Angels Along the Way [Hardcover]

Della Reese (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 1997

The inspiring autobiography of the beloved singer and star of the hit television series Touched by an Angel. In this upbeat, joyful book, Della Reese leaves readers with a belief in the human "angels" who step in, providing guidance and support. of photos.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Star of the hit television series Touched by an Angel, Della Reese has had a long career in entertainment. Like many black artists, she began in church, singing in the choir in her hometown of Detroit. At age 13, she was accomplished enough to go on tour with the great Mahalia Jackson, one of the "angels" Reese credits with helping her along the way. Jackson, she writes, gave her "a foundation in the art of communication.... It's about filling yourself with the spirit of whatever you're singing about, of really going to that place and letting listeners go with you." Other angels include the comedian who taught her the elements of comedy and helped her hone her act, and the waitress who encouraged her to sing in a nightclub, years after Reese's mother had died and Reese had left home to live on her own. The road to stardom wasn't entirely smooth--she tells of dishonest managers and lawyers and troubles with the IRS--but Reese makes clear that she has always been sustained by her faith.

From Library Journal

Famed singer/actor/minister Reese of the hit TV series Touched by an Angel, inspires readers with her story of personal tragedy, triumph, and her belief in miracles.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 339 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (October 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399143424
• ISBN-13: 978-0399143427
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,050,795 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Each one of us is somebody else's angel., July 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Angels Along the Way (Hardcover)

Della Reese's delightful rendering of her life and the people in it (her angels along the way) was a reality check for me. Her appreciation of those in her life who weren't so wonderful to her, but from whom she learned important lessons, put a healthy perspective back in my life. We must be open to realizing this. Now, each person who comes into my life is an angel for me...even if it is not a "touched by an angel," picture perfect relationship. It makes life a whole lot easier and pleasant. Besides the lesson I learned from Miss Reese, it was a fun book to read. Having watched many episodes of "Touched By An Angel," as I read the book I could hear and picture Miss Reese telling her story. This is a must for any "Touched By an Angel" fan.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Though it all, she made it!, April 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Angels Along the Way: My Life With Help from Above (Paperback)

This is a very interesting book, that makes you want to keep reading and reading. It focuses mainly on her early years and how she started in the music business, then onto her role as an actor, teacher and preacher. The stories of her life make you feel as though you know her on a more personal level. She speaks in very plain language so it is easy to understand what she is saying. Many people can relate to different parts of her life. You would have never expected some of the things that she has gone though. She has been though many ups and downs in her life and is not afraid to discuss them. She is very open and honest and I applaud her for that. This was very informative. This has made me want to read more biographies of other famous people.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiration Station, Spellbound Express, March 6, 2002

By 

Kanta Bosniak "Minister of Art" (Southwest Virginia, global) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Angels Along the Way: My Life with Help from Above (Paperback)

Della Reese is like a streetcar to ecstatic experience. She knows the way to abundance consciousness and she will stop at whatever stop you need to get you there, because it's on her route. This is no airy fairy lady. She tells it totally like it is in this earthy, raw, absolutely beautiful and hilarious tale of her life adventure from Detroit's "Black Bottom" slums to the hills of Bel Air.

If you have ever felt excluded or ridiculed, had a jones for the wrong person or the wrong lifestyle, suffered a broken heart or known there was something great in you, no matter what anyone had to say about it, her words will pick you up and put you right on the trolley!

Like her early mentor, Mahalia Jackson, she fills herself with God-Essence and breathes it out sweetly and powerfully, right to your center, taking you on a trip to exactly the place she wants for you, which is home. Where you are comfortable in your own body and where you know that you are loved.

So, I guess that makes her an "angel", her loving word for people who appear with exactly what you need when you need it, like Nat King Cole, Ed Sullivan and many others did for her. In reading her account, it naturally makes you more aware of how people in your life serve as angels, even when you aren't aware of it at the time.

I first Della's voice when I was a hurtin' little kid, hanging on for dear life, literally, seeking solace in in art and music.
Her jazz voice got me and got me good. Her author's voice, like her voice in gospel, blues, "pop", TV and ministry, it is a voice that tells you of the WHOLE journey from despair to full-out happiness. And that telling causes resonance, so you can feel it, remember it and find your own way to it.

Read this juicy, juicy book! "Period. The end."