{"product_id":"sing-for-your-life-a-story-of-race-music-and-family-9780316300636","title":"Sing for Your Life: A Story of Race, Music, and Family","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller about a young black man's journey from violence and despair to the threshold of stardom: \"A beautiful tribute to the power of good teachers\" (Terry Gross, \u003ci\u003eFresh Air\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"One of the most inspiring stories I've come across in a long time.\"-Pamela Paul, New York Times Book Review \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Ryan Speedo Green had a tough upbringing in southeastern Virginia: his family lived in a trailer park and later a bullet-riddled house across the street from drug dealers. His father was absent; his mother was volatile and abusive. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e At the age of twelve, Ryan was sent to Virginia's juvenile facility of last resort. He was placed in solitary confinement. He was uncontrollable, uncontainable, with little hope for the future. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In 2011, at the age of twenty-four, Ryan won a nationwide competition hosted by New York's Metropolitan Opera, beating out 1,200 other talented singers. Today, he is a rising star performing major roles at the Met and Europe's most prestigious opera houses. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eSing for Your Life\u003c\/i\u003e chronicles Ryan's suspenseful, racially charged and artistically intricate journey from solitary confinement to stardom. Daniel Bergner takes readers on Ryan's path toward redemption, introducing us to a cast of memorable characters -- including the two teachers from his childhood who redirect his rage into music, and his long-lost father who finally reappears to hear Ryan sing. Bergner illuminates all that it takes -- technically, creatively -- to find and foster the beauty of the human voice. And Sing for Your Life sheds unique light on the enduring and complex realities of race in America.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDaniel Bergner\u003c\/b\u003e is a contributing writer for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e and the author of a novel, \u003ci\u003eMoments of Favor\u003c\/i\u003e, and four books of nonfiction: \u003ci\u003eWhat Do Women Want?\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Other Side of Desire\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eIn the Land of the Magic Soldiers\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eGod of the Rodeo\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003ci\u003eIn the Land of Magic Soldiers\u003c\/i\u003e received an Overseas Press Club Award for international reporting and a Lettre-Ulysses Award for the Art of Reportage and was named a \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e Best Book of the Year. \u003ci\u003eGod of the Rodeo\u003c\/i\u003e was a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Notable Book of the Year. In addition to the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, Daniel's writing has appeared in the \u003ci\u003eAtlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGranta\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eHarper's\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMother Jones\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTalk\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e, and on the op-ed page of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e. His writing is included in \u003ci\u003eThe Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Lee Boudreaux \/ Back Bay Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50523543896338,"sku":"9780316300636","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_7c4d8e93-e8ce-407c-8fcb-ee6f3687b3bc.jpg?v=1731151362","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/sing-for-your-life-a-story-of-race-music-and-family-9780316300636","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}