What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America | 
 enlarge | Author: Tavis Smiley
Publisher: Anchor
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy Used: $1.77
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Avg. Customer Rating:  41 reviews
Sales Rank: 289674
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8
ISBN: 0385721722
Dewey Decimal Number: 791.45028092
EAN: 9780385721721
ASIN: 0385721722
Publication Date: January 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: A used ex-library copy. Library markings. Pages worn with stains. Cover worn with stains. Worn edges and corners. Binding solid and tight.
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Product Description
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 atonment.
Tavis Smiley grew up in a family of thirteen in rural Indian, where money was scarce and the sight of other black faces even scarcer. Always an outsider because of his race, economic background, and Pentecostal religious beliefs, he was sustained by his family’s love. But one day his world was shattered when his father brutally beat him, sending him to the hospital and then into foster care for a period of time. In What I Know for Sure, Smiley recounts how he overcame his painful history and became one of America’s most popular media figures.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 36 more reviews...
 Absolutely Remarkable Life Story! May 27, 2008
Tavis managed to craft some of the most tragic and disappointing aspects of his young life into a beautiful and inspiring novel. I came away feeling uplifted and empowered! Great job, Tavis!
 What I Know for Sure by Tavis Smiley May 6, 2008
This book helped me to understand how Tavis Smiley became who he is today. His family, community and church had a strong influence of his behaviors and thoughts as a speaker and commentator,
 TV Personality Disappoints April 1, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
By the time I finished the last two pages of this book, one thing I knew for sure was that this book was a disappointing reading experience.
Tavis Smiley did not write this book; David Ritz did. The "story" of Tavis Smiley's life was supposedly "told" to David Ritz and David Ritz wrote it down. If this is the truth, David Ritz took a not-so-good story, one heavy with super-ego morality, and did nothing with it, except put it in grammatical form with a story-line.
How is it that a man who, through high school and college, was known for his oratorical and debating skills, and who, after graduating college, later became a popular interviewer on TV, doesn't trust himself to tell his own story? What's up with that?
I suppose if you're rich enough, you just hire someone to write what's supposed to be in your soul and make every event in your life sound like a child's Bible lesson. But where's the unique individual stamp of Tavis Smiley in the tale? I didn't hear Tavis Smiley's voice at all in this book.
I think Mr. Smiley did himself a big disservice by producing a book with his name on it in this manner. It certainly cannot be called an autobiography as he didn't write it; nor can it be called a biography as David Ritz doesn't approach the story of Tavis's life the way an official biographer would. The book has a media slickness to it: a ventriloquist's act, and we're supposed to be the dummies buying this "oral tale" full of biblical malarkey.
As the story goes, Tavis Smiley grew up in an extremely narrow, parochial, religious family (it seemed insane and foreign to me, not part of America at all); he had gone to college even though his parents had not wanted him to; and he went on to make a name for himself in entertainment media. While still a teenager, he had been beaten unmercifully by his mother and, particularly, by his step-father such that he wound up in a hospital at one point, and it took a long time before his could reconcile himself emotionally to his parents. He loved his Grandma ("Big Mama") more than anyone. She was the most tolerant and understanding one in the family. He held tight to his religious beliefs all along, or so we're told, and to this day he still holds them tight (so we're told), though he never states for sure exactly what his religious beliefs are, though it is admitted they are different from his parents' beliefs.
All the struggling and all the pain is wrapped up in a nice-sounding package of love and reconciliation at the end of the book so that his current success makes what happened in his childhood, and before his fame, seem worthwhile and nearly inevitable. This is the common story told of anyone who has achieved commercial success, and a commercial writer, paid to tell it told it -- or wrote it, with Tavis Smiley's approval.
I'd rather hear from Tavis Smiley himself in his own voice, even if he stumbles here and there and parts don't always add up as neatly as a commercial package in the end. This simulation of Tavis Smiley's life cheapened his value for me.
Travis' story is most refreshing February 16, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Growing up in Bunker Hill, Indiana, with his mother and stepfather, along with four cousin, five brothers and his grandmother, Tavis struggled to find his niche.
Faith and church dominated the Smiley household, and it was there that Tavis first discovered his love for discipline and words. Physical punishment was regular, harsh and usually given by Tavis' mother. After a particularly embarrassing situation at church, Tavis' father took discipline too far, and Tavis ended up in foster care. While his cousin was sent to a different town completely, Tavis was located near his family, and after only three months, moved home on his own. Though the physical damage done by his father had healed, it would be years before the relationship damage was restored.
Throughout his schooling, the power of words and his love for Dr. Martin Luther King were his salvation. Though his parents were not supportive, he made his way to college with nothing except an acceptance letter and a suitcase. Fortune was on his side and he began classes at Indiana University. His eyes were opened to the African American civilization and society that had previously been closed off to him. In September of 1983, a tragic and unexplained death near IU campus deeply affected Tavis and directed him into social activism.
A semester in Los Angeles once again changed the course of Tavis' life. Serving the public through government inspired Tavis and gave him direction. Though he was unable to continue serving in the government, Tavis was able to create his own way. A self-started radio program led to a BET program and the chance to meet with numerous powerful and famous people, including President Bill Clinton and Fidel Castro. His BET stint eventually gave way to NPR, which eventually gave way to his own company and many different ventures.
Overall, What I Know For Sure is comfortable and heart warming. Tavis Smiley's latest book is refreshing. Whether African American, Caucasian, Hispanic or Asian, the story presented here will encourage anyone facing difficult or impossible circumstances.
Armchair Interviews says: We need more encouraging books with good messages.
Wonderful story about a real American Hero! February 15, 2008
From Gulfport to Gotham to Black Entertainment Television, this is the exciting story of a man who survives a horrible childhood and now has the golden touch in media, business and life.
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