A review by christinalepre
Kill 'Em and Leave: Searching for James Brown and the American Soul by James McBride

3.0

Brief book about James Brown told through interviews with people who knew him during his life. As McBride finds, though, no one really knew him all that well. McBride digs into why such a dynamic and talented man wouldn't want to be known, and how his distrust of institutions led his will to be fought over brutally and his wishes to donate his estate to poor children wasn't carried out, among other things. This isn't a biography, but an interesting lens to look at the life of a legend, written by someone with a strong voice and style, which is often lacking in this kind of reporting.