Synopses & Reviews
Born Lyova Haskell Rosenthal in New York City, actress Lee Grant spent her youth accumulating more experiences than most people have in a lifetime: from student at the famed Neighborhood Playhouse to member of the legand#173;endary Actors Studio; from celebrated Broadway star to
Vogue and#147;It Girl.and#8221; At age twenty-four, she was nominated for an Academy Award for
Detective Story, and a year later found herself married and a mother for the first time, her career on the rise.
And then she lost it all.
Her name landed on the Hollywood blackand#173;list, her offers for film and television roles ground to a halt, and her marriage fell apart.
Finding reserves of strength she didnand#8217;t know she had, Grant took action against anti-Communist witch hunts in the arts. She threw herself into work, accepting every theater or teaching job that came her way. She met a man ten years her junior and began a wild, liberatand#173;ing fling that she never expected would last a lifetime. And after twelve years of fighting the blacklist, she was finally exonerated. With courand#173;age and style, Grant rebuilt her life on her own terms: first stop, a starring role on Peyton Place, and then leads in Valley of the Dolls, In the Heat of the Night, and Shampoo, for which she won her first Oscar.
Set amid the New York theater scene of the fifties and the star-studded parties of Malibu in the seventies, I Said Yes to Everything evokes a world of political passion and movie-star glamour. Grant tells endlessly delightful tales of costars and friends such as Warren Beatty, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, and Sidney Poitier, and writes with the verve and candor befitting such a seductive and beloved star.
Review
and#8220;The elegant theater and screen actress bares all of her insecurities and regretsand#8230;But thereand#8217;s also an intimacy and directness in how she sharesand#8212;including numerous dishy, behind-the-glam anecdotesand#8230;.Grant has lived a long, full life. While she may prefer to be coy about precisely how long itand#8217;s lasted so far,
I Said Yes to Everything serves as evidence that itand#8217;s been long enough to give her a meaty, multifaceted and compelling story to tell.and#8221;and#8212;Jen Chaney,
The Washington Post
and#8220;[N]o-holds-barredand#8230;Grant doesnand#8217;t make us read between the lines here; itand#8217;s all right there, on the page. When she was jubilant after winning an Oscar for her supporting role in Shampoo, we know it; when she was disgusted, as when a television network canceled her series without telling her, we know it, too; and, of course, when she was dismayed and bewildered and depressed when she couldnand#8217;t find work during her 12-year blacklisting, we know it for sureand#8230;.An excellent show-business autobiography.
and#8212;Booklist, STARRED review
and#8220;In this wonderful memoir, actor Grant charts her life from a childhood in New York City through her performance in Shampoo and beyondand#8230;Whether recalling the traumas of her first marriage to screenwriter Arnold Manoff or sharing entertaining memories of her famous friends, Grant does so with a with a lively, approachable tone. Though famous for her achievements as a multi-award winning actor, director, and documentarian, Grant reveals herself to be woman unafraid of continual self-reinvention. These pages tell a gripping story full of drama, humor, and hardship, offering an intimate look into the singular life of one indefatigable protagonist.and#8221;and#8212;Publishers Weekly
and#8220;[T]he resilience of [Lee Grantand#8217;s] career outlasted the 12-year period when she was blacklisted by HUAC for her political affiliationsand#8230;she became one of the most respected actresses of her generationand#8230;.Rife with appearances from some of Hollywoodand#8217;s biggest names, including an unsuccessful date with Marlon Brando, Grantand#8217;s career proves that the elusive and oft-sought-after second chance can not only be had, it can be triumphantly redeeming. An insightful, sharp Hollywood memoir that will appeal to fans and newcomers alike.and#8221;
and#8212;Kirkus
and#8220;Lee Grant's blacklist memoir is deliciously indiscreet. She has written the definitive tell-all about life on the blacklist and no one who cares at all about those dark days can afford not to read it.and#8221;
and#8212;Victor S. Navasky, author of National Book Award-winning Naming Names
and#8220;Lee Grant came to know herself as a child, as an actress, as a woman and as a thinker. I have come to know her intimately in reading her book, and am so grateful for the experience.and#8221;
and#8212;Vanessa Redgrave
and#8220;Having had the privilege to work with Lee Grant on the motion picture screen was truly a delight. Now, out of nowhere, she has written a most wonderful book about her family and herself.and#160; Itand#8217;s warm, itand#8217;s touching and itand#8217;s a book that speaks of the human experienceand#8212;the wonders of it, the magic of it, the difficulties of it, the history of a lifeand#8217;s unfolding, beautifully and brilliantly with purpose and with guts.and#8221;
and#8212;Sidney Poitier
and#160;
and#8220;Read this bookand#8212;every juicy page! Lee has lived her life and practiced her craft with reckless abandon, bravery, honesty and ultimately brutal clarity. You will want to be her friend, lover, child or student, and you will finish the final pages her ardent admirer. A ferocious and fragile woman who unapologetically states: For better or for worse, I'm right here!and#8221;
and#8212;Frank Langella
and#160;
"If there is any adventure, from love to politics, that you feel you've missed in life, Lee Grant has had it for youand#8212;and describes it here with wit, honesty and all five senses. No one, but no one, has better explained, say, the difference between the theater and Hollywood, between love and romance, or between families born and chosen.and#160; Go ahead, live a little. Say yes to Lee Grant."
and#8212;Gloria Steinem
and#160;
and#8220;Lee Grantand#8217;sand#160;I Said Yes to Everythingand#160;is heart-stopping. More than just a show business memoir or chronicle of the Hollywood blacklist era, it is a terrifying account of a gifted artistand#8217;s tumultuous journeyand#8212;both personal and professional.and#160; You will feel every jolt of terror that Grant endured, wondering if you would have been as brave. Her triumph becomes our own. Readers of this gripping book will surely reach the final page shouting a victorious and#8216;Yes!and#8217; to everything that is Lee Grant.and#8221;
and#8212;Marlo Thomas
and#160;
and#8220;Lee Grantand#8212;I have worked with herand#8212;is a great actress.and#160; Lee Grant is also my friendand#8212;a great conversationalist.and#160; I never knew about her writing talent.and#160; She has written a wonderful book.and#160; It made me laugh, it made me cry.and#160; Read it!and#8221;and#8212;Kirk Douglas
and#160;
and#8220;Lee knows how to tell a good story with passion, honesty and a good sense of humor.and#8221;and#8212;Michael Douglas
and#8220;It's so easy to say and#8216;Yesand#8217;! I loved Lee Grant's memoirand#8212;everything about it! She is direct, honest, witty and compelling!and#8221;
and#8212;Dyan Cannon
and#8220;The minute I looked at the new memoir [by] actress Lee Grant, I knew I wouldn't be able to resist I Said Yes To Everythingand#8230;.I'm afraid I pretty much abandoned everything else until I read it. Lee Grant is one of Americaand#8217;s greatest actors, most heroic survivors, a contradictory enigma one minute, aand#160;sympathetic victim the nextand#8230;.who keeps turning it all around into triumph.and#8221;
and#8212;Liz Smith
"Lee Grant's I Said Yes to Everything is a fantastic read. Beautifully written and brutally honest, she takes us through the highs and lows of her brilliant career and incredibly interesting personal life. I loved every page of it.and#8221;
and#8212;Joy Behar
and#160;
Review
"In her surprising new memoir, Goldie Hawn talks about growing up geeky, stardom, raising kids, and loving Kurt." —
People "Genuinely interesting…startlingly frank." —Sunday Times (London)
"Down-to-earth charm... Hawn can be winsomely self-deprecating." —Washington Post Book World
"Compelling and easy to read... What comes through most strongly is kindness, generosity, her fondness for fellow performers and all those with whom she worked and devotion to family. The inherent goodness of Goldie glows incandescently." —Variety
"Goldie Hawn's personal look at an unusual journey to stardom…Fans will enjoy getting to know [Goldie] in this frank, reflective memoir." —BookPage
"Positively overflows with spiritual enlightenment." —Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
A memoir by Academy Awardwinning actress Lee Grant, detailing her starring roles in Valley of the Dolls and Shampoo, her twelve years on the Hollywood blacklist, and a singularly unpredictable life.
Synopsis
and#147;Lee Grant has lived her life and practiced her craft with reckless abandon, bravery, honesty, and ultimately brutal clarity.and#8221; and#151;Frank Langella
Already a celebrated Broadway star and Vogue and#147;It Girl,and#8221; Lee Grant was just twenty-four when she was nominated for an Academy Award for Detective Story. A year later, her name landed on the Hollywood blacklist, destroying her career and her marriage. Grant spent twelve years fighting the Communist witch hunts and rebuilt her life on her own terms: first stop, a starring role on Peyton Place. Set amid the 1950s New York theater scene and the starstudded parties of 1970s Malibu, I Said Yes to Everything will delight film and theatre buffs as well as the beloved starand#8217;s myriad fans.
Synopsis
With her trademark effervescence, Goldie delivers a personal look at private and powerful events that carried her through life: her father’s spontaneity; her mother’s courage; and the joy of being a daughter, a sister, a parent, and a lover. She writes about her childhood dreams of becoming a ballerina. She takes us on a tour of her go-go years in 1960s New York City, the phenomenon of TV’s Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, her Oscar-winning debut in Cactus Flower and Hollywood stardom. She writes intimately about the challenges of love, anger and fear, and the importance of compassion and integrity. She speaks openly about her family, her partner Kurt Russell, her children; her faith, her curiosity for that which she doesn’t yet know, and her thirst for knowledge. Most of all, it is a trip back through a life well lived by a woman well loved.
About the Author
Lee Grant is an Emmyand#150; and Academy Awardand#150;winning actress and director. In 1989, Women in Film honored Grant with their first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award. Grant founded the production company Feury/Grant with her husband and is an adjunct professor at Tisch School of the Arts. She lives in New York City.
Table of Contents
Preface
Be Careful What You Wish For
Joy
Growing Pains
First Steps
Compassion
Fear
First Love
Integrity
Life's Purpose
Trusting Men
Courage
Choices
Success
Altered States
Laughter
Life's Rewards
Sisters
Wonder
Fathers and Daughters
Prayer
Embracing Strangers
Grief
Fate
Left-Handed Turns
Power
Keeping the Flame
Faith
Removing Obstacles
Going Back
Death
Oxygen
Empty Nest
Smile
Lotus
Mothers and Daughters