My Name Is Barbra (book)

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My Name Is Barbra
My Name Is Barbra book cover.jpeg
Author Barbra Streisand
LanguageEnglish
Genre Autobiography
Publisher Viking Press
Publication date
November 7, 2023
Publication placeUnited States
Pages970
ISBN 9780525429524
OCLC 1380998376

My Name Is Barbra is the autobiography of American entertainer Barbra Streisand. [1] Released on November 7, 2023, the memoir spans 970 pages, while the audiobook, read by the author, exceeds 48 hours. [2] Generally lauded for sparing no detail, [3] [4] reviews recognized Streisand as "the architect of her persona and performance." [5]

Contents

Background

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, while an editor at Doubleday, sought to publish Streisand's memoir in 1984. [6] Streisand rejected the offer, feeling her age of 42 was too young, with more to achieve in her future. [6] Streisand subsequently began making notes, then started a journal in longhand in 1999. [6] [7]

Viking Press announced in May 2015 that they would publish the long-awaited memoir, spanning Streisand's entire life and career, which was planned for release in 2017. [8]

Publication

The book's November 2023 release lacks an index, [9] as Streisand hoped readers would engage with the book from beginning to end without browsing for specifics. [6]

Streisand's audiobook recording includes ad-libs that vary from the written text, resulting in a "natural, intimate spoken narrative." [10]

Reception

Before its release, My Name Is Barbra became a bestseller during presales in February 2023. [11] Following its publication, book sales topped Amazon.com charts, [12] with overall US sales exceeding 55,000 copies during its first week. [13] The book debuted at #2 on the New York Times Bestseller list. [14]

Interview magazine subsequently compiled an index to the book's contents. [15]

Streisand's lavish accounts of wardrobe and style details spurred a dedicated fashion interview. [16]

The audiobook earned Streisand a nomination for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. [17] [18]

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References

  1. ↑ Knight, Lucy (February 7, 2023). "Barbra Streisand to publish her first memoir". The Guardian.
  2. ↑ Bayard, Louis (November 7, 2023). "Barbra Streisand's memoir is long and dishy. Here are the highlights". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  3. ↑ Kaplan, Ilana (November 7, 2023). "Love affairs, the diva thing and that nose: Takeaways from Barbra Streisand's huge memoir". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  4. ↑ Morris, Wesley (November 7, 2023). "Barbra Streisand Is Ready to Tell All. Pull Up a Seat". The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  5. ↑ Luse, Brittany (November 7, 2023). "Barbra Streisand's memoir shows she wasn't born a leading lady—she made herself one". NPR. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Jones, Radhika (October 7, 2023). "Malibu Barbra: Inside Barbra Streisand's World". Vanity Fair . Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  7. ↑ People , September 29, 2014, issue
  8. ↑ "Barbra Streisand Memoir Coming in 2017". May 20, 2015. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  9. ↑ Jacobs, Alexandra (November 7, 2023). "Her Name Is Barbra, but It Wasn't Always". The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  10. ↑ Woolfe, Zachary (February 23, 2024). "Audiobook Review: 'My Name Is Barbra,' by Barbra Streisand". The New York Times.
  11. ↑ Roeloffs, Mary Whitfill (November 7, 2023). "Which Celebrity Memoir Sold The Most In 2023—And Which Didn't". Forbes. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  12. ↑ Johnston, Rylee (November 8, 2023). "Barbra Streisand's Memoir Reaches No. 1: Here's Where to Buy It on Sale". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  13. ↑ Milliot, Jim (November 16, 2023). "Rebecca Yarros Rescued Print Book Sales Last Week". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Hardcover Nonfiction". The New York Times . November 26, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  15. ↑ Hopf, Andrew (November 20, 2023). "An Index of Everything (and Everyone) Mentioned in Barbra Streisand's Memoir". Interview Magazine. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
  16. ↑ La Ferla, Ruth (December 25, 2023). "Barbra Streisand Talks Personal Style and Her Memoir". The New York Times. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  17. ↑ "2025 GRAMMYs: See The OFFICIAL Full Nominations List | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  18. ↑ Willman, Chris (November 8, 2024). "Grammy Nominations 2025: Beyonce Leads With 11 Nods as Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX Are Among Top Nominees". Variety. Retrieved November 8, 2024.

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