Cold Sweat: My Father James Brown and Me

Brave, honest memoir by the daughter of James Brown the iconic, superstar singer. I have read several books about the issue of domestic violence by the people who suffered through it. This book is straight- forward and does not lie about the problem. People who grow up seeing one parent abuse the other parent invariably have troubles in their own relationships. Yamma Brown is no exception to that fact. In a pattern followed by many girls who witnessed their mothers being beaten by their fathers, she also marries an abusive man. It is not until she confronts her own beliefs about her famous father is she able to change and break away from the cycle of abuse. I am so glad she did. I applaud her intelligence and courage in putting forth the truth about domestic violence in this important book. The fact that she does it with so much love and empathy for both of the deceased abusers in her life is heart-warming and remarkable to say the least.

As a fan of the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, it's often difficult to hear about his challenges with drugs and domestic abuse. In his daughter's book Cold Sweat, Yamma Brown opens an insightful and sometimes sympathetic window into some of her father's low points. She not only describes what she saw at home as a child - stories that often found their way to the media - she describes how she felt as a child of squabbling parents, regardless if one of them was famous. Ms. Brown goes on to describe her life and how some events in her childhood cycled around to her adulthood. Reading about Ms. Brown as an educated, career professional it was sometimes a challenge as a male reader to understand how she let herself get into similar situations as her mother. Fortunately, she eventually found the strength and opportunity to change her life for the better. What I would have appreciated about this process is more information about the actions she took to find the strength to leave her husband and change her situation. Did she read certain books, did she talk to certain people, did she embrace her faith, etc? I could see where this would be valuable details to others in similar situations looking for guidance, strength, encouragement, etc.The book includes information about her father's death and some of the wrangling that went on behind the scenes. No child should have to endure undue turmoil after the death of a parent. It seems to me the family would know best what to do with the deceased!I appreciate Ms. Brown writing this book. I'm sure it was difficult to reveal details about her marriage, as well as those about her father. In addition to her written accounts, Ms. Brown includes many personal family pictures of her as a child, as an adult, and with her children. This is a revealing read that reminds us that celebrities are still human, and that fame and money do not guarantee a happy home.

This book I found to be very interesting. It was written by Yamma Brown, James' daughter by his second wife. She shares a great deal of her life and other family members as well. There are also several photographs of various family members. Some of her info jived with the nother biographies of James Brown I've read and some of the infor did not.. I enjoyed the movie, "Get On Up". Some of this book does jive with the movie but much of it does not. If you are interested in biographies regarding funk/rock & roll singers & their bands & life events, I would highly recommend reading this book. judyh

Being a fan of James Brown what better person than his real life daughter to give some accountability of the way James Brown lived his life as The Godfather of Soul. I think Yamma Brown was very truthful about her dad even though we all hate to believe any bad things about him, especially when it comes to mistreating women. He is still my number one favorite entertainer of my lifetime. I hear the beat of his music everyday. He was a Genius when it came to music. This is a must read book. I love it !

This book was really good. It was so hard to put it down. I finished in two days!!! I would love to see the movie version of this book.

Yamma's story is so poignant. I am glad she has come to know herself as the strong, intelligent woman that she is. She is inspirational.

Wonderfully open, honest and informative. Nonstop reading. Gives an up-close and very personal journey into the life of James Brown. This book is a must-read for fans of the Godfather of Soul.

Wonderfully open, honest and informative. Nonstop reading. Gives an up-close and very personal journey into the life of James Brown. Very good read! Couldn't put it down..This book is a must-read for fans of the Godfather of Soul