My Name Is Barbra

This book is classic unfiltered, honest, candid Barbra, which is so consistent with her total career. I’ve read other autobiographies but they don’t read like this one. After Chapter 3, I thought, “Why did she wait so long to write this?” because it’s quite instructive for newbies just starting out, but then I thought, “Oh, who cares?” What is immediately notable is how funny she is. Of course, if you know anything about her, she is the exemplary Funny Girl, but her humor in this book is such a treat. The audition for I Can Get It For You Wholesale is HYSTERICAL! And it’s so “shades of Fanny Brice” with her interactions with Ziegfeld. There she is, in the dark, and the voice of Arthur Laurents booms over the theatre, Can you sing? And she’s thinking, “So why else would I be here?” Understand, this is her first audition for a Broadway musical, a dream come true for anyone. But Barbra says, “So … what do you want to hear?” And she starts with that crazy song Value. Then does I Stayed Too Long at the Fair, which clinches the deal. Producers are impressed, ask for her to come back and here’s Barbra, “But I have to get my hair done before a singing gig that opens tonight. Why can't you decide now?" In every chapter, Streisand takes you with her and you feel like you're right there in the room, on the set, in the studio, at the theatre. She has a great talent for storytelling, no matter what the medium. And she's able to tell stories from multiple points-of-view. She also owns her mistakes, owns her decisions. It’s the truth to herself that remains a vigorously consistent theme. She never, ever did or said what she thought people wanted to hear, even if it meant risking her goal at the time. That’s integrity. And of course, early in her career she lost plenty of gigs (here’s this teenager, telling casting directors anything but the standard answers). I wonder what the people who turned her town thought when she catapulted to stardom. By age 28: Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy. Who does that? Barbra I guess -) When she first met with Jule Styne (for the stageplay, Funny Girl) her initial reaction is, “I’m not sure I’m right for this.”). The story of how these discussions ebbed and flowed ultimately toward Barbra is fascinating. What’s revealing is that Marty Ehrlichman recognized this young talent when she was 18, when most people were saying things like, “she lacks discipline” or she’s kooky. Then there’s Doris Vidor (daughter of Henry Warner of Warner Brothers) who said, “Barbra is Fannie Brice.” Along the way, she does meet people that she finds very talented and important that can help her, and with these types (Jerome Robbins) she wants to impress them. But, she just can’t swerve from her creative instincts. In a Funny Girl audition, Robbins says, “You’re supposed to cry at that line.” And she says, “Sorry, but I can’t cry with these words.” Honesty trumps “what THEY want” again. Isobel, the writer, says “I agree, the words aren’t right, and they’re my words.” What is also interesting, at least to me, is that business people in show business make decisions based on the past. Makes sense, they are paid to avoid risk. But art can’t move forward if you don’t break with the past, and break what you THINK are the rules. And it’s the risk takers that show up for Barbra and reap the payoff. I mean, this is a girl who rose to super stardom during the rock-and-roll rage by singing ballads (often those that were obscure, but perfect for Barbra’s voice, style and interpretation). I guess the moral of the story is: people will always respond to talent, but it better be extraordinary. What few people understand during her early years is how self-aware she is. Why? Because people at that young of an age are not … hell, neither are 50-year-olds. But somehow Barbra knew at age 7, who she was and what she wanted to be. BTW, I hope Barbra knows her fans also tell people Strei-SAND like sand on the beach. When someone actually gets the chance to interview her, and says her name wrong I scream, My God, you can at least pronounce her name correctly? Would you say, “Here’s Emma Stones, or Julia Robert, or Brad Pidd?” Come on, people! And for the love of God, stop asking her the same old questions. The stuff with Arthur Laurents, wow. The man was cruel and manipulative, even though now, we know he wrote The Way We Were for her. But, he trashed her first album, which won a couple of awards .Barbra doesn’t just tell us about it, but re-prints the nasty letter he wrote. So, she writes back and says “I agree” then expands on his criticism. But then, Laurents doesn’t even have the decency to congratulate her on winning two Grammys, Album of the Year and Best Female Vocal Performance. Even with all the production issues, that raw talent came through and Barbra was on her way. The details she provides regarding the making of The Way We Were are remarkable. So many challenges and differences of opinion, but Barbra, the diplomat was able to mediate between Arthur Laurents and Sydney Pollack (who didn't like each other) and of course, no one got along with Ray Stark. The deleted scenes are tragic, and I didn't realize that the blacklist activity continued into the early 1960s, not far from 1972 when this was filmed. People weren't ready for this topic and of course it offended the republicans. Hence Barbra admits she understands the pressure Pollack was under to delete the "red scare" scene where Katie's college chum informs on her. The scene explains the Katie/Hubble breakup, and it's deletion was a huge mistake evidenced by the critics who universally agreed it was a confusing decision. Nevertheless it was one of Columbia's top grossing films (Pollack, in his biography, notes that Barbra single-handedly saved Columbia from going under, having done two of the industry (and Columbia's) biggest revenue generators: Funny Girl and The Way We Were. My favorite sentence: “I was a star on Broadway, but I never thought of myself as a star. (I still don’t). “

I loved everything about your book. I purchased the Audible version and the Kindle version (My dog eats books--I would be horrified if I found your book torn up in pieces). I am glad I purchased both versions. The photos I can look at on my Kindle and I get to hear your voice reading throughout on my Audible app. Your voice is soothing. It is articulate, and with such great diction. I appreciated so many thoughts through out your book. One that struck me was when you told the person to pick up the garment that was on the ground (for you to walk on). Then you stated to never do that for anyone. It showed dignity on your part for the other--you weren’t so full of yourself to walk that path. You were taking on the burden of the other, as a form of Mussar lens. Your tone brought your point to that person, to where they probably had to think and think what you were expressing and why. To me, I interpreted your dialog as the same tone expressed from keeping someone from touching a hot flame or keeping a child from running into traffic. You were letting that person know, no one should be treated as if their poop doesn’t stink. People with huge egos would have walked right over that garment. Your intent was Kavod (Respectful and Honorable). This next comment has to do with the movie ‘Yentl.’ I was born intersexed and always felt like a man in a woman’s body. As a child I wanted to play with boy’s toys. I have an identical twin and she supports DeSantis and all of his hate toward LGBT+ persons. I can’t go to Florida to use a bathroom, no one is immune to being arrested if someone wanted to make someone’s day miserable. I’d have to worry if some medical professional would step away and let me die, because they have laws that protect them. Deep down my twin is hurt that I no longer look pretty and like her. I watched Yentl many times when the videotape came out. I identified with wanting more and not being expected to darn my husband’s socks. We were in the Army at the time that I watched Yentl in a movie theatre. I told my husband many times to take care of his issues by himself. I wasn’t about to take over where his mother left off. I married to hide my then lesbianism. I married to get out of the barracks, and to have a child. My son is going on 39, is gay, and the most wonderful human. It wasn’t until I learned I had cervical cancer that I had my female reproductive organs removed. As a part of cancer surgery, they send everything to pathology to make sure nothing has spread. That is when I learned my left ovary that never released an ovum, couldn’t because it was an ovotestee. Medically, I was a true hermaphrodite (Intersexed is the correct term these days). I loved Yentl so much that I name a red Dachshund-- ‘Avigdor’ and a red and white Jack Russell--Esther Hadass. May they rest in peace. As for your event with the Jewish Medium, it was as if the floor was the ‘Ouija Board’ and the table the ‘planchette.’ I believe you were given that message from your father. What I learned from you and this book is this... You write the way you would speak. It was so personal, revealing, vulnerable, and your absolute truth. I admire that. You would tell people what you thought, but with no malice. You took the time to figure out what was going on in order to fix it and move on. You are brilliant in so many ways--your attention to detail. You question everything. The little things do matter. You are not afraid of a ‘Chain of Command.’ You aren’t afraid to ask, ‘Why?’ Or to say, ‘No, I won’t do that.’ Not to be stubborn, but because it is the right thing to do in the moment. It was not about pumping your ego. I like that. I did that too in the military-- ‘Where is it written?’ I am now living as a Trans masculine human being. My own rabbi went along with a woman that called me creepy a couple of times in front of the entire congregation. When we had a Zoom meeting about it, they both basically said if I didn’t look the way I did, no one would bully me. I paused then asked them, ‘How would a blind person see me?’ At the end of the meeting I stated, ‘This is exactly why I like dogs more than people. Dogs have never treated me the way people have.’ I won’t step foot back into that building. If someone asks if I am a woman or a man, I say, ‘Yes’ and smile. I sound like a woman, have small feet, small hands; I’m losing my hair off of my head, and have a full beard. I am very happy being my authentic self as G-d has made me. I am a Jew, but I no longer go to shul. I light Shabbat candles. I dropped the given name ‘Sharon’ and legally had my birth certificate changed to ‘male’ and the name of ‘Anshel’ as my permanent first name. My struggle wasn’t with what Singer’s ‘Anshel’ was struggling with--being able to study Torah and having to live as a man to do so, my struggle was as a woman or a man, I felt a depth that I couldn’t express. I didn’t have the words. I literally was born both female and male. Thank you for being a model of risk taking, standing your ground, and pursuing anything that has a strong message for everyone. What you are doing is a mitzvah. You are an incredible author, singer, songwriter, actress, and mensch. Anshel Bomberger Georgetown, CO

I have always followed Barbra mainly as a singer, not so much in her films. In this autobiography, she explains that she is a perfectionist and her writing is faithful proof of it. The book is carefully written; no details are missing, and I'm amazed by her brilliant memory. She remembers everything from so many years of her career, which has been spectacular. I understand that she is a person who cannot be still; she must be doing always all the time to be better and to experience new projects. The only thing that I did not like completely is that the book is far too long, and the last part of it, when it deals with politics, I wanted it to be over. A very good book by a great actress and singer.

Hot Toasty Rag Review of 'My Name Is Barbra' “It’s only the best fruit the birds pick at.” Although not said by Barbra Streisand, the above quote from Bette Davis (written to Ms. Streisand after she received harsh words from others) sums up the unwarranted criticism of this immensely talented lady. I was probably a unique reader (unfortunately) and hadn’t heard any bad rumors about Ms. Streisand. I’d seen most of her films, listened to her Christmas album every year since its release, and her warmth and sensitivity immediately made an impression. I never thought she was unreasonable, difficult, egotistical, or didn’t know her place. My heart aches for her that she’s been criticized for decades and that untrue stories were circulated. A good portion of her memoir is dedicated to correcting those stories and telling the truth. Truth is very important to the authoress, and when we read how lies and betrayals were commonplace in her both her professional and personal lives, it’s quite painful. As I wrote in my fan letter, the honesty in her writing makes it easy to hope when she struggles, beam when she triumphs, appreciate her dedication, pain when she sorrows, and rejoice when she finally finds the love of her life. Ms. Streisand is an incredibly sensitive and deep-feeling woman. She’s intelligent and naturally gifted. It was surprising to me to learn that she’s never had a voice lesson in her life – especially since my mom had told me the story of a woman who claimed to be Ms. Streisand’s voice teacher! Yet another example of people taking advantage of Ms. Streisand and lying for personal gain. In addition to detailing the life events that most readers already know about (her Oscar wins and snubs, relationships with Elliot Gould and Jon Peters, and political involvement), she also takes us through private struggles and intimate sorrows. She’s quick to explain her remarks that were either taken out of context or misinterpreted. From walking out on Celine Dion’s performance due to a medical emergency to deliberately editing interview footage to twist her words against her, it’s incredible how many people attacked her because they had issues within themselves and didn’t care what damage would be done to an innocent woman. On a positive note, everything Ms. Streisand develops an interest in becomes a passion and success. Had she not become an actress (or singer or director or producer or writer or activist), she would have excelled in any number of other fields. Her love of food will leave you hungry; her respect for history will leave you thirsty for knowledge. She dabbles in the stock market, she knows how to mix sound tracks and edit video footage, and she even does her own makeup in every single film. And to top it off, everything she does, she does passionately and impeccably well. As a film production major (with an emphasis in editing), I appreciated her dedication to her films, and her ingenious method of taping a copy of the dailies on her camcorder so she could review the footage at home without adding to the budget or lab time. She’s the kind of person who’s constantly learning – and constantly loving. Reading about her love of little English tea sandwiches brought such a smile to my face. Although she has great moments of insecurity and can be her own worst critic, she still finds joy in all the little things. And what a memory! She remembers what she ate, what she wore, who said what, the order of her songs in her first nightclub act, making My Name Is Barbra a truly personal memoir. This isn’t a dish-the-dirt book, nor is it an I-like-everybody “tell all”. It’s a woman’s life. She has terrible tragedies and beautiful successes. She gives people their privacy, but tells us what she feels we need to know. She’s had friendships with Marlon Brando, Stephen Sondheim, and President Clinton, but she also writes about private moments with her doggies. She discusses pre-, post-, and mid-production of her films (which you’d better watch beforehand, because she reveals all the plots), the conceptions of her albums, and dreams that were never realized. (In case you were wondering why she never played Mama Rose, you’ll find your heartbreaking answer.) As an avid biography reader, I was so impressed by her collection of photos: dozens and dozens, including a full page of her favorite album covers and another dedicated to her husband. Don’t be daunted by the length; it will fly by and you’ll long for more once you’ve turned the final page. My mom and I read My Name Is Barbra together every day for a month. She was an integral part of our days, and we already miss her. Although, buying McConnell’s coffee ice cream at the store and re-watching her movies makes us feel closer to her.

WOW, WOW, WOWWWW!!!! All I can say is be SURE to get "My Name is Barbra" in EVERY form .... the ULTIMATE TRIPLE CROWN - hard copy, eBook, and Audio! It's the GREATEST GIFT from this world's GREATEST GIFT... the BEAUTIFUL, BRILLLLLLIANT, MAGNIFICENT, Barbra Streisand!!!! It's a MASTERPIECE, just like her.... SO MUCH of what I do and who I am has been inspired by this PHENOMENAL woman as she is my lifelong idol and inspiration. Listening to Barbra speak her TRUTH, theeee TRUTH, (which is the main reason she wrote the book in the first place - to dispel all of the crazy rumors out there... ) in HER voice in every form, (especially the audiobook), puts such an exclamation mark on everything, especially my heart! The very first second I got to experience Barbra Streisand, it was on the big screen when I was 14 years old in A Star is Born, and I was SO BLOWN AWAY by her performance and transfixed by her overall BEING, that here I am 48 years later, even MORE captivated! My admiration, love, and incredible respect for her just continues to grow and grow .... She's shown us time and time again through every line in every movie she's in, every gorgeous note in every song she sings, and now in every word on every page of her magnificent book, how TRULY amazing she is as we FEEL her every feeling, and I must say, I've had to take many breaks reading it because it has been extremely overwhelming and emotional for me. As an actress, she can say MORE with just her eyes than any other actor and actress can say with an entire script; her glorious voice... well, needs NO explanation because it exceeds ANY and EVERY description fathomable; and NOW... as an author, reading about her life in HER words ties everything up into one HUGE, BEAUTIFUL gift of a lifetime as her description of every amazing detail in her life transports you back in time to experience it all WITH her. Whether you are reading it on the page, or hearing her words in the audiobook, ( and hopefully BOTH), OMG.... it's just the GREATEST blessing imagineable... My heart immediately started BURSTING through laughter and tears, and ran through a gamut of emotions right from the beginning of Chapter One! I'm just ASTOUNDED by the depth of Barbra's incredible GENIUS all over again! So much of what I do in my life has been, and continues to be inspired by this MAGNIFICENT woman, and yes, "People who LOVE and appreciate BARBRA are TRULY the LUCKIEST PEOPLE in the WORLD", and I'm SO, SO GRATEFUL to be living in a world with Barbra in it! THE GREATEST STAR and GREATEST GIFT the world will ever know.... Like I said, it's been an incredibly overwhelming experience reading this masterpiece, but I've got to say that even though I thought I couldn't possibly LOVE Barbra Streisand MORE than I already do, I've gone to a whole NEW level of LOVE, RESPECT, APPRECIATION and GRATITUDE for the BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL, BRILLLLLIANT, MAGNIFICENT G-dsend she is!!!! THANK YOU Barbra, for this AMAZING GIFT of a lifetime, because YOUUUU are OUR GREATEST GIFT of a LIFETIME and WE LOVE YOU!!!!

I expected to gain insights to Ms. Streisand in her autobiography, but I didn’t expect the candor with which she writes about some very painful moments of her life. Although there is pain, the writing also is joyful and funny! Another unexpected aspect of the book is how much I learned about filmmaking! This should be required reading for all film students.

I am also from Brooklyn. And growing up (I am 9 years younger) all we ever hesrd was Barbra thismand Barbra that. So I was used to a lot of Barbra. And the book doesn't disappoint. There is lots of Babs here and I loved it. And the book leads you to listen again to her music. Brilliant. I am Verklempt.

Everything she ever thought about everyone she ever met in every place she ever was. Plus what she wore. I have loved Ms. Streisand's music ever since she began singing. Yes, I'm that old. And I wanted to love, love, love this book. Here are things I really liked about the book. 1. It truly sounds like her voice, her writing, her storytelling. She rings authenticity. 2. She is very, very generous in her gratitude to those many people who helped her build and maintain her career. She also often told what kind of skills or abilities they helped her refine or learn in terms of her film work. Here is the other part. 1. There was no new news. I have read her other books, biographies, and news articles about her for decades. There was nothing in this book that I hadn't seen before. 2. After the first 3 chapters, the pattern of self-defense and self-involvement becomes egregious and relentless. In every single chapter she talks about the mistakes other writers, directors, song-writers, etc made and how she would have made them better (or actually forced them to improve them.) This happened in every aspect of her movies. She never mentions mistakes she made or areas where she was wrong. Eventually this pattern emerges as a dominant theme that never ends. 3. The length of the book is a "beat down." If Streisand were directing a song or movie, she would never let it get out of hand in length. Why, then, did she think a book wouldn't be the same? I couldn't wait to get finished. I can't even imagine holding the hardback for all those hours. 4. The last chapters were rushed. Why didn't she talk more thoroughly about her current political interests and spheres of influence? Had the book been arranged differently, I would have loved her to write about the following: where and how she was her best self in her life, what big mistakes did she make, what did she learn from them, etc. Personal things. I would have liked to know what rehearsals were like. What were the thousands of hours of rehearsals like, both in songs and in movies? What does she feel is left undone? Mostly, I would have loved for her to talk about her voice and her singing. She had patterns and patterns in the decades of songs she chose. Most people consider her a singer first and then maybe an actor. I know she wants to see herself differently, but it would have been fun to her her perception of how she developed her vocal range and power. What kind of songs were always her favorite? Did her tastes change from one decade to another? This book is excellent for a carefully documented, chronological account of her life and film work if you can't find that on Wikipedia. Otherwise, it is satisfactory. Maybe not satisfying.

Großer Fan seit Kindertagen, egal ob als Schauspielerin oder eben Sängerin. Allein die ersten Kapitel zur Kindheit sind so spannend (...geschrieben/erzählt....) und laden da und dort zum Lachen ein. Zeigt jedoch auch mit wie viel Willen und Durchsetzungskraft eine Frau damals ausgestattet sein musste, um ihren Weg zu gehen. Auch vor dem Hintergrund der Familie Situation. Dazu der jüdische Glaube, der dann und wann auch eine zusätzliche Herausforderung darstellte. Es zeigt noch mal klar auf, warum sie bis heute so erfolgreich ist, jedoch vielmals sehr selbstbestimmt Dinge umgesetzt hat. Persönlich liebe ich es Biografien in Englischer Original Sprache zu lesen und sie hat viel zu erzählen..... Es schult insgesamt die Fremdsprache und durch die Kindle "Erklärhilfe" werden auch eventuell fehlende Vokabeln verstanden, meist erklären sich einzelne weniger geläufige Vokabel jedoch aus dem Zusammenhang. Ergänzung: An der ein oder anderen Seite geht es schon extrem ins Detail. Für sie sehr wichtig, da sie alles erzählen wollte (was ein Gedächtnis......), für den Leser kann das jedoch anstrengend werden, da es einem selbst eher belanglos erscheint. Ich bin jedoch immer noch froh die englische Originalversion zu lesen und parallel immer das richtig Album/Soundtrack zu hören, welches in der Biografie seinen Platz findet.

What a source of joy and nostalgia this book has been to me! When I was in my late teens, I saw Funny Girl at my local theatre and from that point forward was a devoted Barbra Streisand fan. To be taken through Streisand’s life in this detailed and highly readable autobiography has provided an opportunity for me to revisit so much of her brilliant work and, by extension, my own life as a fan. While I read the book, I took the time to listen to the albums and watch many of her movies, in some cases for the first time in years. This is a massive and exhaustive account of her life and work, but always interesting and highly enjoyable to read. An unparalleled talent as singer, actor, director and producer, Barbra Streisand here reveals herself to also be a skilled writer and storyteller. This book is highly recommended to fans old and new.

Lite pratig, men detta är Barbra Streisands självbiografi så det finns just inte mycket att välja på.

This book is a fabulous read. Even if you're not a Barbara Streisand fan, which I most certainly am. She's so honest about everything. How she felt growing up and through her working life. Her fears and passions. It's a heartwarming insight to Barbra's life. I've never read an autobiography like it. A must read.

La biografia di una stella