What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America [Hardcover]

Tavis Smiley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2006

“I Have a Dream,” Dr. King intoned. In English class, we were just starting to learn about similes and metaphors and figures of speech. Those concepts weren’t immediately clear to me as Dr. King talked about “symbolic shadow,” but …I understood the power of symbolic language.

Over the next several weeks, I spent hours studying that one speech…King’s speeches touched me so deeply and profoundly that, for reasons I couldn’t explain, I found myself crying. I wasn’t sure what those tears represented: maybe his words touched the pain and hurt and humiliation I was still feeling; maybe my tears stemmed from the new confidence and purpose his words gave me. Maybe I felt an empathy with my people whose history of suffering and survival was coming alive to me for the first time. In part, they reflected my pride in the courageous brilliance of a leader outspoken in conveying our purpose and passion.

I see now that King influenced me on several levels: First, he showed me that words have meaning—they aren’t arbitrary—and words are powerful. He showed me that words can carry the force of love. He also showed me that one man can make a difference. He himself had made that difference….Despite evidence to the contrary, King believed that things would get better. Every day that I read his words, they moved me like a powerful sermon. They changed my life and emboldened my ambition.
—From What I Know For Sure

From the man who catapulted The Covenant with Black America to number one on the New York Times bestseller list comes a searing memoir of poverty, ambition, pain, and atonement. Celebrated talk-show host Tavis Smiley describes growing up in an all-white rural community in Indiana and the impact it had on his life.

Tavis Smiley grew up in a family of thirteen in a small trailer in Indiana, where money was scarce and the sight of other black faces even scarcer. One of only a few African American kids in his high school, he grew up feeling like an outsider because of the color of his skin, his Pentecostal religious beliefs, and his family’s economic circumstances. It was the love and support of his family that sustained him. But that trust and support was shattered when his father, in a moment of rage, beat him with an electrical cord, sending him to the hospital. Tavis was placed in foster care for a time, and it took him years to bridge the emotional chasm between him and his parents.

Nothing, however, could quench Tavis’s fierce inner drive to succeed. His remarkable speaking ability made him an oratorical champion in Indiana and offered him a pathway to a different world. Determined to fight for the underdog and for African American rights, he entered the political arena, moving to Los Angeles to work in Mayor Tom Bradley’s administration. Later, he embarked on his career as a radio commentator, discovering that it was an ideal way to influence public discourse on the issues of the day. Now with his own show on PBS, he remains committed to bettering the lives of all Americans; he’s especially acclaimed for his work on behalf of people of color and the underprivileged.

An honest, deeply moving self-portrait of one of America’s most popular media figures, What I Know for Sure should appeal to readers everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Talk show host, force behind The Covenant with Black America and entrepreneur, Smiley begins his life story in self-improvement and moves through self-empowerment into self-aggrandizement. After a Pentecostal upbringing in an Indiana trailer park in the early 1970s, he first tasted success in the "ultra white culture" of his high school, attended Indiana University and landed an internship with Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley through sheer "chutzpah." After running for city council, he broke into radio, becoming "a household name in black America" and receiving "a compensation package for a half-million dollars, the biggest in BET history." But these vignettes serve merely as a platform for homilies and score settling that reach back to a college teacher, his controversial breaks with BET and later NPR. Following his mama's dictum to look for the " lesson and a blessing in everything we go through," Smiley learns from President Clinton that one "need not be intimidated by anyone, even when that person is the most powerful man in the world." Young adult readers may be reassured by the angst in Smiley's life before he hits the big time. The rest of his fans know what to expect—including the plugs for Smiley enterprises at the end. (Oct. 10)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Readers will likely be particularly interested in the popular radio and television talk show host's account of his clash with media titan Bob Johnson, who fired Smiley from his position at BET, and his clash with National Public Radio, where he felt he was a token given little room for growth. Although Smiley recounts those controversies, the heart of this book is his experience growing up, rooted in a religiously fundamentalist family, sheltered from and fearful of the world. Smiley was part of an extended family of 10 in a small town in Indiana where blacks were fairly scarce. A beating received from a truly loving father, based on a misunderstanding with the head of the church, set up a psychological estrangement that haunted Smiley and propelled him to succeed. He directed his energies into academic achievement through high school, Indiana State University, and Harvard Law School. A fortuitous internship lead Smiley to the world of the media. This surprisingly thoughtful book emphasizes old-school values and the rewards of hard work. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday (October 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385505167
• ISBN-13: 978-0385505161
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,073,766 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read!, October 14, 2006

By 

Kim Dulaney (CHICAGO, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America (Hardcover)

Who is Tavis Smiley? Initially Tavis' prominence in the media led me to think this guy was just a 'talking-head' - a person simply trying to find a means to move up in this world. However, years have shown me I was wrong.

Tavis Smiley is a man of conviction.

I have witnessed his passion and service and have been an indirect recipient of its affects. His book "What I Know For Sure" shows that he is indeed a man of great determination and drive - and yes, he is in fact trying to go somewhere. Yet, the beauty of the story and his life is that he desires to take a nation of folks with him.

I greatly appreciate Tavis for having the courage to share his trials and triumphs with the public. It was refreshing to read a story where a Black man's battles were not with drugs or sex, but with deeper elements that tend to birth destructive surface habits that deceivedly garner too much of our attention.

The deeper issues are: How do we navigate our spirituality and poverty, or better yet, our spirituality and our God given gifts? Is one married to the other? Does one negate the other? Are there gifts to be used in religious confines, and then others meant for worldly consumption? How do we as African Americans mature in mind to understand that "God so loved the WORLD..." that he gave gifts? Gifts to be used to open college doors, and business opportunities, and platforms for change -for a freeing of His people...

"What I Know For Sure" is a great, easy-flowing story. I am requiring my 17 year old son to read it. I will give it as a gift to my nephews, brother, and brother-in-law. I plan to send it to my childhood friend who is now in prison. In fact, it is my hope that everyone who struggles to define, understand, or find evidence of " Black MAN" in today's society, might read this book, read "Yellow Black" by Haki Madhubuti, "The Pact" by Davis, Jenkins and Hunt, and Denzel Washington's new book, "A Hand To Guide Me."

These books speak to contemporary situations, and will undoubtedly prove to be as relevant for this period of time as "Souls of Black Folks", "Black Boy" and "Invisible Man" were for theirs.

Great work Tavis!

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Everything There is a Lesson and a Blessing, November 22, 2006

By 

Dera R Williams (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America (Hardcover)

Tavis Smiley, renowned author, journalist, radio and television commentator of talk shows at BET, NPR and Public Television, has written several books of social and political commentary. Some are observations on the African American community, advice to young people or social and political thought. In this, his tenth book, Smiley with the assistance of distinguished biographer David Ritz, finally tells his story in What I Know For Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America.

Tavis was born in Gulfport, Mississippi and as a toddler, he and his family moved to Bunker Hill, Indiana, a depressed working class town of cornfields and white trailer families. In fact, his thirteen member family lived in a three bedroom trailer, one of only a few black families in the area. There were ten children, including four cousins the family adopted when their mother, his mother's sister was tragically killed.

Smiley's mother became involved with the Pentecostal church which would be responsible for shaping him for life. The family went to church seven days a week, precluding him, a precocious, curious and talkative child, from participating in extracurricular and after school activities. In addition he and his brothers worked for the family custodial business. His parents believed anything outside of the provincial, secluded church life they were involved in was sinful and not with keeping of their standards. And it was in church where he had his first real test of betrayal, hurt and pain that would mark him for the rest of his life. Rather than let the humiliation and scars define him, Smiley turned a horrifying experience into a determination to rise above it. His beloved Big Mama, his maternal grandmother, taught him in everything there is a lesson and a blessing--a lesson to be learned and a blessing to be earned even in the toughest situations.

When Smiley was in Oakland in early November before a large crowd at Allen Temple Baptist Church, he said this was a difficult book to write as he had to not only reveal humiliating information about his family but he had to look into himself and reveal some of his flaws and shortcomings. He said that at first he felt it was presumptuous of him to write a memoir at his age (early 40s) but he was encouraged and wanted to tell his story up to this point.

Smiley addresses his infamous firing at BET, his experiences at NPR and praises people who have helped him along the way of which there were many including his mentor Dr. Cornel West. Always on the case, Smiley gave one million dollars to Texas Southern University's school of journalism that is now named after him. He has also given the proceeds from the New York times best seller, The Covenant of Black America, a treatise on improving the African American community, back to the black-owned Third World Press which published the book. Smiley's memoir was a lesson in perseverance, the rewards of hard work and of giving and receiving forgiveness. It will inspire and motivate people of all ages and colors--a great gift for the holiday season.

Dera R. Williams
APOOOO BookClub
Marcus Book Club (Oakland)

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brother Tavis Smiley is the Truth, October 13, 2006

By 

A customer "mistermaxxx" (usa) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America (Hardcover)

I've always dug&Respected Tavis Smiley big time. I've always respected his Vast Knowledge&Ability to communicate&be direct&just do his thing. this Book takes you back to his upbringing. this Book pulls no punches about what he dealt with as a Young Black Man growing up in a Household of a Large family,also dealing with getting whippings(this was the Pre-Pre Time-Out Era which back in the day only applied to Sports Games)and dealing with his own self in the Process. everybody sees&Hears the Success,but not many people are aware of the struggle this Man had to endure&the many lasting images&things he had to deal with Mentally. I applad Brother Tavis Smiley for not being afraid to settting the Record Straight. this Book will hit you in so many ways&depending on your own upbringing it might be close to your own story. I can relate to it big time.Tavis doesn't back down to BET or NPR Either.Tavis without a doubt is one of the most Important Voices out here. he keeps it real&this Book is very direct&real.