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Take My Word for It: A Memoir

by Levar Burton

A life shaped by storytelling, family, and advocacy

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A life shaped by storytelling, family, and advocacy

LeVar Burton’s memoir connects the public milestones of his acting and literacy-education career with the experiences that shaped him beyond the camera. It moves across distinct eras—from his childhood during the Civil Rights Movement and his relationship with his mother to the roles of actor, parent, husband, and householder. Burton also considers acting as both a source of transformation and a way to escape difficult parts of his past. Questions of inheritance and responsibility broaden the portrait: the book reflects on what people owe their ancestors and one another, alongside Burton’s longstanding advocacy for liberation and equity. Personal family photographs accompany this account.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Fans of LeVar Burton’s acting and literacy-education work
  • Readers interested in memoirs about family, identity, and public life
  • Those drawn to reflections on storytelling, ancestry, and social justice

Themes

Storytelling and actingFamily and resilienceCivil Rights-era upbringingAncestry and mutual responsibilityLiberation and equity

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

The legendary actor behind Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Reading Rainbow shares never-before-told stories from a life that has shaped generations in this "compassionate, vulnerable memoir" (Time).

"LeVar Burton's reverence, respect, and complete understanding of the power of story permeates this intimate weaving of his own life's narrative threads. The tapestry created depicts a man in full--spiritual seeker, literacy educator, artistic explorer, social justice warrior, and conscious human."--Noah Wyle

This is my attempt to pull back the curtain. Not just on the roles I've played, but on the life I've lived. The fears. The fight. The survival. And yes, the joy. All of it.

Tracing the different eras of his life--from Kunta Kinte to Geordi La Forge to Reading Rainbow and far beyond the camera--celebrated actor LeVar Burton fearlessly opens up about growing up during the Civil Rights Movement, being raised by a remarkable mother, and discovering his calling as a storyteller. He explores how acting has served as both a source of transformation and an escape from the most difficult parts of his past, while also confronting the challenges of being a parent, husband, and householder.

As Burton honors the loved ones whose strength and resilience shaped him in this inspiring memoir, he also asks what we owe to our ancestors and to each other, reflecting on the deep necessity he's always felt advocating for liberation and equity. Generous, deeply moving, and illustrated with personal family photos, Take My Word For It is a courageous self-portrait of an iconic artist.
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Customer reviews

M
AlbakiReads
Malaika Taylor

I highly recommend to for anyone looking for inner clarity

T
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Thomas DiMassa

Great service and fast service

Great shopping experience! The book arrived quickly, was well packaged, and matched the description perfectly. I would definitely shop with you again

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Olivia

Smooth.