Just as I Am
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-12-22 11:21:11
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Cicely Tyson
- ISBN：0063224763
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Summary
Just as I Am is my truth。 It is me， plain and unvarnished， with the glitter and garland set aside。 Here， I am indeed Cicely， the actress who has been blessed to grace the stage and screen for six decades。 Yet I am also the church girl who once rarely spoke a word。 I am the teenager who sought solace in the verses of the old hymn for which this book is named。 I am a daughter and mother， a sister， and a friend。 I am an observer of human nature and the dreamer of audacious dreams。 I am a woman who has hurt as immeasurably as I have loved， a child of God divinely guided by His hand。 And here in my ninth decade， I am a woman who， at long last， has something meaningful to say。
Reviews
Peta
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She gave us her all。 Review here！>https://youtu。be/oHI0497jrGs She gave us her all。 Review here！>https://youtu。be/oHI0497jrGs 。。。more
bananya
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The sections about Miles Davis alone was worth the read。 I knew Cecily Tyson was a civil rights warrior， a woman of grace and so very talented。 I was always amazed she picked Miles - he seemed toxic to her breathtaking resilience。 Great book， great life， great Black Woman…
Beth Porter
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“Performing your job with excellence- with your chin high and your standard higher- is as powerful as any protest march” - page 399Black excellence in its purest form！ Cicely Tyson is a graceful women with a work ethic and a passion for change that is not easy to find。 Love her & loved her autobiography！ Rest in Love 🤎
Halifax
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Audiobook。 Decades full of information。
Ashante J
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This book was given to me as a gift last year and it's taken me almost a year to read it。 But once I started I didn't want to stop。 I didn't know much about Cicely Tyson initially， besides the few movies I'd seen her in。 But this book allowed me to understand her so much more。 I didn't realize how far her reach was in her career and it is honestly astounding！ I really appreciated her openness and vulnerabilities throughout the book especially in her relationship with Miles Davis and with her dau This book was given to me as a gift last year and it's taken me almost a year to read it。 But once I started I didn't want to stop。 I didn't know much about Cicely Tyson initially， besides the few movies I'd seen her in。 But this book allowed me to understand her so much more。 I didn't realize how far her reach was in her career and it is honestly astounding！ I really appreciated her openness and vulnerabilities throughout the book especially in her relationship with Miles Davis and with her daughter。This book was the window into a person I viewed as royalty and I now have a greater knowledge and understanding of her vast life。 I'm so happy to have read this book。 。。。more
Janet
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Great book！
Julie
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Now this is how you do a memoir！ The reader views the full arc of Cicely Tyson's life， since the book was published only two days before her death at the age of 96（！）。 I don't think I've ever read a memoir written when the person was this old。 （The recent memoir by Mel Brooks is similar in that he is also in his 90s but I haven't read it yet） It drives me cuckoo when a forty year old writes a memoir， unless it is about a specific small period or event in their lives。 If they are writing a genera Now this is how you do a memoir！ The reader views the full arc of Cicely Tyson's life， since the book was published only two days before her death at the age of 96（！）。 I don't think I've ever read a memoir written when the person was this old。 （The recent memoir by Mel Brooks is similar in that he is also in his 90s but I haven't read it yet） It drives me cuckoo when a forty year old writes a memoir， unless it is about a specific small period or event in their lives。 If they are writing a general this is my life at the age of forty， unless they have a terminal illness， their story is only half finished and who wants to read a half finished story？ Not me。 With Ms Tyson you get the complete glorious story。 Born in 1924 in New York City， Ms Tyson（I cannot call her Cicely， it seems too informal for her） experienced such a vast amount of change while she was alive。 The world developed so rapidly from the 1920's to the 2020's！ Not only are we talking about general cultural & political changes but also all the changes specific to women and to black people during the last 100 years。 And Ms Tyson was a part of it all。Because of both her intellect and her age， Ms Tyson was able to reflect deeply and coherently upon her life with a great deal of self-awareness。 At times she mentions how her views change over the years。 She discusses how her feelings about an event change from when it happened to how she felt about it 25 and 50 years and even 70 years later。 You evolve as a person（hopefully） as you get older and have a more nuanced view of your past。 I was fascinated seeing how her perceptions morphed over time。While she doesn't refrain from discussing serious moments in her life， Ms Tyson's reminiscences are not overly revealing。 She even mentions at one point feeling guilty discussing the problems in her parents marriage - that she is oversharing and discussing something too private to discuss。 I didn't feel it was too much; the reader needed to understand the family dynamics to a certain degree in order to understand where she was coming from。 For the most part， she did not talk badly about people， even that jerk in the 1950's who sexually harrassed and grabbed her at an audition for a drama class。 I forget his name even because she did not dwell upon it。 She decided that she was not going to let him have that much power over her life and she went to class the next day and subsequent days， calling his bluff， not capitulating to his demands and not being so upset she quits acting。 She stayed the course。I cannot even begin to write about all the many fascinating events in Ms Tyson's life。 For one thing， she seemed to know almost every single successful and/or iconic black person in America。 It was nuts。 She is godmother to the children of many many celebrities， the most famous being Lenny Kravitz。 She got married at Bill Cosby's house（and there is no mention of his creepy sexual assaults which I found somewhat odd）。 Her best friends were Maya Angelou and Dihann Carroll。 She married Miles Davis！ Tyler Perry is like her adopted son（And of course she is the godmother to one of his kids）。 Oprah is another close friend。 The list goes on and on。Finally， I need to start living the Cicely Tyson lifestyle。 Man， she was healthy and with-it up to the end。 She did a Broadway show 。。。when she was in her nineties！ For two years！ She didn't miss a show！ Her diet was amazing， lots of lentils， veggies， dark leafy greens and water。 Sometimes fish and egg whites， no processed foods 。 She didn't take Western meds usually but did take some herbs。 She got acupuncture weekly。 She did a series of stretches and - I kid you not - 60 pullups every morning。 No alcohol or drugs or smoking。 Life goals， man， life goals。。。。。How is it that we are 'sticking it to the man" as some proponents of Blaxploitation cinema argue that these films do， by committing narrative assassination of ourselves？ Why would we spend money reinforcing deeplu stereotypical depictions of who we are？ It pains me。（At a press junket for the 1972 movie Sounder， one of the journalists says this ）"I never thought of myself as being the least bit prejudiced but as I watched the film， I just could not believe that the son was calling his father Daddy。 That is what my son calls me。" （Another journalist。） "I didn't know that black men and women had the kind of loving relationship that we see between Nathan and Rebecca。 Their connection didn't seem believable to me。" I was so taken aback by her assessment that I did not respond。At the end of the day， my mother was still 'the help'。 As long as she and others like her dared not stray outside the bounds of their status， love overflowed。 Therein lies the dynamic in which Black people can be seen and even welcomed by Whites but seldom genuinely known by them， rarely viewed beyond the limited one-dimensional role we play in their narrative。Miles's behavior at times disturbed me greatly， even humiliated me。 And yet more than anger， I felt compassion and pity for his sad state。 It is possible to be at once hurt by a man and heartbroken for him。 I could not allow Miles to throw himself away。 The loss would've been too great - for me and for the world。The truth is that， like a great many crises in this life， you cannot truly know how you will respond until you are standing in them。 There is no preparing。When the people who gave you life have departed this earth， you enter a strange new corridor of detachment。 You are untethered， disconnected from the two story lines that gave birth to your one。Everywhere in the world I go， folks still come up to me， palms over their hearts， and whisper "Roots"。 。。。more
Gina
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Read the book in a few days。 Captured my attention to read all about her。 So glad to hear her story。 The words and writing flow so well。 A must read！
Cina
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6/5 starsThis book。。。this book。。。this boookkkk。 Omg！！ What an inspiration。 This woman right here is a Godsend。 Period。 She is a phenomenal woman。 I can't even describe it。 I especially love the relationship she and Tyler Perry had。 She was so divine。 By reading her story I seriously felt as though I knew her personally。 What a wonderful book。 It's not a surprise she died after this autobiography was publish。 See God put us on this earth for a purpose。 Cicely Tyson had fulfilled her purpose in he 6/5 starsThis book。。。this book。。。this boookkkk。 Omg！！ What an inspiration。 This woman right here is a Godsend。 Period。 She is a phenomenal woman。 I can't even describe it。 I especially love the relationship she and Tyler Perry had。 She was so divine。 By reading her story I seriously felt as though I knew her personally。 What a wonderful book。 It's not a surprise she died after this autobiography was publish。 See God put us on this earth for a purpose。 Cicely Tyson had fulfilled her purpose in her life。 I honestly believe she was the last one in her immediate family that was still remain because she had a story to tell。 Her story to tell。 God was waiting on her to tell her story before calling her home。 God what a blessing it was to read her story， to resonance to what was written in this book。 To feel what she felt。 My God。 I love this book。 One of my favorites of 2021。 Thank you Cicely Tyson！ For sharing your story。 May you rest in paradise。 。。。more
Bernadette
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One of the best memoirs/autobiographies I have read this year。 Colleagues and friends had been urging Cicely Tyson to write a book for years， and she insisted， into her 90s， that she would when she "had something meaningful to say。" In her distinctive， feisty， independent voice she does just that。 She recalls growing up in NYC as a church girl， battling with a controlling but well meaning， loving mother， getting pregnant at 16 due to lack of sexual information， working two and three menial jobs One of the best memoirs/autobiographies I have read this year。 Colleagues and friends had been urging Cicely Tyson to write a book for years， and she insisted， into her 90s， that she would when she "had something meaningful to say。" In her distinctive， feisty， independent voice she does just that。 She recalls growing up in NYC as a church girl， battling with a controlling but well meaning， loving mother， getting pregnant at 16 due to lack of sexual information， working two and three menial jobs as a single mom to provide for her daughter， breaking into modeling and finally acting。 All that - good and bad - she believes is the Lord's will for her life。 Her faith carried her through many challenges including the ups and downs of marriage to jazz legend Miles Davis。 What she accomplished as an artist and actor is truly remarkable; her success is due to her intense preparation， living in character while in a role， and absolute insistence of appropriate details of hair and costumes。 Her first role， as a supportive and loving wife in Sounder， surprised White audiences and Tyson knew that was her calling -- to be an activist on the stage and in film to portray the beauty， humanity and culture of Black people。 She was offended by media exploitation of Black characters for sex and violence and would not accept roles that cheapened her race。 Next was The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and Tyson never stopped challenging herself for 60 years。 Some have criticized Tyson for not taking a more prominent role in political action， but in the final chapters Tyson details her strong views on racism of the past and present and how she worked behind the scenes with Black leaders and supported them。 Most would agree her acting work alone has positively influenced audiences worldwide。 Faith remains her inner compass and thus the title comes from a hymn she grew up with。 Her lengthy list of acknowledgements at the end testifies to her gratitude to mentors， friends and colleagues who were important along her journey。 Highly recommend the book！ 。。。more
Dionne
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I purchased the audio book after listening to Ms。 Tysons interview with Gayle King back in January and then was so filled with sadness at her passing I couldn’t listen to it。 I’m so glad I gave my self that space because listening to her in the introduction brought me to tears。 As the book progressed and the story of her life unfolded， I felt like I wanted to take notes as she shared such profound nuggets of wisdom。 What a gift Ms。 Tyson left us with！ This is definitely a must read and my choice I purchased the audio book after listening to Ms。 Tysons interview with Gayle King back in January and then was so filled with sadness at her passing I couldn’t listen to it。 I’m so glad I gave my self that space because listening to her in the introduction brought me to tears。 As the book progressed and the story of her life unfolded， I felt like I wanted to take notes as she shared such profound nuggets of wisdom。 What a gift Ms。 Tyson left us with！ This is definitely a must read and my choice for the best book I’ve read this year。 Thank you Ms。 Tyson for sharing your story and the lessons you’ve learned from your walk in this life。 To the last your were a woman of greatness lighting a path to how we as Women of the African Diaspora can rise to the greatness in our own lives。 Read in power。 。。。more
Elaine G
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Splendidly SwelegantA delightful read about Ms。 Cicely Tyson filled with words of wisdom and care for others as well as herself。 We ARE all flowers in this garden called life and hers still blooms bright。
Ashley
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I didn’t know much about Cicely Tyson， but oh so glad I read her book！ I learned so much about her legacy and life， and her last chapter is just for us black women！ I cried and laughed throughout。 She stayed true to her values and didn’t bend at the industry’s whim or demand。 I admire her for that。 I was never really into autobiographies or memoirs until I wrote my own， so it’s been an interesting new genre （to me） that I’ve been exploring in this past year！ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Esther D。
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A life affirming memoir“Just as I am “ is a life affirming memoir of a remarkable woman with so much passion to change the world， one person at a time。 This is a must read for everyone。
Laura
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The only thing I struggled with in this book is all the Miles Davis stuff。 It was frustrating to listen to such a strong and capable women go on and on about a very long-lived unhealthy relationship。
Monica
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I loved this！ rtc4。5 StarsListened to Audible。 Robin Miles was of course brilliant！！
Spencer Wilson
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Where do I start？ Viola Davis' forward was wonderful。 I still can't get over it。 It really touched me。 It left an impression that will forever be unforgettable。 And， later in the book， when Cicely wrote of the two of them working together and getting to know each other， I was silently applauding and shouting！ Viola's dream came true！ Cicely inspired her to get into acting。 Cicely was her hero。 Then， Viola got to meet， work， and get to know her personally。Cicely's story about her life will foreve Where do I start？ Viola Davis' forward was wonderful。 I still can't get over it。 It really touched me。 It left an impression that will forever be unforgettable。 And， later in the book， when Cicely wrote of the two of them working together and getting to know each other， I was silently applauding and shouting！ Viola's dream came true！ Cicely inspired her to get into acting。 Cicely was her hero。 Then， Viola got to meet， work， and get to know her personally。Cicely's story about her life will forever be unforgettable to me。 It has and will always continue have left an incredible impression on me and my life。 I felt divinely and supernaturally guided to buy this book。 I'm so glad， grateful and thankful that I did。 I never thought that a famous person would or could remind me of myself。 I see myself so much in Cicely。 Cicely like me， also has the gift of the sixth sense and she's a Christian too。 That meant the world to me。 I've had a hard time finding others who are in the same situation as me。 Her relationship with God is like my relationship with God， and not only that， but she inspired me to take my relationship with God to a deeper level。 For that alone， I'll be forever thankful。 This book taught me new ways to pray and to be spiritual。 Cicely's story of her life has been a major game changer for my life。 My life has been forever changed after reading her story。 I will always be forever thankful for that。 I appreciate that she shared and talked about Africans， African-Americans， the history and and the contemporary。 I'm mixed race and it helped me to connect with my African ancestry in a way that I felt like I couldn't connect with it before and it also helped me to understand our history， our story better。 I'm forever grateful。 This book in a way introduce me to names I had already heard of before and gave me more reasons to be a fan。 Diahann Carroll， Ruby Dee， Maya Angelou， Oprah， etc。 I admit， though I am ashamed to， I didn't really closely follow Cicely's career prior to her death or this book。 I know I definitely was privileged to see The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman as a child。 I also remember reading the book also as a child。 I remember the book changed me。 I recall watching Roots as a teen。 It was otherworldly and supernatural。 I was born in 1995。 Cicely's story， again piqued my curiosity。 I want to find our copy of Miss Jane Pittman and reread it。 I also borrowed from my grandmother the book version of Roots and another book by the same author。 I can't state enough how forever thankful I am of Cicely's story。 I can say with 100% accuracy that I'll never be same again。 I'm not the same as I was when I first book the book， and I'm not the same as I was when I first started reading it。 I am a new person。 I am a different person。 I prayed and God delivered me。 God blessed me with this book。 Thank you God。 Thank you Cicely。 Cicely is forever one of my role models now。 。。。more
Shacarla
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What a Gem！ So glad she took the time to bless us with this piece of work。 She was an amazing lady。
LaRhonda
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It was so so slow， but she was really loved Miles Davis 。。。 I can't relate she was a strong woman。 It was so so slow， but she was really loved Miles Davis 。。。 I can't relate she was a strong woman。 。。。more
Ebony Rose
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An outstanding memoir of an outstanding woman。 I went into this knowing very little about Cicely Tyson's life， and only having seen a select few of her movies， but I was absolutely enthralled by this memoir from start to finish。Hers was a life well lived and Just As I Am was a pleasure to read。 An outstanding memoir of an outstanding woman。 I went into this knowing very little about Cicely Tyson's life， and only having seen a select few of her movies， but I was absolutely enthralled by this memoir from start to finish。Hers was a life well lived and Just As I Am was a pleasure to read。 。。。more
Deborea Jones
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Great book。。。。 loved many of her quotes and sayings。
Laura
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Such an awesome lady and an inspirational story。 Heaven has gained a precious angel and we are left here on earth to mourn the passing of a national treasure。
Ginger B
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Such a beautiful soul。 Her legacy will live on。
G。L。
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Such a beautiful soul。 Her legacy will live on。
Liesl Mulholland
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Everyone needs to read or listen to this book。 Queen Cic was speaking a word。 She truly is an angel that was sent here， did what she needed to do， left us with some knowledge and peaced out。Thank you for sharing some of your life with us！ Great memoir。
NYC Gal Out
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I liked reading this book。。。 mainly because she's a New Yorker from NYC， same as me。。。 but I did feel that she gave herself a very flattering narrative; which a lot of authors of memoirs do。 It was very surprising tht she died the week that her memoir was finally published。 I liked reading this book。。。 mainly because she's a New Yorker from NYC， same as me。。。 but I did feel that she gave herself a very flattering narrative; which a lot of authors of memoirs do。 It was very surprising tht she died the week that her memoir was finally published。 。。。more
ReadWithE
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This was interesting but I didn’t really enjoy Cicely as a person。 I do think she was honest in writing this but her personality and mine don’t click。
Erin
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I couldn’t put this down。 A talented force of power who seemingly lived a hundred lives。 A national treasure。
Misa
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AMAZIIIIIIIIIIING！ I loved this book so much， it's one of my favorite books of this year and one of the biographies that I've read and didn't get bored for a minute， I enjoyed it from start to end。 This book is her legacy and what a legacy， this woman knew how to live her 96 years on this earth wisely and fully but never foolishely， I was so impressed by her strong personality and don't be fooled by her small and frail look because weak she had never been。 Cicely Tyson made me think about my lif AMAZIIIIIIIIIIING！ I loved this book so much， it's one of my favorite books of this year and one of the biographies that I've read and didn't get bored for a minute， I enjoyed it from start to end。 This book is her legacy and what a legacy， this woman knew how to live her 96 years on this earth wisely and fully but never foolishely， I was so impressed by her strong personality and don't be fooled by her small and frail look because weak she had never been。 Cicely Tyson made me think about my life and plenty of other important things like my health， take care of yourself and believe in yourself， don't wait for the others to do it for you and live fully your moment on earth， just love，respect and be good to yourself that were some of her messages。 This book was so inspiring because of this woman's experiences in life and at some of the most important moments of history， in addition to the number of great people she met and connected with。At the end， let's just understand that she was， is and will stay a legend。 。。。more
Britty。Reads。Books
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Whew… I wasn’t sure I’d ever finish this book。 I really thought I’d love it。 I’ve adored Tyson as an actress for years， but her memoir kind of made me like her less。 The open support of Bill Cosby was a big red flag for me。 Not to mention， everything that has ever happened to this woman was “up to God。” It was infuriating。 My favorite part of celebrity memoirs is how in depth they often go into the persons passion and experience as a celebrity and Tyson’s book just did not provide that for me。 T Whew… I wasn’t sure I’d ever finish this book。 I really thought I’d love it。 I’ve adored Tyson as an actress for years， but her memoir kind of made me like her less。 The open support of Bill Cosby was a big red flag for me。 Not to mention， everything that has ever happened to this woman was “up to God。” It was infuriating。 My favorite part of celebrity memoirs is how in depth they often go into the persons passion and experience as a celebrity and Tyson’s book just did not provide that for me。 The whole thing just came off a little cocky and a lot rushed。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Just as I Am
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Just as I Am&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Just as I Am&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0