Divided Soul, David Ritz
Divided Soul, David Ritz
List: $13.95 | Sale: $9.77
Club: $6.97

Divided Soul
The Life of Marvin Gaye

Author: David Ritz

Narrator: Dion Graham

Abridged: 6 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/07/2008

Synopsis

In this intimate biography of the Prince of Soul, David Ritz provides a candid look at a star and a friend. Ritz had been collaborating with Marvin Gaye on his story for several years before the singers tragic death and had conducted a series of extraordinary interviews in which Gaye discussed his deepest secrets. What emerges is a fullscale portrait of a charming but tortured artist, a brilliant singer with a divided soul. Here is Marvins story, from his early years in the slums of Washington, D.C., to his rise to the top of the Motown industry, his fall from grace, his comeback, and finally his sudden, shocking end at the hands of his own father. But it is also the story of his glorious music and the music of black America over the past fifty years, an epic tale whose cast of characters includes Diana Ross, Berry Gordie, Smokey Robinson, and Stevie Wonder.

About David Ritz

David Ritz is a songwriter who has collaborated with stars like Janet Jackson and Marvin Gaye, as well as a renowned ghostwriter who has authored more than fifty books for some of the biggest stars in music: Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Lenny Kravitz, Joe Perry, Smokey Robinson, Don Rickles, and Willie Nelson, to name a few. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Essence, People, Art Connoisseur, and elsewhere. He lives in Los Angeles with Roberta, his wife of nearly fifty years.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Andre on October 24, 2011

This book was good, as good as possible, but not as good as it could have been. I believe that’s because the author, David Ritz, was too close to the subject. Knowing that Ritz and Gaye had a rollercoaster relationship that included litigation and disputes over money, there was no way I can take Rit......more

Goodreads review by LeeTravelGoddess on May 25, 2022

OKAY… UM… WHERE TO BEGIN… Troubled souls intrigue me to NO END!!! I love Marvin Gaye, I guess that’s the best place to start. I’ve avoided this book for so long because I thought I knew the story but NO GIRL, you did not! WOW. Joe Budden brought me back to this point of re-examining Marvin because Kend......more

Goodreads review by bfred on November 09, 2014

Although I've been a fan of his music since I was a kid, I knew very little about Marvin Gaye’s life—aside from the fact that he was shot to death by his own father—before reading this biography. Author David Ritz does a thorough job of reconstructing the highs and lows of Gaye’s 44 years, including......more

Goodreads review by Dawn on February 28, 2021

Still working through my thoughts but I think I can settle on 3 stars. Very interesting, but I also felt that the writer was biased. I’m not sure if having a friend of the subject write their life story is always the best option - in some cases, they feel they have to gloss over serious issues and i......more

Goodreads review by Erin on July 25, 2012

This was actually a pretty compelling book. My friend recommended that I read it because I am a huge Marvin Gaye fan, however, he passed away before I was alive so a lot of his back history for me was unknown. After reading this book, his album Here My Dear, even I Want You make so much more sense t......more

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List