
Society's Child
My Autobiography
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Narrated by:
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Janis Ian
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By:
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Janis Ian
About this listen
Audie Award, Narration by the Author or Authors, 2013
Grammy Award Winner, Best Spoken Word Album, 2013
Booklist Top 10 Biography Audiobooks
The inspiration for the film Janis Ian: Breaking Silence
Janis Ian was catapulted into the spotlight in 1966 at the age of 15, when her soul-wrenching song "Society's Child" became a hit. An intimate portrait of an interracial relationship, "Society's Child" climbed the charts despite the fact that many radio stations across the country refused to play it because of its controversial subject matter. But this was only the beginning of a long and illustrious career.
In this fascinating memoir of her more than 40 years in the music business, Ian chronicles how she did drugs with Jimi Hendrix, went shopping for Grammy clothes with Janis Joplin, and sang with Mel Tormé, all the while never ceasing to create unforgettable music.
In 1975, Ian's legendary "At Seventeen" earned two Grammy awards and five nominations. Her next two albums brought her worldwide platinum hits. But after seven albums in as many years, she made a conscious decision to walk away from the often grueling music business. During this period, she struggled through a difficult marriage, which ended with her then husband's attempt to destroy her, and a sudden illness that very nearly cost her her life. The hiatus from music lasted for close to a decade until, in 1993, Ian returned with the release of the Grammy-nominated Breaking Silence. Now, as she moves gracefully into her fifth decade as a recording artist and writer, Ian continues to draw large audiences around the globe.
In Society's Child, Janis Ian provides a relentlessly honest account of the successes and failures - and the hopes and dreams - of an extraordinary life.
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Featured Article: The top 100 celebrity memoirs of all time
The best celebrity memoir audiobooks are in a league of their own—there is no greater listening experience than a memoir performed by the celebrity behind the title. Their charisma and authenticity greatly enhance the experience, making it all the more engaging. Many listeners who would never think to read a celebrity memoir in print gravitate to the genre in audio. There’s something magical about hearing, in their own voice, the nitty-gritty of a star’s path.
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For the past 30 years, Usher has exhilarated audiences with stadium-sized anthems, innovative choreography, and dazzling charm that has made him a once-in-a-generation superstar. The Last Showman is an introspective look into the past, present, and future of a beloved global R&B icon. Usher opens up about the inspirations, heartache, and growth that fueled the creation of his record-breaking magnum opus, Confessions, while revisiting some of its most iconic tracks.
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love you Ursher
- By Amazon Customer on 02-06-25
By: Usher, and others
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Miracle and Wonder
- Conversations with Paul Simon
- By: Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell, Bruce Headlam, Paul Simon
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
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Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon is part memoir, part investigation, and unlike any creative portrait you’ve ever heard before. Recorded over a series of 30 hours of conversation between Simon, Gladwell, and Gladwell’s oldest friend and co-writer, journalist and Broken Record podcast co-host Bruce Headlam, the conversation flows from Simon’s music, to his childhood in Queens, NY, to his frequent collaborators including Art Garfunkel and the nature of creativity itself.
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A lifelong companion who will never know my name
- By scsurfer on 11-16-21
By: Malcolm Gladwell, and others
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Broken Horses
- A Memoir
- By: Brandi Carlile
- Narrated by: Brandi Carlile
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Brandi Carlile was born into a musically gifted, impoverished family on the outskirts of Seattle and grew up in a constant state of change, moving from house to house, trailer to trailer, 14 times in as many years. Though imperfect in every way, her dysfunctional childhood was as beautiful as it was strange, and as nurturing as it was difficult. At the age of five, Brandi contracted bacterial meningitis, which almost took her life, leaving an indelible mark on her formative years and altering her journey into young adulthood.
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I have almost 2000 audible books and ...
- By M. Lynn on 04-22-21
By: Brandi Carlile
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Be My Baby
- A Memoir
- By: Ronnie Spector, Vince Waldron - contributor, Keith Richards - foreword
- Narrated by: Rosie Perez
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Ronnie Spector’s first collaboration with producer Phil Spector, “Be My Baby,” stunned the world and shot girl group the Ronettes to stardom. No one could sing as clearly, as emotively as Ronnie. But her voice was soon drowned out in Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, and lost in Ronnie and Phil’s ensuing romance and marriage. Ronnie had to fight tooth and nail to wrest back control of her life, her music, and her legacy. And while she regained her footing, Ronnie found herself recording with Stevie Van Zandt, partying with David Bowie, and touring with Bruce Springsteen.
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Be My Baby
- By Ray Robles on 06-08-22
By: Ronnie Spector, and others
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My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire
- By: Maurice White, Herb Powell
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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The late Grammy-winning founder of the legendary pop/R&B/soul/funk/disco group tells his story and charts the rise of his legendary band in this sincere memoir that captures the heart and soul of an artist whose groundbreaking sound continues to influence music today. With a foreword by David Foster.
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Maurice--Earth, Wind and Fire
- By Linda Ealey on 02-28-17
By: Maurice White, and others
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Tranny
- Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout
- By: Laura Jane Grace, Dan Ozzi
- Narrated by: Laura Jane Grace
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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One of Billboard's 100 Greatest Music Books of All Time: The provocative transgender advocate and lead singer of the punk rock band Against Me! provides a searing account of her search for identity and her true self. It began in a bedroom in Naples, Florida, when a misbehaving punk teenager named Tom Gabel, armed with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a headful of anarchist politics, landed on a riff. Gabel formed Against Me! and rocketed the band from its scrappy beginnings-banging on a drum kit made of pickle buckets-to a major-label powerhouse.
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Powerful story and performance.
- By Beerarchy on 02-11-17
By: Laura Jane Grace, and others
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More Myself
- A Journey
- By: Alicia Keys, Michelle Burford
- Narrated by: Alicia Keys, America Ferrera, Bono, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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As one of the most celebrated musicians in the world, Alicia Keys has enraptured the globe with her heartfelt lyrics, extraordinary vocal range, and soul-stirring piano compositions. Yet away from the spotlight, Alicia has grappled with private heartache - over the challenging and complex relationship with her father, the people-pleasing nature that characterized her early career, the loss of privacy surrounding her romantic relationships, and the oppressive expectations of female perfection.
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Title should be Safe Version of Myself
- By Mel on 04-05-20
By: Alicia Keys, and others
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My Love Story
- By: Tina Turner
- Narrated by: Heather Alicia Simms, Tina Turner - introduction
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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From her early years in Nutbush, Tennessee, to her rise to fame alongside Ike Turner to her phenomenal success in the 1980s and beyond, Tina candidly examines her personal history, from her darkest hours to her happiest moments and everything in between. My Love Story is an explosive and inspiring story of a woman who dared to break any barriers put in her way. Emphatically showcasing Tina’s signature blend of strength, energy, heart, and soul, this is a gorgeously wrought memoir as enthralling and moving as any of her greatest hits.
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Great story but...
- By Amazing Customer on 10-28-18
By: Tina Turner
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Born to Run
- By: Bruce Springsteen
- Narrated by: Bruce Springsteen
- Length: 18 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2009, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed at the Super Bowl's halftime show. The experience was so exhilarating that Bruce decided to write about it. That's how this extraordinary autobiography began. Over the past seven years, Bruce Springsteen has privately devoted himself to writing the story of his life, bringing to this audio the same honesty, humor, and originality found in his songs.
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Me Springsteen's book moved me beyond words...
- By Ellen O'Brien on 12-12-16
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High School
- By: Tegan Quin, Sara Quin
- Narrated by: Tegan Quin, Sara Quin
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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High School is the revelatory and unique coming-of-age story of Sara and Tegan Quin, identical twins from Calgary, Alberta, who grew up at the height of grunge and rave culture in the '90s, well before they became the celebrated musicians and global LGBTQ icons we know today. While grappling with their identity and sexuality, often alone, they also faced academic meltdown, their parents’ divorce, and the looming pressure of what might come after high school. This is the origin story of Tegan and Sara.
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I'm such a big fan.
- By Andrew J Montano on 09-26-19
By: Tegan Quin, and others
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Chronicles
- Volume One
- By: Bob Dylan
- Narrated by: Sean Penn
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Abridged
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Bob Dylan's Chronicles: Volume One explores the critical junctions in his life and career. Through Dylan's eyes and open mind, we see Greenwich Village, circa 1961, when he first arrives in Manhattan. Dylan's New York is a magical city of possibilities: smoky, nightlong parties; literary awakenings; transient loves and unbreakable friendships. Elegiac observations are punctuated by jabs of memories, penetrating and tough.
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Understanding
- By Charles on 11-24-04
By: Bob Dylan
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The Baddest Bitch in the Room
- (Explicit Version)
- By: Sophia Chang
- Narrated by: Sophia Chang
- Length: 8 hrs
- Original Recording
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Sophia Chang is a badass of the music industry. As the daughter of Korean immigrants in predominantly white suburban Vancouver, she grew up shunning the “model minority” myth. Armed with a fierce sense of independence, she moved to New York City and infiltrated the world of hip-hop, yet remained mostly in the shadows of the artists she supported. With her debut memoir, Sophia Chang is finally ready to grab the mic for herself.
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Something in the music spoke to me...
- By Tina G. on 09-30-19
By: Sophia Chang
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The Beautiful Ones
- By: Prince
- Narrated by: Esperanza Spalding, Adepero Oduye, Dan Piepenbring
- Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Prince was a musical genius, one of the most beloved, accomplished, and acclaimed musicians of our time. The Beautiful Ones is the story of how Prince became Prince - a first-person account of a kid absorbing the world around him and then creating a persona, an artistic vision, and a life, before the hits and fame that would come to define him. This work is not just a tribute to an icon, but an original and energizing literary work in its own right, full of Prince’s ideas and vision, his voice and image - his undying gift to the world.
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Reminiscing
- By Bodyguard Careers on 10-29-19
By: Prince
What listeners say about Society's Child
Highly rated for:
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- Stevon
- 03-06-18
she won me over
first time author for me. I can't say I was a Janis Ian fan before I listened to this book but I am now.
Janis was always about her music, this come clear in the book. What comes clear in the book is how the underbelly of the industry comes to the fore.
All she ever wanted to do was produce music. She trusted those around her to her fault. Most everybody she knew let her down, big time. In the end they were all leaches.
It's amazing she survived as well as she did.
This is an excellent book.
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- Don
- 11-09-15
Loved it
What an amazing and unexpected life! The book is a slow starter but stick with it because what follows is a story worth hearing.
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- Lisa H.
- 02-13-18
A Poignant Autobiography
Society’s Child
My Autobiography
Janis Ian
MY RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️▫️
PUBLISHER Audible
PUBLISHED June 7, 2012
NARRATOR Janis Ian
A poignant book, written from the heart of a creatively brilliant woman with amazing perseverance.
SUMMARY
Janis Ian wrote her first song at twelve and was launched into the spotlight in 1966, at 15 when her song Society’s Child became a hit. This was only the beginning of a long and illustrious career for the young genius. Ian chronicles her 40 years in the music business and how she did drugs with Jimi Hendrix, and went shopping for Grammy clothes with Janice Joplin all the while never ceasing to create resonating music.
In 1975, Ian‘s song At Seventeen earned two Grammy awards and five nominations. Her next two albums brought her worldwide platinum hits. But after seven albums in seven years, she walked away from the music business. During this period, she struggled through a difficult marriage and a sudden illness that very nearly cost her life. The break from music lasted for close to a decade until in 1993, Janice returned with the release of the Grammy nominated Breaking Silence. In SOCIETY’S CHILD, JANIS IAN provides a deeply honest account of the successes and failures and hopes and dreams of her life.
REVIEW
JANIS IAN is revealed as an amazing woman with tremendous inner strength, who was not afraid to show us her weaknesses in this emotionally powerful book. All her creative and lyrical storyteller skills evident in her music, are apparent in SOCIETY’S CHILD. IAN reveals an uncanny amount of turmoil; molestation, abuse, theft, illness, and the IRS. It is inspiring that after all the bad, that she was willing and able to get back on her feet, and find joy in her life again. Not only did she persevere, but that she chose to honestly share her life story with us, is a gift. It’s an expertly delivered self-portrait of an amazing artist.
The audiobook includes IAN singing a portion of a song in the introduction to each chapter, and detailing the song’s inspiration. Music and biography lovers will delight in Society’s Child. The audiobook won three awards: Audi Award, Narration by Author, 2013; Grammy Award Winner, Best Spoken Word Album, 2013; and Booklist Top 10 Biography Audiobooks.
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-03-17
WONDERFUL
Love this bio!
Every time I stopped listening, I couldn’t wait to start again.
Janis’s voice and songs pulled me into her story and made feel as if I was right there. What a amazing strong woman!
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- Gerald
- 11-19-17
A true artist, captures a time its people and there effect on a real person brought to life
Eager to start Society'sChild and fed up with 1984's revolving dogmas. I it down 1984. Only to realize Ian would cover the time period. I Being born in late 1961 was not aware of the time that the book starts in but easily recognized it's effects to come.
I hungered for each new chapter and cried "say it ain't so" in the mists or each.
Being self read and adding bits of her own songs brings life, our lives to each chapter, time and Character.
I give it 5of5 in every Category.
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- Elyssa
- 01-29-14
Fantastic!
What did you love best about Society's Child?
I loved the parts where Janis played her own songs and filled in the story with music.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Janis
What does Janis Ian bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
You cannot read the book, it is specifically a audio book because there are musical sections incorporated with her story.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
If I could, I would have. I was listening to it in the car... at some points I did not want to get out of my car.
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- donna andino
- 01-22-22
Enchanting!! Ian's story much more than expected!
Loved this so much that I listened twice. What a journey and Janis is gifted with the pen and love that she narrated her own story!
Highly recommend, she's a beautiful soulful artist. Plus, she played with the best of them on tour, right during the musical renaissance of 60s and 70s music movement.
You will love it, very personal and her voice easy on the ears. She even sings on the narrative which enriches the storytelling ten fold!
five of five stars!
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- GraceR
- 12-09-17
100% recommend.
This book is probably the best I’ve ever listened to. I laughed, I cried, I got angry. Janis Ian is truly the only person who could have possibly narrated this. The way she tells her story — written and read — is phenomenal. I’ll definitely be listening to it again.
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- Kindle Customer
- 04-09-22
Inspirational, emotionally engaging, LGBTQ friendly
Loved being engaged with Janis throughout her life story. At times tears or goose bumps flowed over me. The spirt of Janis comes through in each and every chapter.
Thanks Janis
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- Shannon F
- 06-17-22
outstanding
It was a pleasure to listen to her voice and feel the power of her soul as she shared her story
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