Summary of Cicely Tyson's Just As I Am

By IRB Media

Get the Summary of Cicely Tyson's Just As I Am in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Original book introduction: "Just As I Am is my truth. It is me, plain and unvarnished, with the glitter and garland set aside. In these pages, I am indeed Cicely, the actress who has been blessed to grace the stage and screen for six decades. Yet I am also the church girl who once rarely spoke a word. I am the teenager who sought solace in the verses of the old hymn for which this book is named. I am a daughter and mother, a sister, and a friend. I am an observer of human nature and the dreamer of audacious dreams. I am a woman who has hurt as immeasurably as I have loved, a child of God divinely guided by His hand. And here in my ninth decade, I am a woman who, at long last, has something meaningful to say." -Cicely Tyson

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Apr 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638154433

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

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Insights from Introduction and Chapters 1-3

#1

Cicely Tyson never intended to write an autobiography. She once met Barbara Jordan, the first Black woman to be elected to the Texas Senate, who told her she wouldn’t write a book until she had something to say. Cicely felt the same – her life accomplishments spoke for themselves.

#2

Yet people all around her were always telling her she should write a book. She never understood why, as she felt she’d told her story throughout her career and award-winning performances.

#3

It was her manager, Larry Thompson, who finally convinced her, or rather gave her a good enough reason to write an autobiography. He told her she was like a Christmas tree: the world sees the ornaments, but the roots are hidden.

#4

Thus she decided to write an autobiography highlighting the foundations of her life that made her the woman the whole world came to know.

#5

Cicely always knew right away when a role was hers. She felt her skin tingle