None No current Talk conversations about this book. ![]() ![]() This is a short and easy read that summarizes Seeger's life & career succinctly but still captures why he's in important. Seeger himself who never wants much attention focused on him wanted a book that someone could read in one sitting. Much of the book is based on interviews between Wilkinson and Seeger and takes on a conversational tone. The book jumps around between events in Seeger's life similar to the way that one memory can prompt another only tangentially related. It's also good for seeing what Seeger finds memorable and important from his own past. While are more thorough books on Seeger out there, I recommend that anyone interested in learning about this remarkable man start with this book and then check out his albums and a concert if possible. Then start to make your own music. Favorite Passages: After consulting with his lawyer, Seeger said, "I decline to discuss, under compulsion, where I have sung, and who has sung my songs, and who else has sung with me, and the people I have known. I love my country very dearly, and I greatly resent this implication that some of the places that I have sung and some of the people that I have known, and some of my opinions, whether they are religious or philosophical, or I might be a vegetarian, make me any less of an American. I will tell you about my songs, but I am not interested in telling you who wrote them, and I will tell you about my songs, and I am not interested in who listened to them." - p. 81 Pete Seeger, at age 90, continues to be an musician/activist demanding freedom and equality for the downtrodden. His music has been at the forefront of American protest music joining his songwriting with the work of fellow artists such as Woody Guthrie. The Protest Singer tells of the hardships he endured trying to spread his message of freedom, even to the point of facing jail time for his words. An inspiring read. When Alec Wilkninson approached Pete Seeger about writing this book, Seeger said that too much had already been written about him...what was really needed, Pete thought, was a book that could be read in one sitting. This is that book. Lean and inspiring, The Protest Singer gives you a quick rundown of all the reasons to love Pete Seeger. Especially inspiring is the meaty section in the middle of the story where PS stares down the Communist witch hunters, refusing to invoke the Fifth Amendment AND refusing to answer questions. Pete really does believe that he's not important -- the songs he sings are important -- and that's why he's a singer worth remembering. If you smiled to see him singing at the Lincoln Memorial this past January, then this book will make you smile as well. no reviews | add a review
A true American original is brought to life in this rich and lively portrait of Pete Seeger, who, with his musical grace and inextinguishable passion for social justice, transformed folk singing into a high form of peaceful protest in the second half of the twentieth century. Drawing on his extensive talks with Seeger, "New Yorker" writer Alec Wilkinson lets us experience the man's unique blend of independence and commitment, charm, courage, energy, and belief in human equality and American democracy. We see Seeger instilled with a love of music by his parents, both classically trained musicians; as a teenager, hearing real folk music for the first time; and as a young man, singing with Woody Guthrie and with the Weavers. We learn of his harassment by the government for his political beliefs and his testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1949. And we follow his engagement with civil rights, the peace movement, and the environment--especially his work saving the Hudson River and building the ship "Clearwater." He talks ardently about his own music and that of others, and about the power of music to connect people and bind them to a cause. Finally, we meet Toshi, his wife of nearly sixty years, and members of his family, at the house he built on a mountainside in upstate New York. "The Protest Singer" is as spirited and captivating as its subject--an American icon, celebrating his ninetieth birthday. No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
![]() GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)782.42162The arts Music Vocal music Secular Forms of vocal music Secular songs General principles and musical forms Song genres Folk songsLC ClassificationRatingAverage:![]()
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |