Buffy Sainte-Marie is a native Canadian singer-songwriter, member of the Cree First Nation, and a social activist. She has fought for the rights of indigenous people for the last 50 years. I grew up listening to her music in the early 1960s (early in my life and her career). I remember hearing her first album, It’s My Way featuring the haunting protest for peace song, “Universal Soldier” and falling in love both with her voice and with her message.

Sainte-Marie was born on a reserve in Canada, but was taken from her indigenous family and adopted by a family in Massachusetts. This was apparently a common event back then. I knew such things had happened in the past but I didn’t realize this was still going on in the 1950s. Sainte-Marie knew nothing of her birth family; she didn’t even know her birth date.

Living with abuse, Sainte-Marie turned to music from an early age. She taught herself to play the piano and expressed all her feelings through music and being in nature. She writes of how miserable she was at home and at school but how free she felt in nature and when making music. These things saved, if not her life, then at the very least her sanity. They kept her whole when the rest of her life would have fractured her.

I used to wonder why I didn’t see or hear her as much as my other favorites, Judy Collins or Joan Baez. I knew a little about her social activism but learned much more from this book. This book helped explain why she was lesser known then some of her counterparts. Partly because of her troubled childhood and partly because of her dedication to other causes, Sainte-Marie has not been comfortable being the focus of public attention for herself. Much more than the other singers I knew about, Sainte-Marie’s dedication to her causes, to the indigenous peoples, has driven her life—and continues to do so. She is now in her 70s and her voice is still beautiful. She gives concerts in which people are moved in a very personal way and seek her out to tell her. She says she is touched by how her songs express the feelings of so many. But she has dedicated herself as much to the cause of the indigenous peoples as she has to her career, one reason why she may not be as well known as some of her peers. But she has helped many others, particularly indigenous peoples, to better lives and, sometimes, to careers in music.

Her passion for both music and social justice remain strong. She is a singer/songwriter I have long loved and admired but, after reading this book, my respect and admiration for her has grown exponentially.

The biography is an easy read but full of information and insight. Buffy Sainte-Marie emerges as a fascinating, talented, and dedicated woman who has lived life (despite many difficulties) on her own terms.

I received this book from LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program. ( )

Buffy Sainte- Marie: The Authorized Biography by Andrea Warner is a 2018 Greystone Books publication.

Between the ages of five and seven, I liked the am pop radio stations that came in clear enough in my small rural location. Those stations were more apt to play ‘These Boots are Made for Walking’ by Nancy Sinatra than anything remotely folk sounding. However, folk music was all over the television in prime time variety shows, the news and other mediums and we even sang some generic folk songs in our music class at school. I loved it, to be honest. My mother allowed me, at the ripe old age of seven to buy Judy Collins and Joan Baez records, and I nearly wore them out- before I fell in love with David Cassidy, Bobby Sherman and The Osmond Brothers, that is. 😊

I never really connected to folk music in the same way again, until I was much older. But, folk music was never a genre I was well versed in. I knew the heavy hitters from the sixties and seventies, but never scratched too far beneath the surface. So, to be perfectly honest, I had never heard of Buffy Sainte-Marie- although now, I realize I was marginally aware of one or two of her songs. Therefore, this is really my first introduction to her and her background.

For anyone else like me, who are mostly unfamiliar with this artist, Buffy is a Cree member- one of the largest groups of First Nations in Canada and has an Indigenous heritage. Her background has led her to focus on the rights and freedoms of the Indigenous people.

Her musical abilities are natural and self-taught, and her songs, while ever changing, usually stuck with themes of peace over war and the individual’s responsibility in helping to prevent further bloodshed. Her message truly resonated with the anti-war sentiment in the sixties and her signature song, ‘Universal Soldier’ became an anthem.

Yet, Buffy never did cross over into the mainstream the way her white counterparts did. She remained out of the public glare, while commanding the respect of many other folk musicians. Her songs were recorded and covered by Elvis, Glen Campbell, and Donavon, just to name a few. But, her personal life remained an enigma- maybe even to some of her biggest fans.

This book takes the reader back to Buffy’s troubled childhood, which explains a lot about her aversion to socializing and publicity tactics. We follow her through her early years in the music business, her struggles with publishing rights, and her activism. She was even a regular on Sesame Street for a time until budget cuts forced her out. Her private life was also examined, which was not always easy to read about, so be prepared for a few uncomfortable passages.

However, once most of these bad patches were behind her, Buffy carved out a niche for herself and although still active musically, she put a lot of her energy behind teaching and education, paving the way for indigenous people in more ways than she is credited for, opening doors for them in many areas, including music.

I liked the fact that this was an authorized biography. The author has the permission to print and publish anything she wished with her subject’s permission, which to me, says a lot. One thing I always look for in a biography is organization. This book has a nice presentation, mostly done in the traditional chronological way. She named each chapter after one of Buffy’s songs, which was a nice touch, I thought.

While Buffy’s life has certainly been extraordinary, her music important and emotional, the book, at times, is a bit dry. It is also rather brief, and I’m not entirely sure how well it fully captured Buffy’s persona or spirit.

Other than that, the book is certainly worth checking out. I knew little or nothing about this artist and am glad to have discovered her. I learned more insights into the music business, how Buffy survived on the fringes of major, household name, success and was impressed by her musical abilities after watching a few YouTube videos. However, I also learned a lot about First Nations and the many challenges facing Indigenous people.

From a personal standpoint, I admired Buffy’s forthrightness, and her boldness and courage. I see in her a little bit of a kindred spirit in that she sees through a lot of smoke and mirrors and refuses to play the required games. She was a true pioneer and a real life rebel- which always comes at a cost. She lives her life on her own terms and is someone who seems to need space away from the crowds and too much peopling. I can relate to that, but I’m happy she still performs, records, writes and is still a strong advocate.

This is a quick and easy read, but also an interesting outline of Buffy Sainte -Maire’s life and times.

4 stars

*I was provided an advance reader’s copy of this book as a part of LibraryThing’s early review program. ( )

Buffy Sainte-Marie, The Authorized Biography, was such a pleasant surprise. Not only did I learn a lot about her as an artist, I learned about her as a person and that, I think was the eye-opening and the best part. In addition, this book is not only a biography, but provides Indigenous history and self-help as well. To explain what I mean about the latter concerns Buffy Sainte-Marie’s Cradleboard Teaching Project. She tells the students to imagine people on the plains, picking up dried buffalo chips and putting them in a bag. You should not hate them because they’re stinky. You shouldn’t throw them away because they have many uses. You can build a fire with the chips and read a book, keep warm, fall in love. You can fertilize your garden. “Guilt and bitterness and a lot of things in life are like that. Don’t just hate it because it stinks; let it dry out and then use it… there are gifts in everything, even in the shit.” I absolutely loved Andrea Warner’s excellent biography of Buffy Sainte-Marie.

Thanks to LibraryThing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. ( )

I'm not a big fan of biographies, authorized or not, but thoroughly enjoyed this one. Buffy Ste. Marie's music seems always to have been in my life, yet having read this book, I was appalled to realize I had never bought supported her work by buying an album or attending a concert. How much I've missed through the years!

I live in an area where there are many First Nations and Metis people and I've learned so much over the past 10 years about culture and colonization, the harm caused by residential schools, and Truth and Reconciliation. How have I missed the importance of Buffy Ste. Marie to all of this?

The book filled in so much and I'll go looking for Buffy's music now. Yes, the book was written by an admirer and sympathetic biographer, but also someone aware of the challenges facing Indigenous people. She has rightly placed Buffy within this historical context and documented her incredible contribution, well ahead of her time in so many ways, and done it in such a readable way. I'll be sharing this book with friends and recommending that our library purchase it. ( )

Like one reviewer commented, this is not the usual biography where the biographer fills in gaps with what they "think" should be added. This is Buffy Sainte-Marie's life as she chooses to share it. If you believe, as that reviewer does, that she should be forced to share more than she cares to in order to please those who want gossip and filler, then you may be disappointed and, more importantly, you also neither understand nor care for Sainte-Marie.

This is not all laughter and/or tears. The emotion some seem to find missing is very evident to some of us, probably because we find the events and beliefs that she sings about very emotional and personally impactful on our lives. Not just the music but the injustices she addresses for all of us.

If you're only familiar with her music then this book will give you a very good grasp of who she is and, more importantly, who she chooses to be. The hardships and the amazing ability to still seek a positive and goal-directed approach rather than simply a rage-filled confrontational approach. Make no mistake, the rage is there, but the desire to find solutions outweighs, for her, the need to simply rant and rave.

I would recommend this to fans of Buffy Sainte-Marie as well as those who like biographies. If you prefer a biography that uncovers the subject's secrets and fills gaps with gossip and pseudo-context, you might be middle of the road on this one.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing Early Reviewers. ( )