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Mercy, Mercy Me: The Art, Loves and Demons of Marvin Gaye |  | Author: Michael Eric Dyson
Publisher: Basic Civitas Books
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
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Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 173353
Media: Paperback
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.4 x 0.9
ISBN: 0465017703
Dewey Decimal Number: 920
EAN: 9780465017706
ASIN: 0465017703
Publication Date: January 18, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The best-selling Motown artist of all time, Marvin Gaye defined the hopes and shattered dreams of an entire generation. Twenty years after his tragic death-he was shot by his father-his relevance persists because of the indelible mark his outsized talent left on American culture. A transcendent performer whose career spanned the history of rhythm and blues, from doo-wop to the sultriest of soul music, Gaye's artistic scope and emotional range set the soundtrack for America's tumultuous coming of age in the 1970s. Michael Eric Dyson's searching narrative illuminates Marvin Gaye's stellar ascendance-from a black church in Washington, D.C., to the artistic peak of What's Going On?-and charts his sobering personal decline. Dyson draws from interviews with those closest to Gaye to paint an intimate portrait of the tensions and themes that shaped contemporary urban America: racism, drug abuse, economic adversity, and the long legacy of hardship. Gaye's stormy relationships with women, including duet partner Tammi Terrell and wives Anna Gordy and Janis Hunter, are examined in light of the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. Dyson also considers family violence in the larger context of the African-American life and how that heartbreaking legacy resulted in Gaye's murder. Mercy, Mercy, Me is an unforgettable portrait of a beloved black genius whose art is reflected in the dynamism of contemporary urban America.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 18
 If you love Marvin, You'll love this book December 9, 2009
Plain Talk (Augusta Ga)
I thought I knew a great deal about Marvin Gaye, but this book goes deep into the many personal hang-ups as well as the genius of Marvin Gaye. After reading this book, you can't help but feel the pain of an entire musical community and think ..What if. I have the same feelings about my favorite musician, Mr. Jimi Hendrix. I see many similarities between the two, with the most obvious being that they both left too early. I did not know of the many sexual problems of Mr. Gaye. I knew that he was involved in an ugly divorce that involved Barry Gordy's sister, but that was about it. This divorce spawned one of Gayes most brillant recordings that many people overlook. I implore you to go out and buy Here, My Dear. This is the album that he did to satisfy his Ex. You can feel the pure emotion as he exposes himself for the world to hear. If you have ever had problems with that significant other, then this cd will hit the spot. Plain Talk - Volume 1
 Mercy Mercy On Me March 3, 2008
Angelica M. Davis (Virginia Beach,VA USA)
Have you ever read a book so boring and pointless that you wish you could get back the hours of your life that were wasted reading it. Well if you would like to share my experience read this book. When I pick up a biography on Marvin Gaye it should be just that-a biography. What I got from this book was Mr. Dyson's views on the problems in Black America right now. And was there a reason the afterword was mostly about R.Kelly? I know he was supposed to be comparing the struggle of sensuality v. spirituality that both men experienced but come on. R.Kelly doesn't have an ounce of the talent Marvin Gaye had. It's a shame to even make comparisons (at least on a professional/artistic level) of these two men. The book was boring, sloppy and I came away angry. After reading it my thought was 'Mercy Mercy On Me'.
Save your money; buy DIVIDED SOUL instead October 22, 2007
BiggO (Baltimore metro area)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I say this because I read DIVIDED SOUL when it came out some 20 years ago, and it seems like Dyson has just read THAT book and has written an essay/review about it and thrown in some unsubstantiated allegations just to make the reading more "interesting." In short, any halfway decent college student enrolled in an upper-level writing course could have written this book. Bear in mind that unlike Ritz, Dyson didn't actually KNOW Marvin Gaye. David Ritz actually knew, worked with, and lived with Marvin Gaye, and even though there are things I could nitpick about with DIVIDED SOUL, that book is a FAR SUPERIOR read. It's far more informative and far more insightful than this offering from my favorite pseudo-intellectual.
Mercy, Mercy Me October 17, 2007
Mary Butler
It was an insightful passage of reading into the life of Marvin Gaye. Over all, a great book.
Worse than a root canal May 15, 2005
Doug Peneny (Southfield, Michigan United States)
12 out of 19 found this review helpful
I thought the Publishers Weekly review was pretty accurate. This book read like a textbook. Maybe that is because Dyson is a college humanities professor. I could only get half way through before as Popeye said That's all I can stands, I can stands no more. Now I understand why I was able to purchase this book for 84 cents.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 18
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