Keep the Faith: A Memoir - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
It's been over ten years since Big was killed. I grieved for him for a very long time. And then, as time passed, the icy wall of grief surrounding my heart began to thaw and I began to heal. I remarried, had more children, and continued to record and release more music. I continued to live my life. And while I can never discount the time I spent with Big, I've never felt the need to live in the past.

But sometimes, I still find myself thinking about Big being rushed the hospital, and I break down in tears.

It's not just because we hung up on each other during what would be our last telephone conversation. And it's not because I am raising our son, a young man who has never known his father.

It's partly all of those things. But mainly it's because he wasn't ready to go. His debut album was called Ready to Die. But in the end, he wasn't. Big never got a chance to tell his story. It's been left to others to tell it for him. In making the decision to tell my own story, it means that I've become one of those who can give insight to who Big really was. But I can only speak on what he meant to me.

Yet I also want people to understand that although he was a large part of my life, my story doesn't actually begin or end with Big's death. My journey has been complicated on many levels. And since I am always linked to Big, there are a lot of misconceptions about who I really am.

I hope that in reading my words, there is inspiration to be found. Perhaps you can duplicate my success or achieve where I have failed. Maybe you can skip over the mistakes I've made. Use my life as an example-of what to do and in some cases, what not to do.

It's not easy putting your life out there for the masses. But I've decided I'll tell my own story. For Big. For my children. And for myself.

Customer Reviews: Read 60 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

GOTTA HAVE FAITH August 20, 2008
16 out of 18 found this review helpful

During the blazing mid-90s when R&B was still laser hot and Puffy Daddy was defining the voice of a generation, way before all the fabricated madness of reality TV shows, there was a voice constantly getting either lost in the shuffle or being completely misunderstood. I remember when Faith came on the scene. I remember all the drama surrounding her since the beginning of her public career. She was tagged as Biggie's wife in the One More Chance remix video and of course, everyone and their mama had something to say about that. Rumors about how she married him in 9 days and for money, etc etc. But I always saw something else: TALENT. Yeah, Mary J. is the Queen of Hip Hop Soul and rightly so. But the same way I feel Gladys Knight will always be in the shadow of Aretha's Queen of Soul, is how I feel about Faith Evans. When Faith dropped "Used to Love You" I remember people loving the song but also saying she "trying" to be like Mary. Which I always knew couldn't be further from the truth. I purchased the classic, underrated, and beautiful first album and knew that Faith has had something special. Something uniquely her own. As the media drama continued after the death of Tupac and then Biggie, I always wondered what Faith's story was. I always wanted to know how a church girl from New Jersey who ended writing songs in the beginning of her career for Usher and Mary J. ended up marrying Biggie Smalls, being the First Lady of Bad Boy, and survive the constant criticisms and fickleness of the industry to be an R&B legend in her own right. Well if you're wondering this too, this is definitely the book for you. Faith takes us on her journey and it's a strange, beautiful, sometimes cruel and painful voyage. I love Faith's honesty. She admits her flaws and her own endless mistakes. She never claims to be an innocent person or being above anyone. She just tells it like it is. The intimacy of the book makes you feel like you're talking on the phone with her, rather than reading it. You get lots of insight into the industry, especially the R&B scene in the 90's which I also found fascinating. I recommend this book to every fan of Faith, every lover of 90's hip hop, anyone searching for a story about a survivor whose beautiful song carries on through every note, laugh, cry, and page of this book.

5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully in Her Own Voice... August 21, 2008
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

As a longtime music journalist, who once interviewed Faith for a VIBE magazine group cover story, I have to say that the best part of this book is that it sounds like Faith is actually talking to you. The tone is intimate and conversational, and Faith is very detailed about the ups and downs of her life. The book is riveting because, not only does Faith have an interesting personal background as a mixed-race child who was raised in a strict religious household in Brick City by two distant relatives, but her path crossed with so many people who have come to define the r&b, pop, and hip-hop of our time, including a young Usher recording his first album, Mary J. Blige at the height of her "My Life"-era troubles, and Sean "Puffy" Combs as he was in the beginning stages of building his empire. (And this isn't even getting into the stuff about B.I.G., who's still considered by many to be the greatest rapper of all time.) As a memoir writer myself (All I Could Bare: My Life in the Strip Clubs of Gay Washington, D.C.), I know how hard it is to turn a series of life experiences into an engaging story. But Faith and her co-writer Aliya S. King have successfully done that.

4 out of 5 stars

The First Lady... Has The Last Word! August 18, 2008
10 out of 12 found this review helpful

This is one of the best and long awaited reads of the summer! Hopefully all the rumors can finally be put to rest! Everything is addressed; Mary, Puffy, BIGGIE, Tupac, Missy and Lil Kim. The stories are vivid in detail and at times made me laugh out loud! As Faith rubs elbows with the who's who of Hip-Hop... and even dated Reggie "REDMAN" Noble in high school! ... One of my heroes in the game! There is a real sense of honesty and struggle that comes through Faith's book while recounting her struggle for self and success. You find yourself really routing for Faith to come out on top... but I don't think her journey's over yet. Now her career as a singer can really start.

Recommendations:
-"Tupac Shakur" by Vibe Magazine
-"Unbelievable: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of the Notorious B.I.G" by Vibe Magazine

All three books corroborate and paint a complete picture of these people, those events, and that MONUMENTAL moment in music history!

The wife and widow of HIP-HOP's Greatest... Has spoken!
In her time, In her way.

Faith is to Chaka, as Mary is to Aretha... Both are GREAT SINGERS!

PEACE

5 out of 5 stars

Worth the wait....... September 10, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful

This book was a page turner and I must say very well written, I have always been a fan of Faith Evans but now I am even more admiration for her as an artist and now author, I laughed, cried, sat with my mouth wide open in disbelief at times reading this book. It took me back to the mid 90's when hip hop was at it's finest thanks to bad boy and B.I.G (rest in peace) Faith you are truly a soldier and thank you for sharing your story with us your (true fans) who waited and waited for this moment to come, keep up the good work and keep the faith. I don't care how long it took for you to tell your side of the story it was worth the wait,

5 out of 5 stars

An Honest & Engaging Memoir August 23, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Based on Faith's musical history, I figured I'd be in for a treat, but KEEP THE FAITH took me beyond my expectations. From page one, her memoir proves to be candid, moving, at sometimes sad. It's a pageturning book that perfectly captures Faith's account of how she broke into the music industry, and who she met along the way. I enjoyed reading the detailed info about what went on behind the scences when she was recording her debut album. And I sympathized and could relate to the mistakes she made in relating to various men. I actually cheered when she had to throw down a few times when certain females overstepped their boundaries when it came to her union with Biggie Smalls. And I enjoyed how her vivid portrayl absolutely made me feel like I went back in time and could see and for myself all the glorious and tragic incidents that have become a legendary part of her life. KEEP THE FAITH is highly recommended due its honesty, relatability and lessons that can be learned through her colorful life.

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