I was born into the crack that split America.
On one side of the chasm was the America my parents lived in. There, the country was still congratulating itself on winning the war after the War to End All Wars. Men wore suits and ties to work, or laborer’s uniforms. Women wore stiletto heels, and kept themselves pure for marriage. Females did the housework, males did the heavy lifting. Blacks knew their place, whites knew theirs, and there wasn’t much room between.
On the other side of the crack was the America I grew up in, bounded by anarchy and a passion for truth. In that America, all wars were meaningless, born out of governmental greed and disregard. Vietnam was just the latest in a series of events to help the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. People on my side of the crack .....
Excerpt from "Society's Child - My Autobiography" by Janis Ian - Read More
This long awaited book is getting rave reviews. You can purchase it through any normal store outlet, through Amazon, or you can order it from our website, along with the accompanying CD set, for a pretty good price! Signing will not be available from the web store, but you can buy one and bring it to a concert or attend a book signing event - watch "Tour info" for more news.
“At 15 she was already breaking all the rules. In an era-the mid-1960s-when people of her parents' generation didn't speak about "ugly things" like interracial romance, prostitution, and war, Janis Ian was opening her big mouth and getting hounded offstage for singing her taboo-busting lyrics. Society's Child (Tarcher/Penguin) is the hugely readable autobiography of an artist who has lived through success and crushing hardship but knows that ‘you can't sing and cry at the same time.’ Sing on!” — O Magazine
“Fans will love the book, of course, but many nonfans, too, should find this painfully candid memoir hard to put down.” — Booklist, starred review
“Ian is a natural prose stylist with a real knack for pacing and the telling detail. What might have been a dreary catalog of woe is instead a juicily entertaining look at an unusual life in show business.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Fans will appreciate the candor with which Ian discusses these hardships and her gradual path to happiness…” — Publishers Weekly
