Nonfiction

Raising Kanye

Raising Kanye

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-01-20 09:51:48
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Donda West
  • ISBN：141654478X
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Summary

As the mother of hip-hop superstar Kanye West， Donda West has watched her son grow from a brilliant baby boy with all the intimations of fame and fortune to one of the hottest rappers on the music scene。 And she has every right to be proud: she raised her son with strong moral values， teaching him right from wrong and helping him become the man he is today。 In Raising Kanye， Donda not only pays homage to her famous son but reflects on all the things she learned about being his mother along the way。

Featuring never-before-seen photos and compelling personal anecdotes， Donda's powerful and inspiring memoir reveals everything from the difficulties she faced as a single mother in the African-American community to her later experiences as Kanye's manager as he rose to superstardom。 Speaking frankly about her son's reputation as a "Mama's Boy，" and his memorable public outbursts about gay rights and President George W。 Bush， Donda supports her son without exception， and here she shares the invaluable wisdom she has taken away from each experience -- passion， tolerance， patience， and above all， always telling the truth。 Ultimately， she not only expresses what her famously talented son has meant to her but what he has meant to music and an entire generation。

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Reviews

Callum Daquarius ，

Donda West did actually make Yeezus， in a sense

Savannah ，

The book was how you would expect a mother to write about her son， her only child to be exact。 It was a cute read。 I appreciated the ending chapters 2002-2005 era。 Where she talks about his record deal， the car accident， his pro lgbt comments， “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” those were the most informative。 The beginning chapters were pretty basic。

Jimmy Gove ，

Not well written， not that insightful or interesting。

Anthony Lebedev ，

Kaney whest god asf 💯 💯 💯 💯 luv him🥶❗️🙏🏻🙏🏻

Zayn Khan ，

donda may you rest in heaven， u raised a god。 A HEALER！ 💯🙏🏼🙏🏼kanye will help us heal the world 💯🙏🏼🙏🏼

Joe Houghton ，

This is an odd book。 I don't think it's very well written， and Donda seems to go off on major tangents which aren't all that relevant to a point she is trying to make or a story she is trying to tell about Kanye or her family。 I believe you would have to be extremely fanatical about Kanye West to enjoy this book since it is very flawed and unnecessarily drags on in places where it doesn't need to。That being said， as someone who pretty much idolises Kanye West， especially the era of Kanye in whic This is an odd book。 I don't think it's very well written， and Donda seems to go off on major tangents which aren't all that relevant to a point she is trying to make or a story she is trying to tell about Kanye or her family。 I believe you would have to be extremely fanatical about Kanye West to enjoy this book since it is very flawed and unnecessarily drags on in places where it doesn't need to。That being said， as someone who pretty much idolises Kanye West， especially the era of Kanye in which this book was written， I really enjoyed parts of the book - learning more about what he was like growing up， his family life and and miscellaneous information like certain events or particular habits was really interesting。 I especially loved the chapter about Roses， which is my favourite song of all time。 Donda's first hand experience and perspective on what is such a personal and moving song about Kanye's Grandmother being gravely ill is fascinating to read and learn about。So I am glad I brought this book， but I wouldn't recommend it to just the average person who has a mere interest in Kanye。 。。。more

Thomas ，

Anyone who writes a thinkpiece about Kanye should be forced to read this book at least twice， as it explains Kanye's personality and preoccupations better than even his own albums。 Raising Kanye is a magnum opus of the surprisingly small "I love my beautiful boy" book genre， which is vastly preferable to the glut of "I hate my son for taking my freedom but will only express it passive aggressively" memoirs。 I read this book in middle school as a bit， and mostly remember their residency in east A Anyone who writes a thinkpiece about Kanye should be forced to read this book at least twice， as it explains Kanye's personality and preoccupations better than even his own albums。 Raising Kanye is a magnum opus of the surprisingly small "I love my beautiful boy" book genre， which is vastly preferable to the glut of "I hate my son for taking my freedom but will only express it passive aggressively" memoirs。 I read this book in middle school as a bit， and mostly remember their residency in east Asia， her major health concerns about breakdancing （Kanye was a great breakdancer as a child and I am not joking）， and the time she caught Kanye with a dirty VHS tape and forced him to write an essay about respecting women。 Honestly， she sounds like a great mom， and she has some great advice on supporting a teenager who is creatively driven but academically disinclined。 Highly recommended for Kanye enthusiasts and critics alike。 。。。more

Ryan Dorman ，

Rather than review this book， I would like to instead share the note inscribed within my copy's front cover。 "To Tyrell: Remember your a young Prince in your house。 Do not let anything at school make you feel different。 Step up to each challenge。 Love， Aunty Sharlie Uncle Glen July 2008" This book may not rehabilitate Kanye West in the minds of those familiar with his public outbursts and rampant ignorance， but the raw emotion Dr。 West uses to motivate her son's individuality emphasizes jus Rather than review this book， I would like to instead share the note inscribed within my copy's front cover。 "To Tyrell: Remember your a young Prince in your house。 Do not let anything at school make you feel different。 Step up to each challenge。 Love， Aunty Sharlie Uncle Glen July 2008" This book may not rehabilitate Kanye West in the minds of those familiar with his public outbursts and rampant ignorance， but the raw emotion Dr。 West uses to motivate her son's individuality emphasizes just how normal the man truly is。 Kanye is just some kid who loved his mother， and his mother loved him just the same。 If nothing else， the note in the front shows how Kanye's early persona centered around being unique for your own sake really resonated with those who may have felt alienated by a stifling culture。 West is the outsider that broke in， and perhaps young kids saw that as a beacon of hope。 。。。more

Zane ，

I read this book in preparation for Kanye’s new album， Donda （named after his late mother， Donda West）。 It was a delightful read。Donda is a nice writer， her style is chatty and reflective。 She’s lived an interesting life and that was great to read about。 The true pull of this book， however， was her and Kanye’s relationship。 It’s clear to see that the friendship they had was a really strong one and this book highlighted what they each gained from each other。 You can tell Donda West absolutely ado I read this book in preparation for Kanye’s new album， Donda （named after his late mother， Donda West）。 It was a delightful read。Donda is a nice writer， her style is chatty and reflective。 She’s lived an interesting life and that was great to read about。 The true pull of this book， however， was her and Kanye’s relationship。 It’s clear to see that the friendship they had was a really strong one and this book highlighted what they each gained from each other。 You can tell Donda West absolutely adores her son， it’s sweet to read。It was also fun to learn more about Kanye， the way he was raised and what he was like。 Learning about his charitable acts， Donda’s takes on his ‘ego’， the lessons Donda instilled in him and how he made his way into the music industry。 She even uses lyrics of his when relevant， to show where the influence for his lines specifically came from。A really fun auto-biography and quite bittersweet being read 14 years later。 Donda seemed pretty cool。 （BTW， that Kanye album still isn’t out yet， it got delayed。） 。。。more

Kevin Monisit ，

kanye is legend

Rachel Smith ，

It was an interesting book， with some interesting insights not only about Kanye and parenting， but also about the history of black culture and people in the US。 Just little things， like how a lot of black folks used to be Republicans way back， or how the term 'black' used to be considered far more unacceptable by black folks。 Definitely an informative read。 It was an interesting book， with some interesting insights not only about Kanye and parenting， but also about the history of black culture and people in the US。 Just little things， like how a lot of black folks used to be Republicans way back， or how the term 'black' used to be considered far more unacceptable by black folks。 Definitely an informative read。 。。。more

NON ，

This is too naive that I couldn't bear to read any more of it。 She's not merely voicing her admiration and appreciation for her son， Donda is over-glorifying every little thing and it's just too annoying。 This is too naive that I couldn't bear to read any more of it。 She's not merely voicing her admiration and appreciation for her son， Donda is over-glorifying every little thing and it's just too annoying。 。。。more

710anna ，

As a huge fan of Kanye West， it was really interesting to read a book about his life。 This book was emotional yet extremely funny， and shows a side of Kanye West that is often not seen。 It shows how much effort， time， and care he puts into his music and it shows how misunderstood he is。 I would highly reccomend to anyone， even those who arent fans。

Nissim ，

eh

Ramses M。 ，

Donda provides some great little known details about Kanye's early 'come-up' （like how much he earned from his first beat sales， to when he almost cried from desperation）。 She also talks about wider issues like race， child-raising and homosexuality， which provides wider context behind the West families paradigms。 I also have to shout out Donda West， for I referenced this book in my work:"How It All Got Started: Lessons in Life， Art and Entrepreneurship from Hip Hop Icons"。 5 starts if there were Donda provides some great little known details about Kanye's early 'come-up' （like how much he earned from his first beat sales， to when he almost cried from desperation）。 She also talks about wider issues like race， child-raising and homosexuality， which provides wider context behind the West families paradigms。 I also have to shout out Donda West， for I referenced this book in my work:"How It All Got Started: Lessons in Life， Art and Entrepreneurship from Hip Hop Icons"。 5 starts if there were more 'insider info' on 'Ye！ 。。。more

Sophie ，

it might be a lot to ask for someone who doesn't care for kanye to read a book all about him written by his mother， but i really do think it would make lots of people change their tune about him。 it humanizes him in a very real way for those who just see him as a self-obsessed crazy person， and the childhood anecdotes were so sweet。 these two loved each other SO MUCH and it shows。 asklejawlkfdsklewkf :'（ it might be a lot to ask for someone who doesn't care for kanye to read a book all about him written by his mother， but i really do think it would make lots of people change their tune about him。 it humanizes him in a very real way for those who just see him as a self-obsessed crazy person， and the childhood anecdotes were so sweet。 these two loved each other SO MUCH and it shows。 asklejawlkfdsklewkf :'（ 。。。more

Joseph Delgado ，

I really liked this book， but right off the bat i'd like to say i am a kanye fan which is probly why i picked it up in the first place。I see how some people could be turned away from the book due to her going on and on sometimes in the book about how she's really proud of her son，but i dident mind。I listen to kanye's music alot and how he talks about his life and family in his music， so i was wondering if this book would fill in the blanks and go into more detal， which it did。 Over all its a cut I really liked this book， but right off the bat i'd like to say i am a kanye fan which is probly why i picked it up in the first place。I see how some people could be turned away from the book due to her going on and on sometimes in the book about how she's really proud of her son，but i dident mind。I listen to kanye's music alot and how he talks about his life and family in his music， so i was wondering if this book would fill in the blanks and go into more detal， which it did。 Over all its a cute，enjoyable， and funny book about donda west's life raising kanye and a easy read， do to me not being much of a reader。 。。。more

Sarah ，

Raising Kanye was cute， funny and insightful。 It was also poorly edited and poorly written。 I believe Donda West not only wrote this book in defense of her son and her parenting style but also to show how incredibly proud she was of him。 You can feel her love for him permeating from each page of this book。 There's lots of parental advice and cute anecdotes in Raising Kanye。 A couple of topics I wish she had touched on are how did Kanye manage to develop a disdain for reading with a professor as Raising Kanye was cute， funny and insightful。 It was also poorly edited and poorly written。 I believe Donda West not only wrote this book in defense of her son and her parenting style but also to show how incredibly proud she was of him。 You can feel her love for him permeating from each page of this book。 There's lots of parental advice and cute anecdotes in Raising Kanye。 A couple of topics I wish she had touched on are how did Kanye manage to develop a disdain for reading with a professor as a mother and what were his relationships with women like， what did she teach him about respecting women， etc？All in all， it was a cute book but not a "must read" by any stretch。 。。。more

Leanne Porcher ，

This book was about how a lady named Donda West raised her son Kanye West。 i liked this book because i could relate to Kanye because we both love music。 the structure of this book made me want to keep on reading it because its in the format of a diary and not in chapters。 I rate this book an 8 so far because i really like the way how i found out alot of things about Kanye throught his life。

Fredrika Lawson ，

BOOK REVIEW FOR RAISING KANYE:I liked this book because of the character development。Donda West was a generous person who had positive goals going for herself。 she was the one who did not want any children but just wanted the best for family and herself to be successful。Donda seen her sister get pregnant at a young age and seen all the responsibilities， the time， and effort you have to put into a child。 She was more into school getting her degrees and being professors at many schools， until she BOOK REVIEW FOR RAISING KANYE:I liked this book because of the character development。Donda West was a generous person who had positive goals going for herself。 she was the one who did not want any children but just wanted the best for family and herself to be successful。Donda seen her sister get pregnant at a young age and seen all the responsibilities， the time， and effort you have to put into a child。 She was more into school getting her degrees and being professors at many schools， until she met，Ray West。 Ray was a short man who drove a non exspensive car but that didnt matter to，Donda she adored him the way he was。 They were both a match for eachother he was into his Music and Art， Donda was into her Teaching， and making sure her family was Wealthy。I noticed when i was reading Ray， nor Donda did not want any children so that was another situation they agreed on。 I love the way Donda expresses different priorities， obligations， and lessons to be learned， she has been through her own issues just as well as any other individual。 Her father， Mr。Portwood`s father left him and his family with fourty five cents and never returned so her father had to drop out of school in the Sixth Grade to help raise and feed his family。 So Donda did not have to want for much it was just drummed in her head to be someone in Life， so those are all things she took into consideration so she will never have to experience her fathers situations。Throught out the book after some time Donda decided she wanted a child but still had doubts that she would not be a good parent， so she brought it to Ray`s attention but he was still against having a child。 it took him a little time to decide with in a month Donda was pregnant and eight months later came the bright of her life Kanye Omari West is what they named their child。 His name had a powerful meaning to it Kanye meant （the only one） Omari meant （wise man） those names came from a African book。 Ray wanted his child`s name to stand out and come from his tribe and all the doubts they had as becoming parents you would have alredy thought they both had children。 They nutured Kanye with unconditional love not just material things but time， communication， trips to explore the world， and he was taught life lesson as he grew up。I felt alot of connections in this book that is a reason i stayed focused and wanted to continue reading i understood all actions took in the book and would read the second Raising Kanye if the published one。 R。I。P。 Donda West this was a very interesting， outstanding， well explainitorial book that was structured just the way your life went i would rate this book as an 8。 。。。more

Vonne ，

I thought alot of what Dr。 West Had to say about raising a creative child was correct。 But many of her ideas I didn't agree with。 Overall I'm glad she was able to express her love for her son in writing before she passed。 I thought alot of what Dr。 West Had to say about raising a creative child was correct。 But many of her ideas I didn't agree with。 Overall I'm glad she was able to express her love for her son in writing before she passed。 。。。more

nobody ，

This book wasn't bad， but i was hoping for more。 There were some interesting ancedotes and stories from Kanye's past， but not enough insights。 The book was also a little too wide eyed and niave。 There were a few great chapters near the end， that was the highlight of the book。 This book wasn't bad， but i was hoping for more。 There were some interesting ancedotes and stories from Kanye's past， but not enough insights。 The book was also a little too wide eyed and niave。 There were a few great chapters near the end， that was the highlight of the book。 。。。more

Beth ，

I bought this for a buck at a Dollar Store， or I never would've read it。 I was wary of it due to the first two sentences in the forward， written by Kanye himself: "I've known my mom since I was zero years old。 She is quite dope。" Not exactly Shakespeare。 But the book turned out being okay。 Not groundbreaking or anything， but just okay。 I bought this for a buck at a Dollar Store， or I never would've read it。 I was wary of it due to the first two sentences in the forward， written by Kanye himself: "I've known my mom since I was zero years old。 She is quite dope。" Not exactly Shakespeare。 But the book turned out being okay。 Not groundbreaking or anything， but just okay。 。。。more

Myles ，

I haven't actually read this， but it looks great。 I haven't actually read this， but it looks great。 。。。more

Greg （prince） Bandy ，

Raising Kanye West is one of my favorite books。 Maybe my favorite for now。 Kanye West as a rapper is my favorite and after reading this book and learning what kind of person he is he sounds like a real cool guy。 From watching tv and listening to radio the media makes kanye west sound like a real arrogant and stuck up person。 What i have learned from this book is that he is not the arrogant conceited person that everyone thinks he is， but he just has a really confident personality and he had to Raising Kanye West is one of my favorite books。 Maybe my favorite for now。 Kanye West as a rapper is my favorite and after reading this book and learning what kind of person he is he sounds like a real cool guy。 From watching tv and listening to radio the media makes kanye west sound like a real arrogant and stuck up person。 What i have learned from this book is that he is not the arrogant conceited person that everyone thinks he is， but he just has a really confident personality and he had to belive in himself because a lot of people doubted him。 Kanye West also did a lot of charity for new orleans when hurricane catrina hit he even offered to speak at a red cross convention and that is really thoughtful and warm hearted of him。 。。。more

Shari ，

This was one of the first books I read this summer。 I wanted to find out how Kanye became the person he is today。When I finished it I realized that Kanye and I are very similar。 We're both ambitious and want to be the best in what we do。 He's just more vocal about it than I am。 ;-）This book is a great way to find out about the man behind the music。 I think it's also a great read for moms， so be sure to pick her up a copy too。 This was one of the first books I read this summer。 I wanted to find out how Kanye became the person he is today。When I finished it I realized that Kanye and I are very similar。 We're both ambitious and want to be the best in what we do。 He's just more vocal about it than I am。 ;-）This book is a great way to find out about the man behind the music。 I think it's also a great read for moms， so be sure to pick her up a copy too。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Raising Kanye

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Raising Kanye&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Raising Kanye&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0