Summary of My Name Is Barbra by Barbra Streisand

By Willie M. Joseph

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Summary of My Name Is Barbra by Barbra Streisand

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Barbra Streisand's memoir, My Name Is Barbra, is a frank, funny, and opinionated account of her life and career. The e-book edition features exclusive photographs. Streisand, a living legend with a recognizable voice in popular music, has been nominated for a Grammy 46 times and became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major motion picture with Yentl. The memoir is expected to be eagerly welcomed by her millions of fans.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Willie M. Joseph
• Release date: Nov 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223885757

Willie M. Joseph

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Prologue

The author shares her experiences as a professional actress, describing her appearance as an amiable anteater and being compared to various animals. She later appeared in Broadway shows like Funny Girl and was compared to an ancient oracle, Nefertiti, and a Babylonian queen. Her nose was also compared to a scared hound and a pharaonic profile. Despite these insults, the author remains hurt and can't quite believe the praise.

When she became famous, she became public property, being examined, photographed, and analyzed. She has never gotten used to this and avoids reading about herself. One day, she read a story about her brother, Neil Diamond, who invented a bathtub with a stereo system and electronic gadgets. She was surprised to learn that she was one of his customers.

One night, her friend Andrzej Bartkowiak, a cinematographer who worked with her, was told she was a bitch. The author questioned why he chose to believe the writer who had never met her, rather than the person who really knows her. This experience deeply upsets the author.

For forty years, the author has been asked to write an autobiography, but has been reluctant due to her preference for living in the present and fear of being misunderstood. Recently, she was surprised to see her husband and daughter back together, and she decided to write the book. She wrote the first chapter in the 1990s, but lost it after ten years due to other commitments and boredom.

The author has always wanted to be an actress, but has been grateful for the support of others along the way. Success has made her more of who she is, and she believes that success makes people more of who they truly are.

The author is ordinary, born with a good voice and personality, but she is not very social and prefers to stay home with her husband and dogs. She enjoys painting and taking photographs in her garden, but often forgets who she is to the outside world.

The author believes it is time to dispel myths about her and her work, and she is writing the book to help those interested in her work and the process behind it.

Pulaski Street

The author recounts their childhood experiences, including being lied to by their mother and being taken away from their grandparents' apartment in Williamsburg. They were sent to a Jewish summer camp in the Catskills, where they disliked the camp's poor food and the lack of kosher cake. When they returned home, they met Louis Kind, who was their new stepfather and pregnant with their sister.

The author's mother never told them about Louis' pregnancy or marriage. They never knew their father, Emanuel Streisand, who was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate, athlete, and teacher. He developed an innovative curriculum teaching English to juvenile offenders at the Elmira Reformatory and later taught English at a vocational high school in Brooklyn.

Emanuel's father was brought up in an Orthodox Jewish home, and he worked as head counselor at a camp in the Catskills. One day, he developed a headache and had a seizure. His mother and friend tried to hold him still, but it hurt rather than helped. An ambulance took him to a local hospital, where he was given morphine and stopped breathing.

The author's mother believed his death was due to cerebral hemorrhage, which was not connected to a previous car accident. Later, the author found a copy of his death certificate, which stated that he died of respiratory failure, likely caused by the morphine. This experience highlights the importance of honesty and open communication in childhood experiences.

The author recounts their childhood, when their father was only 35 years old and Diana Rosen Streisand was a widow. They moved in with her parents, who had a small one-bedroom apartment that could accommodate five people. The author's earliest memory is of listening to a conversation between her mother and her sister, which made her realize the difficulty of miscommunication. She enjoyed being an observer, sitting next to men in an Orthodox synagogue, and loving her grandfather, who showed her the value of affection.

The author's view of men was that they either abandoned or were mean to them, but their grandfather provided them with a taste of what a good man could be. They were not an easy child, as they didn't want to eat, and their mother tried to force food on them. They were bald until the age of two, but had lots of energy. The author's grandmother had asthma and couldn't chase after them, so Tobey Borookow, a neighbor in the same building, took care of them after school while their mother was working.

In summary, the author's childhood was filled with miscommunication, miscommunication, and a strong sense of family. The author's grandfather's affection and support provided a glimpse into the qualities of a good man.

The author describes their childhood experiences, particularly in Brooklyn. They cherished Tobey, the neighborhood knitting lady, and enjoyed playing with her dolls and little stoves. The color pink was their favorite, as it felt more like a real baby than a cold doll. The author disliked the health camp they attended, which was a health camp for kids, as it was too hot and steamy for them.

Upon returning to Brooklyn, the author felt happier and healthier, but still felt different. They played in the streets and enjoyed games like skelly. They excelled at the Yeshiva of Brooklyn, except for conduct, which they struggled with. One day, they repeated Christmas! and prayed to God.

The author had two best friends: Joanne Micelli, a Catholic girl from St. John's Academy, and Roslyn Arenstein, an atheist. They had serious philosophical discussions on fire escapes, and one day, they prayed that a man would step off the curb. This experience led the author to believe in the power of the will.

The author's strong will was evident when she was sick with chicken pox and decided not to stay in bed. She often told her mother what to do, such as not going with a stranger to an Eddie Cantor movie. She also had a good voice, singing in the lobby of their building and harmonizing with other girls.

The author's experiences highlight the importance of personal growth and the power of prayer in overcoming challenges and finding happiness.

The author describes their childhood, where they had a son named Irving, who was their friend and boyfriend. Irving was a good friend, but his father, Abe, would often tell him to leave when his father came home. This hurt the author's feelings and set them back years. The author's brother had a father who loved and cared for him, taking him to museums, bookstores, and parades. The author's stepfather, Lou Kind, resently treated the author and their sister, Roslyn.

The author loved her sister from the moment she saw her, but hated his stepfather for mistreating their mother and never speaking to them. The author tried to make Lou like her by calling him Dad and crawling under his line of sight to watch wrestling matches. However, he didn't treat them any better. This experience led the author to unconsciously decide that she would never lower herself for any man. The author's love for her sister and stepfather shaped her life, and she learned to appreciate the importance of love and support in a child's life.

The author recounts their experience of transitioning from a Yeshiva of Brooklyn to a public school, P.S. 89, where they felt like an alien and had little discipline. They had no routine or rules, and their mother never enforced them. The author also had a close friendship with Maxine Edelstein, who lived on the same floor and shared a warm atmosphere.

The author had little discipline and had little knowledge of social graces. They had little discipline and had little control over their lives. They had a close relationship with Muriel Choy, who became their second surrogate mother. Muriel explained things to the author, such as sex and cooking, and the author can still taste her delicious Chinese dishes.

The author also used to babysit for Muriel's children when she worked at a restaurant. One night, the author was physically intertwined with Muriel's children, and they were never mentioned. This experience shaped the author's life forever.

The author emphasizes the importance of keeping one's word and focusing on the Four Agreements in Don Miguel Ruiz's book, Be impeccable with your word. The author reflects on the importance of these moments in childhood and the importance of staying true to one's promises.

The author describes their experiences with ear noises, which they struggled to confide in their mother. They initially experienced pings and pongs in their head, but eventually developed a high-pitched ringing that they never told anyone about. Years later, they discovered that this ringing is called tinnitus, a condition without a known cause or cure. The author has learned to live with the ringing and has learned to distract themselves from it.

One day, the author's brother's fiancée, Ellen, came to visit the family, and Ellen hurt her feelings by calling her ugly. The author felt numb and unsure of why she was so unlovable. They lived in their own head, believing they had all the symptoms of cancer but never discussed them with their mother. When they woke up after a tonsillectomy, they felt like they were falling into a black hole, and their mother was not there.

The author kept everything inside, especially their fears, which led to their first psychosomatic illness. They realized that internalizing these emotions couldn't be healthy and that they were not naturally happy with life. They also remember a gang of girls making fun of them and escaping, crying, and running upstairs to get Shelly to defend them.

Years later, the author realized that their mother left them emotionally as well, as she was a widow with two kids to support. She assumed they knew how they felt, but the author didn't. This experience serves as an example of the Four Agreements in Ruiz's book, Never assume.

Why Couldn’t I Play the Part?

At fourteen, the author experienced their first independent steps into Manhattan, visiting Broadway with friend Anita Sussman. They were mesmerized by the play The Diary of Anne Frank, which they saw on Broadway and felt they could do the part just as well as Susan Strasberg. They continued to go to Broadway plays, watching serious dramas and games like Milton Berle and Ed Sullivan.

The author's first acting job was when they were nine, when they acted like a deaf girl to scare their mother. They enjoyed watching TV shows and invented their own show, Crack the Safe, where they would call people up pretending to be announcers on a radio quiz show and ask them if they listen to their program. If they could identify five songs, they would win a cash prize.

The author and their cousin Lowell invented a show called Crack the Safe, where they would play a commercial from a sponsor, Fab laundry detergent, and ask people to guess five songs to win a cash prize. If they correctlyguessed all five songs, they would take down their address and buy fake money to send to McCrory's, the local five-and-dime. This experience helped the author develop a love for acting and the world of theater.

The narrator enjoyed shopping at the five-and-dime, but also had a secret method of getting what she needed. She would steal items, often using discarded receipts as a way to supplement her earnings as a cashier at a Chinese restaurant. She would buy small items like lipstick or compacts, then use the cash to buy something she really wanted. This was a combination of excitement and fear, but it was a good way to supplement her earnings.

One day, she stole a pair of Bermuda shorts at A&S, Brooklyn's best department store, and walked out wearing them. She was so petrified that she couldn't look up, and she never saw her face again. This marked the end of her criminal career, and she never stole anything again.

The narrator now asks if she can buy a doodad at a hotel. Lou Kind moved out when she was thirteen, and she was happy he left. The atmosphere inside her apartment became calmer without him. She remembers lying on her bed, reading movie magazines, and eating Breyer's coffee ice cream, which she enjoyed first and then lingered in her mouth. She used to eat a pint of coffee ice cream whenever she could and still stayed skinny as a rail.

Shelly and Ellen got married, and for their honeymoon, they were going to Europe on the SS Constitution. The author was ill and wanted to go with them, but their mother ignored her. They went to the movies, which were their escape. The Astor Theatre in Erasmus Hall showed foreign films by directors like Akira Kurosawa and Jules Dassin, which sparked their love for monochromatic images. The Loew's Kings showed Hollywood musicals in Technicolor, and the author saw Marlon Brando in Guys and Dolls.

The author enjoyed love stories like Anna Karenina with Greta Garbo, and wished to be Anna, the devoted teacher, instead of Deborah Kerr. Anna Karenina ended sadly, allowing the author to cry. The first classic novel they ever read was Anna Karenina, and they were completely taken with Anna, dying for love.

The world of make-believe was more vivid and alive than anything they were experiencing. However, walking out of the dark theater into the harsh light of reality left the author depressed, and their mother didn't want them to go to the movies because they were always grouchy for a couple of days afterward.

The author describes their experiences in high school, describing their struggles with reality and their dissatisfaction with the norms. They were a member of the Arista Society and excelled in their grades, but they felt uncomfortable in the halls. They enjoyed their time at the beach and had plans for the future, including pursuing dramatics and participating in extracurricular activities.

The author's unique appearance contrasted with the other honor students they hung around with, who wore brown oxford shoes and thick glasses. They also experimented with makeup, using their mother's lipstick to create magenta colors and their brother's watercolor pencils for eyeshadow. The author was a loner and never had a date throughout high school, except for one encounter with a Spanish boy named Bobby Fischer.

The author also mentions their fear of being beaten up by Ira Trachtenberg, who wanted to take them to Manhattan to see A Star Is Born with Judy Garland. They preferred Joey Bauman, a tough guy who could protect them. The author has a great picture of them together, but they still look unattractive in their graduation picture from middle school.

In summary, the author's experiences in high school were marked by their dissatisfaction with reality, their interest in dramatics, and their lack of social interaction with others.

As a teenager, the author's best friend, Barbara Sulman, lived in the projects and shared their dreams of becoming famous actresses and secretary with their children. They would go to Brighton Beach together, slather themselves in baby oil and iodine to make their tans darker. They would compare their tans after showering. The author was very independent and enjoyed baking, eating at various bakeries, and going to the dentist, Dr. Norman Greystone, who told her she had fifteen cavities. She was horrified when he pulled out one tooth on each side to make room for her adult teeth to grow in.

Dr. Greystone sent her to an orthodontist to see if one front tooth was growing in behind the baby tooth, so she needed braces. She refused to let him put wires on her teeth, which caused her bottom teeth to be crooked. It took two years for the new teeth to come down, making her look serious and embarrassing.

The author was thinking ahead to how she could go onstage with braces and two large gaps in her mouth. She was insecure about her appearance and didn't want to laugh or smile during the procedure.

The author recounts her journey to becoming an actress, starting with a summer apprentice program at Malden Bridge Playhouse in upstate New York. She was determined to get into the program, which required a $150 entry fee. Her mother, Susan Dworkowitz, also wanted to join the program, but they had a different relationship.

The author attended the playhouse with her best friend Susan Dworkowitz, who also wanted to be an actress. They enjoyed the professional stage and the opportunity to practice acting. The author used Aspergum to fill gaps in her teeth, which led to several falls during performances.

During their time at the playhouse, they enjoyed delicious food, such as Campbell's tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. In the fifth play, Elsa, the author played a flirtatious character, which she didn't know how to do. The author was surprised when her first review in the local newspaper referred to her as attractive, and at the end of the season, they put on their own show, Picnic, playing Millie, the heroine's kid sister.

The author's transformation from a tomboy to a pretty girl, aware of her powers, was described as homely to pretty, which shaped her entire career. The author's experiences at Malden Bridge Playhouse and her subsequent career in acting were a testament to the power of determination and perseverance.

The author recounts their journey through high school, where they decided to double up on math and science courses to graduate early. However, they needed permission from the principal to apply for college. Their mother was not convinced of the importance of college, as her highest ambition was to learn how to type so she could work as a secretary in the school system and get paid vacations.

In English class, the author read Stanislavsky's works, including his autobiography and An Actor Prepares. They also wrote a paper on Shakespeare's sonnets and attended a play by George C. Scott in Richard III. The author learned from Stanislavsky that acting is believing in oneself, which led them to audition for a Radio Club.

The author also auditioned for the Choral Club at Erasmus, but was not impressed with the music department head, Mr. DePietto. Despite this, their mother took them to audition for MGM when they were nine. They sang Have You Heard? by Joni James, but they never heard from them again.

At twelve, they auditioned for a TV show. The author's mother believed that telling the truth was important, but it often led to trouble over the years. The author's mother's musical ambitions were not realized until they auditioned for MGM when they were twelve.

This Night Could Change My Life

The author recounts their experience in Driftwood, a play about a mysterious woman named Lorna, played by Joan Molinsky. Despite the play's short run, the author found a job and moved to Manhattan with Susan Dworkowitz, aka Lanell. They lived in a tiny apartment with a small balcony and a fish tank, which they decorated with fake Persian rugs and gilded frames.

The author worked at Michael Press, a printing company, where they worked as a file clerk. They enjoyed eating at the Automat and going to the deli, but were hesitant to eat lamb due to the high meat content. They also enjoyed doing laundry, but were afraid to go to the basement with pipes running all over the place.

The author struggled with making a bed, even in camp, as they couldn't remember how to do it properly. They had a vivid memory of standing in the doorway of their bedroom, looking at the rumpled sheets and thinking, I have to become famous just so I can get somebody else to make my bed. The author's life was simple, with a modest income of fifty-five dollars a week. They enjoyed eating at the Automat and going to the deli, but struggled with making a bed.

The Quintessence of Ibsenism by George Bernard Shaw left a profound impression on the author, who had been reading the book for years. The author found a line in the book that resonated with them, as thought could transcend matter and make something happen. This idea led to the author's determination to become an actress, despite her mother's discouragement.

The author attended acting classes and met other students, including Eli Rill and Angelina Scarangella, to ensure they were not missing anything. She was more comfortable with Allan, who had her working on a scene from Christopher Fry's A Phoenix Too Frequent. The author also formed a lifelong friendship with Cis Corman, who played her mistress. They became friends due to their shared interests and shared experiences.

Cis and Harvey, another set of surrogate parents, lived in a neat and orderly apartment on the Upper West Side. The author enjoyed hanging out in their kitchen, which was filled with tempting food. The scene they worked on in Allan's class was part of a showcase, and Harvey was supportive and kind.

The author's mother, who was against her acting career, did not comment on the performance, only complimenting her arms. The author wondered what she had to do to get her attention and approval from her mother.

In summary, the author's journey through the book and her relationships with older women led her to develop a strong belief in the power of thought and imagination.

The author aspired to become an actress as a way to escape and live in someone else's world. Dustin Hoffman, who was studying acting at the Theatre Studio, worked as a janitor there in exchange