Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder's Mother (Hardcover)

~ (Author), (Author) "SHE WAS THE FIRST to arrive, the sister in the powder-blue suit from the Sunday school class, standing in the foyer, rigid, tentative, like a..." (more)
Key Phrases: blind kid, Stevie Wonder, Aunt Ilona, Berry Gordy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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

From Publishers Weekly

Love and Brown, two freelance journalists, based this rambling account of the rock 'n' roll legend on interviews they conducted with Wonder and Hardaway, both of whom cooperated with this bio. Blind since birth, Steveland Judkins (born in 1952) was a musical prodigy who, as a child, played for coins on the street. By the time he was 10, he had mastered the harmonica, piano, organ and drums without taking a lesson. After moving with his family to Detroit, he was introduced to Berry Gordy of Motown Records, who signed him to a record contract and nicknamed him "Little Stevie Wonder." After his first big hit, "Fingertips Part Two," Wonder continued to produce hits for Motown until he was 21, when he negotiated a contract that gave him artistic freedom. The authors accurately portray Wonder's amazing musical ability, but they offer little insight into their subject's character other than stressing his good nature and commitment to social causes. More engrossing is their treatment of Hardaway, who was deserted by her parents and endured a childhood marked by poverty and abuse. Calvin Judkins, her husband and father of their children (including Stevie), drank, beat his wife, and forced her into prostitution in order to feed her family. She finally was able to extricate herself from this relationship and support her three children by finding a job that was low paying, but above the board. Love and Brown describe how Wonder greatly improved his mother's life after he became successful, but, unfortunately, they essentially end their account with Wonder's recovery from a 1973 automobile accident.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684869799
• ISBN-13: 978-0684869797
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,199,347 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A biography that lost its way, January 10, 2005

By	Diane Diekman (Upper Marlboro, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Blind Faith: The Miraculous Journey of Lula Hardaway, Stevie Wonder's Mother (Audio Cassette)

This began as an excellent biography of a woman who has an important story to tell. But Lula got lost after Stevie started recording. Granted, the table of contents says Part II is about Stevie. But the covers says, "An Authorized Biography of Lula Hardaway." I wanted to know where Lula was during Stevie's teenaged years. We suddenly find she's in a second marriage and has more kids. Then we learn she's divorced (for a second time--we never learned about the first divorce, either) and living in Los Angeles. The ending brought her back briefly, and reminded us of her message. I would have liked the whole book to be about her, as the cover promised. She deserved it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing,courageous,determined...AWE STRUCK, April 6, 2004

By A Customer

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Voted Best Non Fiction 2005, March 9, 2006

By	Mahogany Book Club "Mahogany Media Review" (Albany, N.Y.) - See all my reviews

This was a great book! It was wonderful to read about Stevie's mother and her struggles through the years. I grew up listening to Stevie having parents who saw his show a few times. I learned things I never knew about Stevie and his life. I highly suggest this book.