Book Review: Just As I Am by Cicely Tyson

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Just As I Am is a wonderful autobiography about the life of Cicely Tyson.  If you are a long admirer of the actress or you just discovered her, you will be intrigued about how she became one of the most respected performers of all time.

The book delves into Ms. Tyson’s humble beginnings growing up in New York. She was from a hard-working class Caribbean family.  She had a complex relationship with her mother and father; she was a teen mother, and she had some complicated marriages.

As for her acting background, Cicely Tyson was very choosey in her roles for the stage, film, and TV. She is most famous for portraying Miss Jane Pittman and Harriet Tubman as well as minor role as Kunte Kinte’s mother in the tv series Roots based on Alex Haley’s novel. Also, she starred in Busting Loose with controversial comedian Richard Pryor, which was something one would think was unusual because of the dignified work she was associated with.  But her role in Busting Loose was very dignified.  She played a schoolteacher opposites Pryor’s ex-con character, who is enlisted to drive her special education students to a new school.   This family-orientated comedy showed a different acting ability that Ms. Tyson mastered.

Throughout Just As I Am, Ms. Tyson informs the reader of the different aspects of her life with straightforward honesty. It was one of the most enjoyable autobiographies that I have read in a long time.

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