Synopses & Reviews
Intimate reflections on loving and living from an American treasure.
"My One Good Nerve draws me back into my sweetest past . . . a work of memory and art."--Maya Angelou.
My One Good Nerve is an exuberant collection of writings in the down-home tradition by that incomparable icon of the human spirit, Ruby Dee. Married for 50 years to fellow actor Ossie Davis, Dee has led an astonishingly full life. But she has never forgotten where she comes from as an African American woman. Fans who have admired and drawn strength over the years from Dee's outspoken human rights advocacy and unforgettable characters are rewarded here with many glimpses into her memories and convictions. Based on her long-running one-woman show, this book is an inspiration and a blessing.
Ruby Dee (New Rochelle, NY) grew up in Harlem and graduated from Hunter College in New York City. Inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 1989, she was an original cast member of Broadway classics such as A Raisin in the Sun and South Pacific and appeared in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing and the landmark adaptation of Alex Haley's Roots. She performs her one-woman show, My One Good Nerve, in theatres across the country.
Synopsis
This exuberant collection of writings is based on Dee's long-running, one-woman show, and provides many glimpses into her memories and convictions.
Synopsis
""My One Good Nerve"" is an exuberant collection of writings in the down-home tradition by that incomparable icon of the human spirit, Ruby Dee. Married for 50 years to fellow actor Ossie Davis, Dee has led an astonishingly full life. But she has never forgotten where she comes from as an African American woman. Fans who have admired and drawn strength over the years from Dee's outspoken human rights advocacy and unforgettable characters are rewarded here with many glimpses into her memories and convictions. This book is an inspiration and a blessing.
Table of Contents
SOUNDS IN THE DARKNESS.
Remembrance.
Three Finger Freddie.
While Waiting.
Aunt Zurletha.
Bag Lady.
LET'S TALK ABOUT LOVE.
I Just Couldn't.
Evening Lady Lament.
A Real True Love Story.
Ode to O.D.
I Am Somebody.
FALLING THROUGH MY ARMS.
The Mighty Gents.
Go On.
Owed to a Funny Man.
Tupac.
MOSTLY LAUGHING.
Humpty Dumpty.
Compare.
Some People!
Shoe Lady #1.
Shoe Lady #2.
Shoe Lady #3.
Jack and Jill.
To Pig or Not to Pig.
Honkies Is a Blip!
TRIBUTES.
For James Baldwin.
Elders and Partisans.
For Roger Furman.
The Photographer.
George Houston Bass.
Lionel Notes.
Mamie Phipps Clark.
All That Love.
Toni Cade Bambara.
Thinking about Carolyn M. Rodgers.
Thinking about Diana Sands.
For My Brother-in-Law, Bill Morgan.
Sarah and John—We Think of Them Together.
For Marvin Gaye.
CAN'T DO WITHOUT YOU.
I Miss the Russians.
The Half-People.
ISN'T LIFE PECULIAR?
Time To.
Daughter.
The Dream Droppers.
The Pain Taker.
TODAY IS OURS.
My One Good Nerve.
Time. Time.
Double Dutch.
Calling All Women.
Afterword.