Cold Sweat: My Father James Brown and Me - Softcover

Brown, Yamma; Fisher, Robin Gaby

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1613735448 ISBN 13: 9781613735442

Publisher: Chicago Review Press, 2016

Synopsis

 

Being the child of a global superstar is never easy. Being the daughter of the Godfather of Soul—that’s a category unto itself.

Like every little girl, Yamma Brown wanted her father’s attention, but fame, drugs, jail, and the complicated women in James Brown’s life set the stage for an uncommon childhood. Cold Sweat is about how Yamma rose to meet every challenge. Though packed with celebrity appearances ranging from Michael Jackson to Al Sharpton, Cold Sweat is not just a celebrity book. It focuses on an everyday issue faced by millions of women—domestic violence—and in this book Yamma faces it in an honest and powerfully moving way. Dealing with a complex and famous father eventually took a backseat to coping with her own abusive and deceitful marriage. Cold Sweat is about how Yamma got caught in the same trap as her mother, doing things in her adult life that, as a child, she’d promised herself she’d never do. But at the same time, Yamma learned valuable lessons about life from her father. The struggles she went through, both as a child and as an adult, make for a gripping read and, in the end, a profound examination of the nature of celebrity, violence, and survival.

About this title

About the Author:

Dr. Yamma Brown is the vice president of the James Brown Family Foundation and president and founder of Daughter of Soul Productions. She is the youngest daughter of Deidre Jenkins and James Brown. It is her life’s mission to right the legacy and maintain the work of her late father. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Robin Gaby Fisher is the author of the New York Times bestseller After the Fire and Boys of the Dark and coauthor of Fields of Grace and The Woman Who Wasn’t There. She is a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing; a member of a Pulitzer Prize–winning team; and winner of The National Headliner Award and the Taylor Family Fairness in Media Award, given by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. She teaches narrative journalism at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey.

Review:

“Cold Sweat brought tears to my eyes as I read the powerful story of Yamma’s journey. James Brown carried the gift of music that comes from God but also the burden of a life lived on the mountaintop. This book makes the price he paid all too clear.” —MC Hammer

“This is a provocative, painful, and open book by Yamma Brown, whom I have known all her life as the daughter of a truly historic and incomparably influential figure. The world knew James Brown as a Godfather. Yamma knew him as a father. The good and the bad that she shared does not dim at the brightness of the greatness of James Brown.” —Rev. Al Sharpton

“Yamma’s riveting book sent chills down my spine, as I understand the experience of having to share a parent with the world. Her relationship with her father reveals insights into the depths of his spirit, and her profound perspective is a viewpoint unlike anyone else’s.” —Maryum “May May” Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali

“A heartwarming and authentic account of growing up the daughter of a true music legend. So well written and engaging that it should be required reading in all schools of music.” —Cathy Hughes, founder, Radio One

“A raw and honest depiction of life behind the shadow of Yamma Brown’s iconic father. This is a must read. I am truly honored to know Yamma and so proud of the bravery she’s shown by sharing her story.” —Heather Hayes, daughter of Isaac Hayes

About this edition

• Publisher: Chicago Review Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1613735448
• ISBN 13: 9781613735442
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208