If you have ever heard Paul Robeson's moving rendition of "Ol' Man River" and been tranfixed, you'll want to read this biography of Robeson's life by a local Needham author Andrew Bunie (and Sheila Tully Boyle) Paul Robeson: The Years of Promise And Achievement

"Twenty years in the making, this major biography covers Robeson's life from his birth in 1898 to the early height of his career in 1939."

"The son of a runaway slave, Robeson was a distinguished athlete and scholar at Rutgers and attended Columbia Law School before becoming a world-famous actor."

"Boyle and Bunie have condensed a huge amount of research into an accessible, perceptive biography that will be essential reading for anyone interested in studies of race, performance or theater in America."

Excerpts above from Publishers Weekly book review