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

Love, Dennis; Brown, Stacy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0684869799 ISBN 13: 9780684869797

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2002

Synopsis

To say that Lula Hardaway did not have an easy life is an understatement. It was a constant struggle for self-esteem and emotional survival. Yet survive she did - a motherless child born in a sharecropper's shack in Alabama, she was passed from relative to relative, unwanted and, for the most part, unloved. As a teenager she was sent to Chicago, where she met a much older man whom she eventually married. Unfortunately, her life then took an even darker turn as he abused her and forced her to work as a prostitute. Determined to build a better life for her children, she started hiding money away, and one day successfully made her escape to Detroit.
One of her sons, Stevland Judkins, was blind from infancy. Although he presented special challenges, Lula noticed from the outset that this little boy impressed everyone he met with his outgoing personality, his intelligence, charm, and resourcefulness -- and his incredible musical talent. By age ten, he was playing and singing gospel tunes in church, and then joining adults singing rhythm and blues on the street corners of Detroit.
Eventually, word of this young phenomenon reached Berry Gordy, who was just beginning to establish himself as a creative force in Detroit's thriving music scene. Gordy dubbed the boy Little Stevie Wonder, and launched him into musical history when he signed him to his Motown label.
Stardom didn't come that easily - there was the question of what material was best for Stevie, and then the question of what would happen to the twelve-year-old boy's voice when he reached puberty. Fortunately, the voice that emerged was even more musical and more captivating than it had been. Great care was taken in choosing his next projects and the result was a succession of top 10 - and several number 1 - hits.
Through it all, Stevie Wonder never failed to credit his mother. When Innervisions won a Grammy award for Album of the Year in 1973, he refused to accept the award unless Lula would walk with him to the podium. He clutched his mother in front of the auditorium and in front of the millions of people watching on television, proclaiming, "Her strength has led us to this place."
Indeed, it was her strength and her belief in herself and in her sons that brought them to that place, to the very heights of success. It was her drive and her willingness to sacrifice the now for the future - plus her abiding belief in God - that saw them through. Blind Faith is not only the story of the birth of a superstar but also a stirring testament to a mother's love and determination and a frank and uncompromising look at how one woman's attempt to better her children's lives led to a lasting gift to the world.

About this title

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

About the Author

Dennis Love (right) is a freelance journalist who has worked for The Arizona Republic, UPI, the Los Angeles Daily News, and The Orange County Register. He lives in Sacramento, California. Stacy Brown (left) is also a journalist who has worked for the Los Angeles Daily News and the Los Angeles Times Community News, and he currently works for The Journal News in Westchester, New York. This is the first book for each of them.

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0684869799
• ISBN 13: 9780684869797
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288