Photo Credit: Penguin Random House
992 pages to take you through the life of an icon
Aadya Jha, Contributor
“Art does not exist only to entertain, but also to challenge one to think, to provoke, even to disturb, in a constant search for truth.” Barbra Streisand, the American music legend, has lived by these words for all 81 years of her life. Throughout her six-decade-long career, there have been several versions of her life being sold as the sole truth, but in her much-awaited autobiography, she ventures out to display the true pages of her life on her own.
My Name is Barbra is set for release on November 7, 2023, under the publication of Random House, and it is one of my most highly anticipated books of the year. We are so used to the immaculate image of Barbra and her EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) distinction that the chapters of her early life while she was struggling in Brooklyn are often overlooked. This book will take us on a time travel journey to read about her transition from acting to singing, her famous breakthrough in Funny Girl, and her unheard tales of love and life.
Barbra claims that the book is much like Barbra herself, unabashedly honest and opinionated, humourous, and insightful. Before Barbra went on to win her Emmy, Oscar, or Tony, she struggled to bring to life Yentl, her directorial work on The Prince of Tides, and her goal of excellence.
In this book, she also details her diverse friendships, and her much-discussed political activism. Over 992 pages, this book delves deeper into the private ongoings of the public life she has lived. Her Women’s Heart Centre and the preservation of environment through her Streisand Foundation are also discussed, and readers will get a real insight behind the philanthropy she has done over the years. Barbra also describes in this book details about her marriage to James Brolin, which has been a much talked about topic in her life.
It is an untold journey of the girl from Brooklyn who went on to become a living legend with significant milestones in production, direction, writing, and music. My Name is Barbra has already received a rating of 4.5 stars on Goodreads and those who have actively followed her career — and even the ones who have not — are excited to read this book and get a deeper and clearer understanding of the icon that Barbra Streisand is.
