Learning to Sing

Last updated
Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life
Clay Aiken Learning to Sing cover.jpg
Author Clay Aiken
Allison Glock
Cover artistDesign: Richard Rossiter
Photograph: Eric Ogden
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectMemoir
PublisherRandom House
New York City, NY
Publication date
November 16, 2004
Media typePrint / audio
Hardcover, paperback, CD, eBook
Pages258
ISBN 1-4000-6392-2
OCLC 56413034
782.42164/092 B 22
LC Class ML420.A385 A3 2004

Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life is a memoir written by Clay Aiken with Allison Glock. Published by Random House on November 16, 2004, Learning to Sing debuted at number two on the New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction best-seller list in the December 5 issue, and remained on that list for the remainder of the year. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Synopsis

The book focuses on the people who have been most influential in Aiken's life. He narrates his many conflicts with his birth father and stepfather, and the bullying that he had to endure as a child, then reveals how he eventually learned to accept himself as he was, rather than try to conform to other people's expectations. Not merely a tale of overcoming adversity, Learning to Sing also speaks of ways in which he was positively shaped as he recounts experiences with his mother, grandparents, siblings, teachers, friends, and religion. Contrary to expectations, American Idol is barely mentioned in the book.

Reviews

In a Newsweek review (November 22, 2004), David Gates said: "If Aiken were an opera character, he'd be Wagner's Parsifal: the naïf 'made wise by compassion' and armored in his own innocence. He and his co-writer, journalist Allison Glock, have effectively snark-proofed the book by making it totally unguarded...." [4]

Entertainment Weekly reviewer Kristen Baldwin said (November 19, 2004), "Clay Aiken is far more interesting a person than a popstar and, God bless him, he's smart enough to know it. ...Behind the polite narration emerges a complex guy with a folksy sense of humor ('I was teased by other kids like it was their job') and an endearing ambivalence about his own insta-celebrity." [5]

Later editions

The book was republished in paperback edition on November 29, 2005. ISBN   978-0-8129-7410-2 (0-8129-7410-7). An abridged version is also available in audio form read by Aiken himself. [1] There are minor differences between the audio version and the hardcover edition. There is also an unabridged audio version read by Kirby Heyborne. A short excerpt from the audio book is available on Amazon.com. An eBook edition is also available for down load from Random House. ISBN   978-1-58836-453-1.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glock Ges.m.b.H.</span> Austrian light weapons manufacturer

Glock Ges.m.b.H. is a light weapons manufacturer headquartered in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, named after its founder, Gaston Glock. The company makes popular polymer-framed pistols, but also produces field knives, entrenching tools, various horse related products, and apparel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Flint</span> American author and editor (1947–2022)

Eric Flint was an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his works are alternate history science fiction, but he also wrote humorous fantasy adventures. His works have been listed on The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Locus magazine best-seller lists. He was a co-founder and editor of the Baen Free Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clay Aiken</span> American singer, actor, producer (born 1978)

Clayton Holmes Aiken is an American singer, television personality, actor, politician, and activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of American Idol in 2003, and his debut album, Measure of a Man, went multi-platinum. He released four more albums on the RCA label, Merry Christmas with Love (2004), A Thousand Different Ways (2006), the Christmas EP All is Well (2006), and On My Way Here (2008). Since then he has released two more albums, both with Decca Records: Tried and True (2010) and Steadfast (2012). Aiken has also had eleven tours in support of his albums. In all, he has sold over 5 million albums, and is the fourth-highest-selling American Idol alumnus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruben Studdard</span> American singer

Ruben Studdard is an American singer and actor. He rose to fame as the winner of the second season of American Idol and received a Grammy Award nomination in 2003 for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his recording of "Superstar". In the years following Idol, Studdard has released seven studio albums, including his platinum-selling debut, Soulful, and the top-selling gospel follow-up, I Need an Angel. He is most well known for his recording career, which has produced hits including "Flying Without Wings", "Sorry 2004", and "Change Me", but he has also segued into television and stage work. Most notably, he starred as Fats Waller in a national tour revival of Ain't Misbehavin', which spawned a Grammy-nominated soundtrack.

<i>The Dark Tower</i> (series) Series by Stephen King

The Dark Tower is a series of eight novels, one novella, and a children's book written by American author Stephen King. Incorporating themes from multiple genres, including dark fantasy, science fantasy, horror, and Western, it describes a "gunslinger" and his quest toward a tower, the nature of which is both physical and metaphorical. The series, and its use of the Dark Tower, expands upon Stephen King's multiverse and in doing so, links together many of his other novels.

<i>The King of Torts</i> Novel by John Grisham

The King of Torts (2003) is a legal/suspense novel written by American author John Grisham. Doubleday published the first edition (ISBN 0-385-50804-2) in hardcover format; it immediately debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list, remaining in the top 15 for over 20 weeks. Dell Publishing published the paperback edition later in 2003 (ISBN 0-440-24153-7). Penguin Random House released an audiobook version in 2007.

A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties. An author may also be referred to as a bestseller if their work often appears in a list. Well-known bestseller lists in the U.S. are published by Publishers Weekly, USA Today, The New York Times, and IndieBound. The New York Times tracks book sales from national and independent bookstores, as well as sales from major internet retailers such as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

<i>The Lost Symbol</i> 2009 novel by Dan Brown

The Lost Symbol is a 2009 novel written by American writer Dan Brown. It is a thriller set in Washington, D.C., after the events of The Da Vinci Code, and relies on Freemasonry for both its recurring theme and its major characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Butcher</span> American fantasy author (born 1971)

Jim Butcher is an American author. He has written the contemporary fantasy The Dresden Files, Codex Alera, and Cinder Spires book series.

<i>Dreams from My Father</i> Book by Barack Obama

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (1995) is a memoir by Barack Obama that explores the events of his early years in Honolulu and Chicago until his entry into Harvard Law School in 1988. Obama originally published his memoir in 1995, when he was starting his political campaign for the Illinois Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert J. Samuelson</span> American journalist

Robert Jacob Samuelson is a conservative journalist for The Washington Post, where he has written about business and economic issues since 1977. He was a columnist for Newsweek magazine from 1984 to 2011.

<i>Furies of Calderon</i> 2004 fantasy novel by Jim Butcher

Furies of Calderon is the first novel in the high fantasy series Codex Alera by Jim Butcher. The novel was first released by Ace Books in the United States as a Hardcover edition on October 5, 2004, followed by a Paperback edition on June 26, 2005. Orbit Books released a paperback edition in the United Kingdom in December 2009. It tells the story of a young boy named Tavi who is the only one without any fury-crafting abilities.

Bibliography of works by American author and journalist Hunter S. Thompson.

<i>Too Fat to Fish</i>

Too Fat to Fish is a collection of memoirs by American comedian, radio personality and actor Artie Lange. Published by Spiegel & Grau on November 11, 2008, the book is co-written by journalist Anthony Bozza. Lange dedicated the book to radio personality Howard Stern, who also writes its foreword. It is said that Lange writes about his "most personal revelation" in the book.

Allison Glock is an American non-fiction writer.

<i>The Stormlight Archive</i> Series of epic fantasy novels by Brandon Sanderson

The Stormlight Archive is a series of epic fantasy novels written by American author Brandon Sanderson, planned to consist of ten novels. As of 2023, the series comprises four published novels and two novellas, set within his broader Cosmere universe. The first novel, The Way of Kings, was published on August 31, 2010. The second novel, Words of Radiance, was published in 2014 and debuted at number one on The New York Times Best Seller List, followed by Oathbringer in 2017 and Rhythm of War in 2020. A fifth novel, tentatively named Wind and Truth, is expected to be released December 7th 2024, while writing for the latter half of the series will begin after Sanderson finishes writing the upcoming Era Three Mistborn trilogy and the two Elantris sequels.

<i>The Litigators</i> Novel by John Grisham

The Litigators is a 2011 legal thriller novel by John Grisham, his 25th fiction novel overall. The Litigators is about a two-partner Chicago law firm attempting to strike it rich in a class action lawsuit over a cholesterol reduction drug by a major pharmaceutical drug company. The protagonist is a Harvard Law School grad big law firm burnout who stumbles upon the boutique and joins it only to find himself litigating against his old law firm in this case. The book is regarded as more humorous than most of Grisham's prior novels.

<i>Why We Want You to Be Rich</i> 2006 book by Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki

Why We Want You to Be Rich: Two Men, One Message is a non-fiction book about personal finance, co-authored by Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki. The book was first published in hardcover format in 2006. The coauthors became familiar with each other through mutual work at The Learning Annex and Trump being impressed by Kiyosaki's writing success with Rich Dad Poor Dad. Trump and Kiyosaki co-authored another book together in 2011, Midas Touch: Why Some Entrepreneurs Get Rich-And Why Most Don't. The book discusses American economic problems including the middle-class squeeze, economic globalization, and the national debt of the United States. The authors advise the reader to gain financial literacy and delve into entrepreneurship. Trump and Kiyosaki criticize mutual funds and advocate real estate investing as a way to build wealth.

<i>Blowout</i> (book) 2019 non-fiction book by Rachel Maddow

Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth is a 2019 non-fiction book by Rachel Maddow. It is her second book and was published by Crown on October 1, 2019. It concerns corruption in the oil and gas industry and the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

<i>A Promised Land</i> 2020 memoir by Barack Obama

A Promised Land is a memoir by Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. Published on November 17, 2020, it is the first of a planned two-volume series. Remaining focused on his political career, the presidential memoir documents Obama's life from his early years through to the events surrounding the killing of Osama bin Laden in May 2011. The book is 768 pages long and available in digital, paperback, and hardcover formats and has been translated into two dozen languages. There is also a 29-hour audiobook edition that is read by Obama himself.

References

  1. 1 2 Random House, Inc. Learning to Sing, November 16, 2004, Retrieved 2009-06-18
  2. Dehnarat, Andy. "Clay’s book debuts at #2 on bestseller list, holiday album debuts strong; Fantasia at #8." Reality Blurred, December 2, 2004. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  3. The New York Times, BEST SELLERS: January 2, 2005. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  4. Gates, David. Duet of the Divas; Clay Aiken and Renee Fleming would like to teach the world to sing. A tale of two memoirs.(Book Review) Newsweek (November 22, 2004). Retrieved 2009-09-26
  5. Baldwin, Kristen. Book Capsule Review Learning to Sing (2004) Entertainment Weekly (November 22, 2004). Retrieved 2009-09-26.