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53
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
55/100Critics
50/100Scholars
Author:
Ian Zack
Publisher:
Beacon Press
Date:
April 14, 2020
The first in-depth biography of the legendary singer and 'Voice of the Civil Rights Movement,' who combated racism and prejudice through her music.
What The Reviewers Say
Odetta’s life story takes on huge significance and scale in Zack’s book, as he explains how her talent was buffeted by the winds of American history like a tree flexing in a gale. Biographies can help us to conceptualize the slippery phenomenon we call being alive, especially as it relates to the passing of time. Is life made out of instants, like lightning flashing on a face in a storm, or is it some mystical force that flows across time, bigger than any one person? Odetta brims with the life of its forgotten subject, showing us that we have a lot of cultural history to relearn and many losses yet to mourn..
Odetta’s charisma is a touchstone in Mr. Zack’s engaging, revelatory chronicle, the first in-depth biography of this seminal American performer.
Zack’s portrayal of Odetta definitively zooms out to take in more than just her physical appearance, considering also her physical presence as an offense to those who felt she didn’t belong, ultimately supporting the statement that Odetta couldn’t be anywhere else.
Drawing from Odetta’s personal papers and countless interviews, Zack makes insightful parallels between the fight for civil rights and Odetta’s songs, which became rousing anthems for protesters. He also reveals intimate details of Odetta’s private life and relationships, such as her friendships with Harry Belafonte and Martin Luther King Jr. Superbly researched and beautifully organized, this is an excellent work of scholarship. Although Odetta never achieved the same level of fame as some of her folk music counterparts, she leaves behind a significant and enduring legacy; those unaware of her work will be compelled to learn more.
