Rating: 
Summary: AN INTRIGUING BIO AND CHRONICLE
Review: Sammy Davis, Jr., the true "I Gotta Be Me," man was not only a topnotch entertainer but also a tortured individual according to this exhaustive biography by journalist Wil Haygood. More than simply a comprehensive biography "In Black and White" is an intriguing chronicle of black entertainment in our country.Trained by his father and uncle Sammy had no classroom education but a world of stage smarts. As a small child he mastered soft shoe and tap to become the star of the vaudeville threesome "The Will Mastin Trio." There seemed to be nothing the youngster couldn't do whether it was singing, dancing, playing an instrument or miming other performers. This energetic bundle of talent couldn't be contained. He burst upon the television screen and was soon a member of Hollywood's celebrated "Rat Pack" paling around and joking on stage with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Joey Bishop. Nonetheless, Sammy was black and they were white. He was very aware of the difference - where he could stay and where he could not. Once married to a black girl he later started dating blond white actresses and eventually wed May Britt, a union that shocked. He survived a 1954 car accident which caused him to lose an eye, and his face with the black eye patch soon became familiar. For reasons unknown and only surmised he converted to Judaism. When he told Jerry Lewis of his plan, Lewis asked, "Don't you already have enough problems?" Problems were to dog him for all of his life. Beneath the happy veneer was a wellspring of anguish. "In Black and White" is a memorable biography of a one-of-a-kind entertainer and an eye-opening glimpse of the world of entertainment as it once was. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: AN INTRIGUING BIO AND CHRONICLE
Review: Sammy Davis, Jr., the true "I Gotta Be Me," man was not only a topnotch entertainer but also a tortured individual according to this exhaustive biography by journalist Wil Haygood. More than simply a comprehensive biography "In Black and White" is an intriguing chronicle of black entertainment in our country. Trained by his father and uncle Sammy had no classroom education but a world of stage smarts. As a small child he mastered soft shoe and tap to become the star of the vaudeville threesome "The Will Mastin Trio." There seemed to be nothing the youngster couldn't do whether it was singing, dancing, playing an instrument or miming other performers. This energetic bundle of talent couldn't be contained. He burst upon the television screen and was soon a member of Hollywood's celebrated "Rat Pack" paling around and joking on stage with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Joey Bishop. Nonetheless, Sammy was black and they were white. He was very aware of the difference - where he could stay and where he could not. Once married to a black girl he later started dating blond white actresses and eventually wed May Britt, a union that shocked. He survived a 1954 car accident which caused him to lose an eye, and his face with the black eye patch soon became familiar. For reasons unknown and only surmised he converted to Judaism. When he told Jerry Lewis of his plan, Lewis asked, "Don't you already have enough problems?" Problems were to dog him for all of his life. Beneath the happy veneer was a wellspring of anguish. "In Black and White" is a memorable biography of a one-of-a-kind entertainer and an eye-opening glimpse of the world of entertainment as it once was. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: AN INTRIGUING BIO AND CHRONICLE
Review: Sammy Davis, Jr., the true "I Gotta Be Me," man was not only a topnotch entertainer but also a tortured individual according to this exhaustive biography by journalist Wil Haygood. More than simply a comprehensive biography "In Black and White" is an intriguing chronicle of black entertainment in our country. Trained by his father and uncle Sammy had no classroom education but a world of stage smarts. As a small child he mastered soft shoe and tap to become the star of the vaudeville threesome "The Will Mastin Trio." There seemed to be nothing the youngster couldn't do whether it was singing, dancing, playing an instrument or miming other performers. This energetic bundle of talent couldn't be contained. He burst upon the television screen and was soon a member of Hollywood's celebrated "Rat Pack" paling around and joking on stage with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Joey Bishop. Nonetheless, Sammy was black and they were white. He was very aware of the difference - where he could stay and where he could not. Once married to a black girl he later started dating blond white actresses and eventually wed May Britt, a union that shocked. He survived a 1954 car accident which caused him to lose an eye, and his face with the black eye patch soon became familiar. For reasons unknown and only surmised he converted to Judaism. When he told Jerry Lewis of his plan, Lewis asked, "Don't you already have enough problems?" Problems were to dog him for all of his life. Beneath the happy veneer was a wellspring of anguish. "In Black and White" is a memorable biography of a one-of-a-kind entertainer and an eye-opening glimpse of the world of entertainment as it once was. - Gail Cooke
Rating: 
Summary: a pretty decent bio
Review: Sometimes when reading a bigraphy, the author makes the mistake of idolizing the subject too much and thus leaves thje reader with a rather distorted fazine in book form. This book startes off this way and I was tempted to put it down but then a third of the way into the author presents critical analysis of Mr. Davis and the storyline is much more engaging. I would have liked a few more photos other than from the Sammy Davis jr. or firnds of Sammy Davis Junior collection to go beyond a snapshot image of this subject. This books ends on a high note by the author when an excellent critique is made. A worthwhile read.
Rating:
Summary: Great Biography
Review: The author takes you inside Sammy Davis Jr. - a performer who became almost a caricature to the public in his last two decades - with an incredibly-researched portrait. Even though the book is very harsh and truthful about Davis, the last chapters are still very moving and the humanity of the man is never lost.
Rating:
Summary: Great Biography
Review: The author takes you inside Sammy Davis Jr. - a performer who became almost a caricature to the public in his last two decades - with an incredibly-researched portrait. Even though the book is very harsh and truthful about Davis, the last chapters are still very moving and the humanity of the man is never lost.
Rating: 
Summary: A frustrating read
Review: The cover of Wil Haygood's book stands in almost absolute contrast to the contents therein. The photo shows Sammy alone, surrounded by nothing. He is literally the only thing in the picture; even his shadow barely registers. In contrast, the book itself goes to painstaking lengths to describe the world and people who surrounded Sammy - the entirety of his universe - and at the center of it all...a void. That's my fancy way of saying that, for a book about Sammy Davis, Jr., "In Black And White" contains remarkably little Sammy Davis, Jr. I can appreciate Mr. Haygood's efforts to put things in context. This, he does exceedingly well. But the book is almost entirely context; the reader can, and often does, go pages without encountering any reference to Sammy whatsoever. Example: more time is spent discussing Cuban history than is spent on Sammy's entire stint in the US Army. That seems disproportionate to me. A random ten-page sample of the book might be broken down thusly:
> 3 pages of biographical background on producer Jule Steyn
> 2 pages of background on Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier
> 2 pages accounting various social issues blacks were facing in the US at the time
> a page covering the history of blacks on Broadway
> a page of assorted people talking about their experiences being around Sammy
> half a page of Broadway folk accounting their reactions to the idea of Sammy coming to Broadway
> and then a few paragraphs that actually relate to what Sammy was doing at the time, some speculation on why, and how the people around him perceived his actions. One would have a hard time getting through this entire book without wondering at some point or another when the author is finally going to get around to writing about Sammy. As I read the book, I appreciated Mr. Haywood's skill, and I do feel I learned a lot...I just didn't learn a lot about Sammy Davis, Jr.
Rating:
Summary: A frustrating read
Review: The cover of Wil Haygood's book stands in almost absolute contrast to the contents therein. The photo shows Sammy alone, surrounded by nothing. He is literally the only thing in the picture; even his shadow barely registers. In contrast, the book itself goes to painstaking lengths to describe the world and people who surrounded Sammy - the entirety of his universe - and at the center of it all...a void. That's my fancy way of saying that, for a book about Sammy Davis, Jr., "In Black And White" contains remarkably little Sammy Davis, Jr. I can appreciate Mr. Haygood's efforts to put things in context. This, he does exceedingly well. But the book is almost entirely context; the reader can, and often does, go pages without encountering any reference to Sammy whatsoever. Example: more time is spent discussing Cuban history than is spent on Sammy's entire stint in the US Army. That seems disproportionate to me. A random ten-page sample of the book might be broken down thusly:
> 3 pages of biographical background on producer Jule Steyn
> 2 pages of background on Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier
> 2 pages accounting various social issues blacks were facing in the US at the time
> a page covering the history of blacks on Broadway
> a page of assorted people talking about their experiences being around Sammy
> half a page of Broadway folk accounting their reactions to the idea of Sammy coming to Broadway
> and then a few paragraphs that actually relate to what Sammy was doing at the time, some speculation on why, and how the people around him perceived his actions. One would have a hard time getting through this entire book without wondering at some point or another when the author is finally going to get around to writing about Sammy. As I read the book, I appreciated Mr. Haywood's skill, and I do feel I learned a lot...I just didn't learn a lot about Sammy Davis, Jr.
Rating:
Summary: Decent biography
Review: This book is about Sammy Davis as reflected through a prism of the black experience in America. I'm not sure that's the most interesting way to present the life of this great entertainer, but Haygood has written a pretty good book, especially detailing Davis' formative years in vaudeville. Sammy Davis was a better singer than Dean Martin and funnier than Frank Sinatra, and he could dance better than both of them put together, and that's why he's worth reading about. The fact that he was black man in a white man's world was only a part of his character, not the centrality of it, as Haygood presents. There is much less about the music that is Davis' most enduring legacy than one would like. I would have preferred more on his impressive contribution to our popular culture, but that will have to wait for a more definitive biography.
Rating:
Summary: Not about Sammy
Review: This is a very well written book. Unfortunatley it is not about the life and times of Sammy Davis Junior as it professes to be. It is an essay of the authors opinions of the racial troubles of the times, woven through the story of Sammy.A not so nice surprise to the readers!
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