Spike Lee: That's My Story and I'm Sticking to It

For a man who stands out in a predominantly "white" profession, "That's my story" provides the reader with a rare glimpse into the mind of a genius. For Spike to allow this biography, he was sending the reader a message. Open up your eyes, and if you read between the lines, you will understand that Spike has been misunderstood for years, by the industry, media and his fans. He is a visionary, who has made his mark on all of us for years, we are just beginning to catch up to his genius finally.

I decided to write a short recommendation for this book because I almost did not buy it after reading some of the other online reviews. Luckily I did get this very well researched and well edited director biography (it is not an autobiography but rather an interview based biography resembling the "director on director" series) which focuses on the making of all of Spike Lee's features as well as on the history and development of his production company. Being an independent filmmaker myself I can only recommend this book and found it inspiring to hear of the success of someone who tried to make meaningful, personal and confrontational films and was not only interested in to "break into film and get rich" like so many 90's indie filmmakers. How to do this, make money without selling out and stay on the game for two decades shows this book in an engaging and inspiring way.

I disagree with the reviews left so far. I found this book to be very interesting and informative. I was expecting a first person retelling of Spike's life from his point of view. What I received was an honest account of Lee's movie making history, told from the perspective of the people who were there. That to me is what makes this book special. Most would agree that Spike Lee played an instrumental role in changing the movie industry. He was one of the first AA directors to make films "his way", he also opened doors for a multitude of African American actors, directors, DPs, sound people etc. This book gives the low down on how he accomplished all of that. What I liked even more about this work is the fact that it doesn't glorify Lee. It seems to be a vehicle for Lee to tell us how he goes about his craft but also allows the people closest to him to express their views on what he has done well and not so well over the course of his career. While I admit to being a fan of this director's prolific work and contributions, I am not such a fan as to believe he doesn't have some personality issues that rub folks the wrong way. Beyond that, he has been a trailblazer and a champion for minorities in an industry that had long ago written them off. I also think that if he wanted to, Mr. Lee is very capable of making outstanding commercial movies, that's just not his thing. Many of us are unaware that he has been a driving force behind some of Black Americas best commercial movies, The Best Man and Love and Basketball for example. For better or worse (depending on the reader)this book reads less like a biography and more like the transcript of a documentary. I recommend it to serious movie buffs, and people with an entrepreneurial spirit.