And it is that, and also a book about art and hope and resilience. " Sing For Your Life is certain to be billed as a book about race. Anjali Enjeti, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution It's Green's sense of pride, of his connection to his history, to his heritage, that Bergner so delicately captures in this melodious narrative for which we, the readers, hang on every word." Instead, Bergner delivers a far more nuanced and rigorous examination of the institutional forces that shape Green's life. In less skilled hands Sing for Your Life might mimic a cliched rags-to-riches fable.
"Bergner richly weaves Green's rising stardom with scenes from a daunting childhood. Roxane Gay, author of the New York Times bestselling Bad Feminist and An Untamed State We see how a young black man can sing for his life and find triumph in the most unexpected of places." In this chronicle of the life of Ryan Speedo Green, we see how a young black man can rise, and hold onto hope, despite all the forces working against him. "In Sing For Your Life, Daniel Bergner beautifully tells the story of what it means for a young man to, quite literally, find his voice.
New York Times Book Review ( read the full rave review) This is a story that captures that most inexplicable thing-the human will itself." And Sing for Your Life sheds unique light on the enduring and complex realities of race in America. Bergner illuminates all that it takes-technically, creatively-to find and foster the beauty of the human voice. Daniel Bergner takes readers on Ryan's path toward redemption, introducing us to a cast of memorable characters-including the two teachers from his childhood who redirect his rage into music, and his long-lost father who finally reappears to hear Ryan sing. Sing for Your Life chronicles Ryan's suspenseful, racially charged and artistically intricate journey from solitary confinement to stardom. Today, he is a rising star performing major roles at the Met and Europe's most prestigious opera houses. In 2011, at the age of twenty-four, Ryan won a nationwide competition hosted by New York's Metropolitan Opera, beating out 1,200 other talented singers. He was uncontrollable, uncontainable, with little hope for the future. His father was absent his mother was volatile and violent.Īt the age of twelve, Ryan was sent to Virginia's juvenile facility of last resort. Ryan Speedo Green had a tough upbringing in southeastern Virginia: his family lived in a trailer park and later a bullet-riddled house across the street from drug dealers. The touching, triumphant story of a young black man's journey from violence and despair to one of the world's most elite artistic institutions, as if The Blind Side were set in the world of opera.