My Life with Earth, Wind, & Fire by Maurice White with Herb Powell

My Life with Earth, Wind, & Fire by Maurice White with Herb Powell
400 pages

"With its dynamic horns, contrasting vocals, and vivid stage shows, Earth, Wind & Fire was one of the most popular acts of the late twentieth centure--the band 'that changed the sound of black pop' (Rolling Stone)--and its music continues to inspire modern artists... At last, the band's founder, Maurice White, shares the story of his success.

"White reflects on the great blessings music has brought to his life and the struggles he's endured: his mother leaving him behind in Memphis when he was four; learning to play the drums with Booker T. Jones; moving to Chicago at eighteen and later Los Angeles after leaving the Ramsey Lewis Trio; forming EWF, only to have the original group fall apart; working with Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond; his diagnosis of Parkinson's; and his final public performance with the group at the 2006 Grammy Awards. Through it all, White credits his faith for his amazing success and guidance in overcoming his many challenges."  --from the publisher

This is a well-written biography with timeless lessons in hard work, perseverance, leadership, and vision.  And lots of interesting information about one of the greatest bands of all time (imho).  I give it four out of five stars.

Where Death and Glory Meet: Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Infantry by Russell Duncan

Where Death and Glory Meet: Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts Infantry by Russell Duncan-179 pages

I have seen the film "Glory" a few times, which is based on the story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry. This regiment was all African-American (except for the commissioned officers including Shaw, who were white) and was the first such regiment to see meaningful combat. The 54th was watched closely to see how African-Americans would fare at soldiering. Many racist notions abounded, even in the North, about the capabilities and inferiority of African-Americans. These notions were put to rest (mostly) after the Assault on Fort Wagner led by the 54th Massachusetts. Having seen the film "Glory," I was keen to study more on the true events. It turns out that the film takes plenty of artistic license, which is no surprise. One example of this is that Robert Gould Shaw is the only member of the 54th Massachusetts in the film that was a real person. Everyone else in the regiment is a fictional character. Even with Shaw artistic license is taken as in real life he was blonde and in the film he has brown hair. Other examples of artistic license in the film exist, additionally. Overall, I enjoyed learning more about Shaw and the 54th Massachusetts. However, the author speculates a few times throughout the book when he does not have clear answers from his research and it hinders his effectiveness a bit.