Joan Baez, And a Voice to Sing With: A Memoir. New York: Summit Books, 1987.

Reviewed in:
Chicago Tribune June 28, 1987.
Wall Street Journal June 24, 1987, p. 24.
New York Times Book Review June 21, 1987, p. 30
Newsweek July 20, 1987, p. 62.
People August 10, 1987, p. 9

Joan is an eloquent storyteller in her second biography--insightful, funny, and often disarmingly honest. One cannot finish this book without renewed admiration for this heroic woman and the extraordinary life she has lived. Unfortunately, both Richard and Mimi come off as non-entities for most of the book. Mimi finally gets her due in a short chapter near the end called "How Brightly Glows the Past" (the title is taken from a line in her lovely ballad "Three Horses" on Blessed Are...). This chapter starts with a reunion concert for Club 47 organized by Tom Rush in 1984, but Joan uses this incident as a springboard to discuss Mimi's difficult life, their strained relationship as sisters, and their eventual reconciliation. "Mimi had no idea of her own strength and growth...All of us are survivors, but how many of us transcend survival?"

Richard is not discussed in the book aside from some passing references. From a Fariņo-centric point of view, then, Daybreak is a good source for insights on Richard, and And a Voice to Sing With is a good source on Mimi. Both are required reading for Fariņa fans.

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