[.ca] Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway, ... (ISBN 1416577858)

From Amazon.com:
For those interested in the hardscrabble story behind Stevie Wonder, this authorized biography fleshes out some of the facts available elsewhere. This often entertaining book takes the sporadically successful tack of telling Wonder's story largely from the point of view of Lulu Hardaway, Wonder's mother. Beginning with her migration from the backwoods of Alabama to prostitution and poverty in the Northeast, the book then shifts gears to Wonder's struggle from 11-year-old prodigy and dutiful Motown employee to the creator of influential classics such as Music of My Mind, Innervisions, and Songs in the Key of Life. In Blind Faith Wonder comes off as an inexhaustible worker undaunted by his blindness--as well as a loving son, a prankster, and a womanizer. Although he has never surpassed his artistic peak of the '70s, this book glosses over the past 20 years, offering a paean to his philanthropy and perfectionism instead. More input from the reticent Wonder would have made Blind Faith a more compelling read; instead, Hardaway's story dominates. Although well-written, fans would be better served by a biography that tells Wonder's story in a less digressive fashion. --Valerie Gregory

amazing,courageous,determined...AWE STRUCK:
Belinda Sampson, This has got to be one of the best books I have read about a child that grows into a woman with so much courage and determination in her character no matter what was put upon her shoulders. Mother to the famous Stevie Wonder or not, this woman is an inspiration within herself for all of the pain she has went through. The book speaks of a hard life, a hard childhood like that of Nightmares Echo-a memoir. It also reminds me of a couple of other books such as A Child Called It and Running With Scissors. I am just in utter amazement with this book. Pride shines in my eyes along ith the tears I shed while reading this wonderful book.

Loved It:
I enjoyed this book. So much so that I read it within one sitting. It was just that good. SO good that I wanted more info. It was good to know the REAL deal about Stevie's early life and about Lula, who really went through some ordeals. I loved the aunt who took her in but her "good" husband the "Deacon" was an out and out hypocrite. I just lost respect for him. Her 1st husband(Stevie's father) wasn't much better either. I understood her feelings when Stevie was about to be signed with Motown. You could understand why she wanted to not give him the opportunity, because of her own insecurities and limitations, yet, despite her own misgivings, she overcame them and allowed her son to become one of the most beloved musical genuises living on the planet today. My only gripe with the book is what became of the other five children she had. What did they do with their lives?? And why did they rush so much at the end with Lula's life? I would have loved to hear more though I understand one's right to privacy. All in all, a good book.

Interesting Story:
Lula's story was truly heartbreaking. She endured so much adversity in her life. Stevie's success was really a "blessing" for the entire family to come out of proverty and for her to accept the fact that his visual impairment was not a hindrance to his happiness. Stevie's story is remarkable as well. He began an extremely talented young boy that just wanted to play his music and enjoy his life the best he could. I am truly proud of his accomplishments. One thing that could have been better for the story overall is a better ending! It ended somewhere in the eighties for Stevie and did not mention what ever came of his siblings. A good read though, and gives a pretty good overview of how Stevie came to be the great artistic genius that he is

Great read but too little about Lulu after Stevie's success:
I am almost done with Blind Faith. It's a fast book to get through and was well written by two journalists. At times, the writing style reads more like a magazine article than a biography, which took me some time to get used to. But after a while, I could rarely put it down. The story about Lulu Hardaway is very inspiring for struggling single parents and parents of children with so called disabilities. The book gives a great lesson on post World War II Black history. My only issue is that the second half of the book is basically the Motown story that I've read about so often. I did not mind the history lesson because I enjoy reading about developments in American music, which Motown played an important part. In the book, Lulu's story fades to a point where we learn little about how her life developed as Stevie Wonder became famous. I did not learn how Lulu and Stevie's relationship was affected by his fame or what happened in the lives of her other children. It's almost as if she did not have much to talk about post Stevie's fame, or maybe Stevie and her lost touch due to his constant music career traveling. The book is well written, interesting and entertaining. I applaude Stevie's life. It would have been interesting if the book was written by Stevie himself, or from his perspective.

Amazing story of Stevie Wonder AND his mother:
Loved the taped version of BLIND FAITH: THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF LULA HARDAWAY, STEVIE WONDER'S MOTHER by Dennis Love and Stacy Brown . . . it is an authorized biography of Wonder and his mother, based on interviews with the both of them. I had listened to Wonder's music over the years, but did not know too much about his background . . . how he achieved the success that he did is nothing short of amazing, especially given his blindness. He comes across as a talented worker not fazed by his blindness, along with being a loving son, a prankster and a womanizer . . . his mother's tale of devotion was particularly moving, though I would have liked to have heard more about what happened to her after her son's success . . . I'm also curious as to what happened to his brothers since very little information is given about them. The narration by Viola Davis was excellent; so much so, in fact, that I want to find more about her . . . I'll be curious to find out if she has read other books and/or appeared on screen.