Strength Of A Woman: The Phyllis Hyman Story

In short, it is not a very empathetic portrayal of Phyllis Hyman, and I think that it is slanderous. First, it must be said that writing a comprehensive biography about Phyllis Hyman would be a difficult task for the reasons that the author is unable to record her perspective and explanations of the events of her life. Thus, much of the content of the book is speculation.Unfortunately, the author supplants the introspective and retrospective point of view of Phyllis with the symptomatology of bipolar Disorder and Depression, and commentary (or in other words, gossip) from her acquaintances and peers; some of whom seem to have very low estimations of her character and unsympathetic (sometimes harsh) opinions of her plight. Largely missing from this portrayal is any artistic, compassionate, imaginative or speculative representation of Phyllis Hyman's experience as herself: an American Black woman -who was born without sufficient security into a world that was and continually is abusive, greedy, racist, sexist, and violent -or in one word, inhumane. In place of any comprehensive, or relatable speculation about Phyllis' experience and its effects on her disposition and personality, the author mostly summates her life to alcoholism, drug abuse, salaciousness, and outrageous and outlandish fits. This egregious lifestyle is the attributed to her childhood -or bad parenting by the author, which is said to have contributed to her low self-esteem, mental illness, and her suspect character. Though it must be said that the author does give a general account of the music industry and its associates that Hyman encountered, and suggest factors that may have contributed to Hyman's commercial inviability. In addition, there are some accounts of her acts of kindness.However, the author seems to marginalize and simplify Phyllis Hyman's experience of the world (and that of those around her), and gives an undeveloped description of the world in which she lived. For instances, Hiriam Bullock (PH Factor guitar player) mentions that a club owner made sexual advance at her and that after this she was motivated to leave Miami. The author gave no speculation as to what effect this may have had on her, and in general no contextual threads are drawn through the book, only personal ones -that mostly propose her inconsistencies and irregularity. This deficiency of context is not masked by the intimation that her life was sealed into a vacuum of fate, that the nature of her life and death was an inevitable result of her genetics and disposition.Essentially, the author fails to make his book useful in general, but also to anyone that is invested in a comprehensive understanding of Phyllis Hyman, and her significance to culture and the human experience. I imagine that those with a genuine interest in Phyllis Hyman would expect that the book would reflect on how her experience and music as a testament to some redeemable aspect of her cultural influence, and to vividly illuminate to us some intricacies of our own experience. But, instead the relevance of Hyman's life and her work are relegated to a haphazard cautionary tale of innate mental illness (take your meds and love yourself), and thus we are given an oversimplified version of life.It is my opinion that the book was poorly written: it is somewhat disorganized and repetitious, and failed to captivate my attention (after reading the first few chapters, I skim through it, driven by my curiosity alone), and it appeared not to be edited at all. In addition, it does not tell you anything that a google search would not reveal.I think that the buy would be a waste of money and time. I would buy a CD in place of it. I paid $50 for the book and threw it in the trash. As one more out of circulation.

I had been waiting to purchase this book for a very long time. Everytime I would be ready to buy it the price would get higher because it was out of print. Needless to say it was finally brought back into print by Amazon and I was able to purchase it at a very reasonable price. I read it over a weekend and it was a good read. Very well written and researched. I was able to finally see what Phyllis Hyman was really like-warts and all. I liked that it took us through every single one of her albums and what it was like as she was recording them. The only thing that is a drawback is that some of her personal life is not delved into enough. The book does go into detail about her relationships with her siblings, relationships with men, and her team. However, we do not get an indepth report about these including her relationships with women. One relationship with a woman is detailed but it is still lacking details as to if Phyllis was a lesbian or if she just had the one relationship with this woman and-if so-why her? Other than that once you finish reading the book you are more knowledgeable about her than you would have been otherwise. It is a great glimpse into the 80s R&B scene also. Thank God for this book because it is the only in depth reporting of her life you will get- at least at this time. I'm even thinking of getting it is a gift for family members who may want a copy because we all loved Phyllis' unique voice/sound growing up and are great fans of hers. While we all know how the book will end it is still fascinating to still get to know the woman behind the music.

All I can say is WOWWWWwwwww. This book blew my away. I am a Phyllis Hyman die hard fan. Lucky to be born in an era to witness the greatness of this woman. After reading the book, I was enlightened to another side of her that I was unaware of. At some point in the book, she actually pissed me off, but I still love her just the same. This is truly a fascinating story of Phyllis that exposes her dark side as well as demonstrating her uncompromising integrity as an artist and person. Just might have to read this book again. It really reads like a never ending story. Wish she was still here. Wish Marvin was still here. Wish Teddy was still here. Her and Teddy would have created a masterpiece of a duet. Check her out on YouTube with Grover Washington, Jr. - Sacred Kind of Love...………… Get this book, enjoy it.

I watched the price of this book fluctuate over the years! The first two days I received it I held and stroked it. This book covers many years of my life and named many celebrities of that time. Phyllis was "rougher" than I ever would have imagined and I didn't know she was bipolar. I have been a fan most of my life and will never change, The book was not proofread well, I am greatly appreciative that the price lowered to one I could afford. Thank you

I'm loving this book. I've always been a huge fan of Phyllis Hyman's and this book has answered a lot of questions. I appreciate the honesty. We are all flawed beings and sometimes those close to the people being written about want to protect the legacy or the reputation of their loved ones but I don't think anything divulged in this book will tarnish Phyllis' legacy. She was an undeniable talent and beauty. I think this biography will serve as a catalyst to something greater for those of us that love Phyllis. A movie should be made about her life. Too many people don't know who she was and it's time that we change that. She needs to be recognized.

I read this book a few years ago. Having to request a copy from the local library because it was out of print. I was impressed by the author Jason Michael's attention to detail on the life of Phyllis Hyman. Also the first hand personal knowledge and input from Glenda Gracia helped put insight on the legendary Ms. Hyman. I highly recommend this book for any Phyllis Hyman fan. She is truly missed but will never forgotten. 💜

Reprinted after being unavailable for many years this excellent 'warts and all' biography is essential reading, not just for Phyllis Hyman fans but for anyone interested in the stresses and strains of the music industry and how not to deal with these when suffering from a mental illness. Hyman was - in my opinion - the finest singer ever to grace the world of contemporary music. Jazz, soul, blues, R'n'B, pop, she excelled in every way. Fortunately she left behind a tremendous body of music for us to enjoy. The manner of her passing was sad, but clearly predictable given her fragile mental state and the difficulties this caused her and those around her. Jason A. Michael's book is far from hagiographic, and some may find the story of her decline rather harrowing, but it is very well told with much detail and many revealing insights from family, friends and colleagues. Highly recommended.

I always wanted to. Know the facts about this great lady this book covers all aspects of her life I would recommend you buy this book