Friends: A Love Story by Angela Bassett and Courtney Vance with Hilary Beard
Essence. Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance are that rare celebrity couple who behave like grown-ups. And that’s what makes their first book, Friends: A Love Story (Kimani Press, $24.95)—and marriage—successful, while so many other efforts by celebrity couples quickly land in the bargain bin.
Told alternately from Bassett’s and Vance’s point of view, the book (coauthored by Hilary Beard) reveals their secrets to building and sustaining a strong, faith-filled union. Here’s a hint: It’s not about what happens between the sheets; in fact, Bassett made a vow to herself not to have sex while they dated.
The two actors admit they both had plenty of baggage when they began dating in 1996, after traveling in the same circles for a decade. They first met at Yale University in the late 1980’s, when both were students. Vance’s image of his happy all-American family was shattered in 1990, when he was 30. Right when his star was beginning to shine—he’d just landed a starring role in the Broadway play Six Degrees of Separation—his father committed suicide. In the wake of his father’s death, Vance promised his mother he would seek therapy. Over the next several years, in weekly therapy sessions, he conquered his own demons, including his fear of intimacy and his addiction to pornography. For her part, Bassett had grown up with little reason to trust the men in her life. From the time she was a preteen, Bassett had experienced unwanted sexual advances. Fortunately she had a close and trusting bond with her mother. When she was not quite 11, Bassett tearfully revealed to her that not one but two of the men her mother had dated were “feelin’ on me.”
Despite the sheen of the duo’s celebrity, this is no glossy romantic yarn. Friends at times sounds like a straight-up conversation between a couple sitting around the kitchen table. The candor is refreshing because Bassett and Vance keep it real: Love is a wonderful thing, but it takes work. You’ll see their hard work pay off in a happy ending that not even the best Hollywood minds could have scripted.
—Ylonda Gault Caviness
Publisher's Weekly. Happily married actors Basset (Akeelah and the Bee) and Vance ("Law & Order: Criminal Intent") trade off chapters to tell their parallel autobiographies in this welcoming testament to love, faith and hard work. Basset's story is the more compelling, moving from her poor, unstable childhood through grade school, drama school at Yale and eventual success with a clear, confident voice. But Vance's honest, charming tone carries his narrative well, relaying his struggles with insecurity and egomania as he finds early success. Both take readers behind the scenes of stage shows and major films-Boyz N the Hood, Six Degrees of Separation and What's Love Got to Do With It? among them-but focus just as much on romantic and familial relationships. Long-time acquaintances, the pair quickly fall in love once they start dating in 1996, though readers might grow impatient during the 250 pages it takes to get there. Their stories come together to tackle marriage, the trials of a two-career household and the addition of twins by way of a surrogate mother. The only real misstep comes in the last chapter, "Lessons from Our Road Less Traveled," in which the subtle theme of religious fealty threaded throughout turns sanctimonious. Otherwise, this entertainment double-bio is a pleasure, and should hold special interest for fans of film and faith. Photos.
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Venus & Serena: Serving from the Hip: 10 Lessons on Living, Loving and Learning by Venus and Serena Williams with Hilary Beard
Associated Content. "It’s written in easy, conversational language, as if they’re talking to you personally, as if you’re a friend.... Highly recommended for everyone - boy or girl, teen or adult."
Publisher's Weekly. "The powerhouse sisters who stormed the international tennis scene share tips on how they aced their way to the top in Venus and Serena: Serving from the Hip by Venus and Serena Williams, with Hilary Beard. With style and rhythm, they deliver their '10 rules for living, loving, and winning' and back them up with biographical examples ('Sister Rule #1: I don't just daydream — I build a dream team. And I don't let others steal my vision,' accompanies a stylish and flirtingly sassy photo of Serena). The siblings describe their childhood, their discipline and their mindset and will likely inspire youngsters to pursue dreams of their own." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Success Never Smelled So Sweet: How I Followed My Nose and Found My Passion by Lisa Price with Hilary Beard
Booklist. Price, creator of Carol's Daughter, Inc., a line of bath and body care products, offers an inspirational story of overcoming low self-esteem and crushing debt to develop a successful business doing what she has always loved. Enamored of fragrances since childhood, when her grandmother filled the kitchen with recipes of her Caribbean heritage, Price struggled to overcome false starts and failed careers and relationships. Finally, her journey of self-discovery helped her realize that what she really loved and what she was good at doing could be developed into a viable enterprise. She put her considerable energy into concocting scents and selling them. Price intersperses her triumphant story of business success with recipes for food dishes and potpourri, as well as sound advice on repairing debt or troubled relationships, starting a business, and boosting self-esteem. Readers interested in starting businesses or aromatherapy will enjoy this encouraging book. Vanessa Bush. Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Publisher's Weekly. "The creator of Carol’s Daughter, a bath-and-beauty-products company, presents her life story, along with aromatherapy recipes, in this lightly enjoyable read. Price grew up in a loving, strict African-American family in Brooklyn and later pursued careers in singing and television. She also ran up huge credit card debt, and wound up owing the IRS tens of thousands of dollars—at 28, she was forced to declare bankruptcy. It’s undeniably fascinating to learn how, a few years later, she managed to start Carol’s Daughter with $100 in cash; she slowly built the company—without loans or credit—until she paid off her enormous debt. With such an honest and inspiring tale to tell, it’s unfortunate that Price devotes so much of her time to describing celebrities she’s met along her road to success. A brief encounter with Prince gets a whole page, for example, but her decision to declare bankruptcy takes up little more than a paragraph. Readers might also raise an eyebrow at Price’s repeated belief that "God is in my corner" and that He employs Oprah and other celebrities as messengers to ensure that Price’s business continues to thrive. While Price does seem to be unusually blessed, this materialistic spirituality undercuts a potentially empowering message about discipline and entrepreneurship. Stronger are her descriptions of her family; her mother, Carol, particularly stands out as an inspiration. She raised not just the author and her brother, but six more adopted children, all the while fighting chronic illness. Photographs." Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.