Cicely Tyson

The Academy, Tony, and Emmy Award-winning actor and trailblazer tells her stunning story, looking back at her life and six-decade career.

A Memoir

Just As I Am

“In her long and extraordinary career, Cicely Tyson has not only succeeded as an actor, she has shaped the course of history.” –President Barack Obama, 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony “Just as I Am is my truth. It is me, plain and unvarnished, with the glitter and garland set aside. In these pages, I am indeed Cicely, the actress who has been blessed to grace the stage and screen for six decades. Yet I am also the church girl who once rarely spoke a word. I am the teenager who sought solace in the verses of the old hymn for which this book is named. I am a daughter and a mother, a sister and a friend. I am an observer of human nature and the dreamer of audacious dreams. I am a woman who has hurt as immeasurably as I have loved, a child of God divinely guided by his hand. And here in my ninth decade, I am a woman who, at long last, has something meaningful to say.” –Cicely Tyson

Just as I Am

Fraser Simons

What a history, honestly. One of the earliest memories I have is my mom and dad making a fuss over, probably a second televising of Roots; setting my brother and I down in a mandatory viewing, something I don’t think had ever occurred. What seemed annoying at the time for prepubescent boy what a formative experience, so my parents obviously knew what they were doing. 

Tyson mentions that out of all her portrayals people approach her mentioning Roots the most often. I believe it. Tyson is ingrained in history to a faceted degree. Knowing this, I also had absolutely no idea she was married to Miles Davis. 

This is an interesting memoir because, unlike most, it is not rooted in a specific theme, particular life trajectory, or anything at all. It’s mostly straight forward and chronological with the odd peppering of anecdotes. It is also very conversational and both of these lend the text as a whole ungrounded qualities that felt less interesting because of the narration, which often didn’t jibe with the authorial voice.

Tyson describes getting into a part so fervently that a “hump” appeared as if by magic, as her body inhabited the roll. And after the part was played, it similarly magically disappeared, and a body shaping mold thing was never needed, as many assumed was used, apparently. The interesting thing to me about this was the quality of that recollection is pretty matter-of-fact, and I was wondering to myself, How could it feel to lose yourself to a part so much so that your own body is coopted by that headspace? 

There is also a pretty heavy amount of proselytizing, which I didn’t expect. Tyson had a firm belief in god and her place in the world via that lens. She also goes into bouts of speaking on prophetic dreams and a strong sixth sense that has her characterize her life as a sort of moving through Gods’ channel, yet with a degree of agency that seems like it’d be at odds with it. 

But the largest characters in life are always contradictory, I find. When things line up too well, those are the stories that feel incongruent with a human experience, imo. Though, this memoir does feel like it has a finger on the scales, and you expect that, given the conversational tone. 

Either way, this is a staggering amount of years to cover. 96? Almost inconceivable. Tyson lived through so many events and thought that her staying so long on this earth was rooted in her working right up until she died. 

When you stop, you stop, essentially. 

Well worth a read, though I would recommend it in print.

Sarah Vaughan

This is the best memoir/autobiography I have ever read. Ms. Cicely Tyson had me HOOKED throughout this entire book. I devoured it whenever I had a chance to read. I loved reading about her childhood in New York and about her rise to fame and stardom, her marriage to musician Miles Davis, and the friendships she made in NYC and LA along the way. What a treat this was.

Lauren Attaway

Cicely Tyson's memoir was as captivating and one-of-a-kind as she was. I listened to the audiobook and there were so many WHAT moments that I rewound quite a few times. Cicely Tyson you are missed.

Just As I Am A Memoir

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