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Society's Child: My Autobiography Paperback – September 3, 2009

by Janis Ian (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 284 ratings
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Janis Ian was catapulted into the spotlight in 1966 at the age of fifteen, when her soul-wrenching song Society's Child became a hit. An intimate portrait of an interracial relationship, Society's Child climbed the charts despite the fact that many radio stations across the country refused to play it because of its controversial subject matter. But this was only the beginning of a long and illustrious career. In this fascinating memoir of her more than forty years in the music business, Ian chronicles how she did drugs with Jimi Hendrix, went shopping for Grammy clothes with Janis Joplin, and sang with Mel Tormé all the while never ceasing to create unforgettable music.

In 1975, Ian's legendary At Seventeen earned two Grammy awards and five nominations. Her next two albums brought her worldwide platinum hits. But after seven albums in as many years, she made a conscious decision to walk away from the often grueling music business. During this period, she struggled through a difficult marriage that ended with her then husband's attempt to destroy her, and a sudden illness that very nearly cost her her life. The hiatus from music lasted for close to a decade until, in 1993, Ian returned with the release of the Grammy-nominated Breaking Silence. Now, as she moves gracefully into her fifth decade as a recording artist and writer, Ian continues to draw large audiences around the globe.

In Society's Child, Janis Ian provides a relentlessly honest account of the successes and failures?and the hopes and dreams?of an extraordinary life.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    400 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    TarcherPerigee
  4. Publication date
    September 3, 2009
  5. Dimensions
    5.52 x 1.02 x 8.24 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1585427497
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1585427499
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Society’s Child is the hugely readable autobiography of an artist who has lived through success and crushing hardship but knows that ‘you can’t sing and cry at the same time.’ Sing on!”
—O, The Oprah Magazine

“Painfully candid . . . hard to put down.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“A juicily entertaining look at an unusual life in show business."Downbeat yet oddly rollicking and compulsively readable.”
—Kirkus Reviews

"Deftly written, the life experiences described by Janis Ian in this engaging memoir gives us a peek into the anatomy of a brilliant songwriter'
—Joan Baez

"One of life's greatest pleasures is a book that you simply can't put down—one that transports you from start to finish as it elevates, enlightens, engages and entertains. Janis Ian gives you all this in Society's Child."
—Kitty Kelley

"A splendid retelling of a major life! Janis Ian is a survivor, and her book is an illuminating and inspiring read."
—Anne McCaffrey

"Janis Ian is at once larger-than-life and excruciatingly human. In Society's Child she describes great triumphs, devastating betrayals of every kind, and her extraordinary strength of spirit shines through every page."
—Kathy Mattea

"A book of surpassing clarity and truth."
—Orson Scott Card, author of Ender's Game

"I laughed, I ached, I wept, I cheered...and ultimately was totally taken by Janis Ian's honest and deeply moving autobiography: an insightful and courageous personal account of her musical, spiritual and emotional journey."
—Noel Paul Stookey, of Peter, Paul & Mary



 

About the Author

Janis Ian has been writing and performing songs for more than five decades. She received her most recent Grammy nomination in 2016, totaling ten in her career. In 2013 she won the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for her audiobook, Society’s Child.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ TarcherPerigee; Reprint edition (September 3, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1585427497
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1585427499
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.52 x 1.02 x 8.24 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 284 ratings

About the author

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Janis Ian

Janis Ian

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Grammy Award-winning songwriter, singer and author, Janis Ian took the stage at age fifteen with a revolutionary song about interracial relationships, "Society's Child." It was 1966 and the country responded with both hostility and accolades. The song went to #1, and Janis was caught in the maelstrom of a divided country. Terrified by the hatred directed at her, she left the music industry, only to return a few years later with the worldwide hit "At Seventeen." The story never ends--her songs are currently used by artists as diverse as Bette Midler, John Mellencamp, and Celine Dion; she tours the world occasionally to sold-out crowds, and she is considered one of the pre-eminent acoustic guitarists of our era by such notables as Chet Atkins.

In addition to being a songwriter, singer and musician, Janis Ian is a columnist and author. Her books include science fiction, poetry, magazine articles and opinion columns, as well as her top-selling autobiography, "Society's Child". She is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post, and her Facebook page has over half a million dedicated followers, who tune in to her "Godzilla Haiku" and "QOTD" every day.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
284 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Dabbey
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2024
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i enjoyed reading every page from this book. Have been a fan of hers forever and never knew her life story in the music business. As the saying goes Never judge a book by it's cover. It's a crazy world out there in this kind of business and I am so happy she is who she is as she is still stading and still can get a standing ovation.
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Sue D.
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Exceptional! A+++!!!
Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2022
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This was a remarkable book. Raw, honest, intriguing, funny, insightful.
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Lorinn
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant writing!
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2022
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I was fortunate to have been able to attend her farewell performance in DC on 4/30/2022. One of my favorite all-time singer/songwriters. I bought the Kindle book right after the concert and am so very impressed with the quality of the writing. I realize that I really shouldn’t have been surprised, because her lyrics have always been so beautiful and heartfelt. Her book just takes it to another level. Buy this Book!
2 people found this helpful
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Linda
4.0 out of 5 stars A Surprising, Delightful Read
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2008
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Like many of the reviewers, I was a big fan of Janis's work from Society's Child to Aftertones, and then I moved on when she moved on from the "melancholy college girl music" that sustained me and my friends during many a Tea and Sympathy filled night at our New England women's college. Janis, a fellow Jersey Girl, has been touring near me for the past couple of years but I haven't had a chance to see her perform; thankfully, I'll be seeing her at my local concert venue in November, so in preparation of that evening I purchased Society's Child.

Janis's memoir is suprisingly candid. She tells it like it was, from the highest highs to the lowest lows, from failed business relationships as well as failed affairs of the heart, to openly discussing her illnesses and financial difficulties and life's disappointments. Her openness and honesty make her all the more admirable, and I suspect many will find her story inspirational and therapeutic. By showing us that she's just as vulnerable as anyone else, she has endeared herself even more (if that's possible) to her legions of fans worldwide.

As with Girls Like Us, the popular biography about Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon, and Carol King, one of my favorite aspects of Society's Child was learning the stories behind the songs. Being a non-musician, I naively thought songs were simply plucked from the air; I really enjoyed hearing about the inspiration behind Jesse, Stars, At Seventeen, and many more.

I recently had a conversation with a college music professor. When I asked him who was his favorite female artist of the era--Joni, Carol, or Carly, he smiled and said. "Janis." I replied, "Joplin?" No," he said, still smiling. "Ian." And now I understand why.
9 people found this helpful
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L. Carstens
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read and opportunity for reflection
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2008
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Well it knocked me out. It took some time for my 52 year old brain to remember my 20's and early 30's and the drama of relationships that often goes with this time in people's lives. It really is an amazing story, hard for me to believe after reading the book that Janis actually sat in my living room and played for a group of my friends. I think if I had to do it all over again I would not even invite them, just savor the experience.

How did she survive? What spirit, strength of character and strength of mind and body Janis must come from.

It was genius to release the accompaning CD set with the book. Even though I have not gotten mine, I did pull out my CD's over the weekend and listened to them with a whole new ear and point of view. To have the back story on this incredible music opens up a whole new way of listening.

The book so speaks to a time in this country's history, and for readers my age and around that age, our own history. It may have been a quick read for me but it is staying with me long after the reading is done.

I find myself thinking about opportunities in my life that came knocking and I did not see them for what they were at the time. No regrets but oh, the lost opportunities. I truly hope the book gets the audience Janis deserves. It was great fun last week to be riding in my car and to hear Janis being interviewed on NPR, before I realized who was speaking I thought, I know that voice.

I hope I have not been a spoiler, I don't really think you can spoil this book. Many of Janis's fans are familiar with much of the material but not the feelings and personal reflections that are written about here in such depth and so openly.

All I can say is THANK YOU!
10 people found this helpful
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A. Hiniker
5.0 out of 5 stars Society's Child: My Autobiography
Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2022
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Having purchased some CD's of Janis Ian, I enjoyed reading her life story and her rise to fame. She is not only a talented singer and songwriter, but a great writer as well judging by her autobiography.
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Khalina
5.0 out of 5 stars I am now a fan
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2009
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I've never even heard of Janice Ian before I went to the Hippiefest concert in Mountain View, CA the summer of 2008. I went because my fiancee wanted to see a famous guitarist from a band called Cream. Anyhow, I think she wasn't even listed as one of the performers. Someone else had canceled and she was probably asked in the last minute to fly in and fill the concert spot.

I knew there was something unusual about the silver haired woman as she tuned her guitar and tested the mike with "More me please" looking at the sound guy with a big smile. So she started her act with a positively amazing riff. I was pretty bored with all the other acts but that riff really caught my attention. This woman can play!

Then she sang some good songs which I didn't recognize but I appreciated. But what really really got me was her finale of "Seventeen". The world disappeared. All I saw was Janice Ian on that stage in a cloud of blue and purple colors and no I wasn't on drugs. I felt like she was singing to me directly and my eyes welled up in tears in the beauty of that song.

So of course I HAD to buy her book and matching CD. I loved the book, and I really like the CD.

Janice, your story is pretty amazing and I wish you all the best! I hope you get your million dollars again with this publication. I do hope to see you perform out here in the Bay Area again as I am now one of your big fans.
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Top reviews from other countries

Stephen in CH
5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable autobiography of an extraordinary woman
Reviewed in Germany on March 31, 2023
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I'm just a couple of years younger than Janis Ian and remember vividly seeing her on Leonard Bernstein's television broadcast and on the Smothers Brothers' show, both in about 1967. On both, she performed "Society's Child", a song that gave this amazing book its title. She had written it when she was 14 and its controversial subject matter - an interracial relationship - fired up her critics, who vilified her mercilessly. At the same time, the strength of her songwriting won her a legion of fans and I was among them. Now, to say that her life, personally and professionally, has been a neverending roller-coaster of ups and downs, is an understatement. No one who knows Janis Ian's work (some of her best-known songs are "Jessie" and "At 17") will be surprised that she is a wonderful writer of prose: at times profound, often funny, and always honest. Even though I knew that the story would ultimately have a happy ending (I've never stopped following her career), this is a harrowing read and we find ourselves pulling for Janis as she experiences severe health problems, physical and verbal domestic abuse, and the challenges thrown up by a record industry that never quite figured out what to do about this strong, brilliant woman. A hard book to put down. Most highly recommended!
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Theresa in Toronto
4.0 out of 5 stars which always looks like a photocopy to me
Reviewed in Canada on October 1, 2017
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Bleached white paper, which always looks like a photocopy to me. Otherwise, as described.
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John M Fisher
5.0 out of 5 stars Fly too high - the peaks and troughs of a great singer/songwriter
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 17, 2012
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The book is simply superb, it is full of highs and lows, choices both good and bad (and some "what the ..." decisions). Whether you know much of her work or not this book is a triumph over obversity and shows how we can overcome all the difficulties life throws at us.

From victimisation by the FBI (of her parents - a sad indictment of MacCarthyism) through to her own struggles with a narrow minded petty bureacratic officious IRS representative she shows both a naivety and a tenaciousness that makes this book both laugh out loud funny, poingnant and frustration at how America treats its genius' in almost equal measures. Janis Ian's light shines throughout the book. It is a triumph over personal and professional challenges.

Maybe this is really a love story! - one persons love of music and making music that satisfys the soul! If you want to be eventually uplifted, buy this book, if you want a good read buy this book, if you want an insiders view of 60's and 70's American music, buy this book. In fact just buy the book!
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4.0 out of 5 stars Zari Harat
Reviewed in Germany on August 26, 2014
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This has been enjoyable reading. Janis is candid, aware, perky and loving. It has been a pleasure to meet her in Society's Child.
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Fran
5.0 out of 5 stars I'm being educated!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2013
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I haven't actually finished reading this book yet but recommend it to anyone who likes to know more about the energy behind the songwriter. So far, would say that I hadn't appreciated the extent to which artists suffer on their road to success and fame. Janis suffered from many disappointments and lack of loyalty from others in her life but was also supported magnificently by others who continued to believe in her talent. She also had to go through a lot of financial hardships along the way and deserves every good thing she may now be enjoying. Be great if she could do another UK tour as I've only just discovered her music and would love to hear her live! Keep writing great songs please Janis! x
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