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Society's Child: My Autobiography | 
 enlarge | Author: Janis Ian
Publisher: Tarcher
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $4.49
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Rating:  36 reviews
Sales Rank: 41801
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 158542675X
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.42164092
EAN: 9781585426751
ASIN: 158542675X
Publication Date: July 24, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! NEW Book! May have remainder mark. Most orders ship within 1 BUSINESS DAY with ORDER CONFIRMATION.
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Grammy Awardwinning singer and songwriter Janis Ians memoir of her more than forty years in the music business.
Janis Ian was catapulted into the spotlight in 1966 at the age of fifteen when her soul-wrenching song Societys Child became a national hit. An intimate portrait of an interracial relationship, Societys Child climbed the charts despite the fact that many radio stations across the country refused to play it because of its controversial subject matter. But this was only the beginning of a long and illustrious career. In this fascinating memoir of her life in the music business, Ian chronicles how she did drugs with Jimi Hendrix, went shopping for Grammy clothes with Janis Joplin, and sang with Mel Torme all the while never ceasing to create unforgettable music.
In Societys Child, Ian shares with readers what it felt like to move in and out of the public eye. In 1975 her legendary song At Seventeen earned two Grammy awards and five nominations. But during the 1980s she made a conscious decision to walk away from the often grueling music business to study ballet and acting. She also struggled through a difficult marriage that ended with her then husbands threat to kill her. The hiatus from music lasted for nearly a decade until, in 1993, Ian returned with the release of Breaking Silence. Rather than risk losing artistic control, she took out a second mortgage on her home to fund the record. It paid off as Breaking Silence gained Ian her ninth Grammy nomination. Now in her fifth decade, Ian continues to draw large audiences around the globe.
Janis Ian has inspired generations of fans and in this moving book she shares the fascinating story of her life in music.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 31 more reviews...
 miopic,misses the big picture, but maybe as honest as she can be January 5, 2009
I like Janis Ian's music for the most part and have followed her career for a long time but find her autobiography miopic. Often portraying herself as a victim in relationships, I wonder what her partners would have said about her shortcomings-she shares no self awareness in this regard. I feel she was unfair to Kye Fleming particularly, with whom she wrote some of her best music. Also, beginning the book as a victim of crowds of hating people is a little dramatic-lots of people were oppressed for supporting civil rights in the 60's and died-she was lucky in comparison to many who risked everything to drive into the South or march in the streets and be beaten. Society's Child was just one song which is really not a big deal, except in her eyes and that is why I use the term myopic . There was probably a psychological reason why Janis Joplin wanted to buy clothes instead of play music and she dismisses these subtlties. Likewise, I feel her journey toward accepting her own lesbianism or bisexuality was more complicated than presented here-she has been very repressed to keep her career alive and cut her fashion to fit the times (to coin a phrase by Lillian Hellman). She was no follower of the women's music of the 70's (which had no popular market) when even the great Dusty Springfield was-and risked being invisible. She has been keen to chose how to sell herself to the public and I think that is too bad as it comes across as dishonest, but really I think she has difficulty seeing other people's perspective or that she is just part of a bigger picture-and I believe she is as honest as she can be. She rises above that sometimes in her music and that is why I like some of her music-maybe that is the one place where she can really approach honesty.
Got a young person with issues... November 26, 2008
then get that person this autobiography.
Even if u don't agree w/this artist's opinions u sure will respect them and learn from them.
I picked up my first Ian cut that was "17". Being a decade older than her and coming of age slightly b/4 the sixties peaked the phrase Society's Child was just something I associated w/her appearence on the first SNL which I remember vividly.
Now after reading this work I understand the meaning of the words and only wish I had delved into her 'oeuve much sooner instead of just mouthing 17 w/her.
I can see this work being required reading in American Literature programs for the next century.
JI's honesty is not questionable,even if her choices might be. None the less they are honest and we do learn from them.
As one who had NO artist talent I was still able to appreciate and admire it in others.
I would question what the artist must sacrifice and what price they must pay to reach and hold on to their heights.
After reading this book I now have a better idea.
In all it was a bittersweet experience for me because it seems this god given talent is a beast that must be fed at all cost and the glow of fame is more self immolating than enlighting but the pure joy of the art is also irreplaceable and will be beauty forever.
Am I can glad I can't do it? I really don't know since I never had the gifts to be faced w/that ?
Am I glad that if it happens so I can enjoy and relish in the beauty of it...
You betcha' I am Caribou Barbi.
Janis Ian: Society's Child November 24, 2008
This is a fascinating and honest recounting of the experience of a gifted writer/performer -- the kind of "good read" you get immersed in. After you read this, you may well feel you've been given "permission" to allow the artist in you to emerge.
Strong woman who overcomes November 4, 2008
This book was amazing. Janis Ian was faced with one obsticle after another in her music endeavors and her love life. Listening to her music, after reading her autobiography, adds a tremendous insight into the words of her music. Janis is "a real trooper" and I have the utmost respect for her as an artist and a human being.
An amazing life October 9, 2008
As a long time fan of Janis Ian, I was interested in her professional journey and the influences for her work. This book covers that and so much more. It happens that I knew Janis' father very well having worked with him for several years. The Openness that the author demonstrates is both courages and enlightening. I had no idea of the struggles that she has overcome. The writing is so personal and yet universal that I felt like she was telling her story directly to me. This is a great read.
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