Overview

"Officer Clemmons: A Memoir details the incredible life story of François Clemmons, beginning with his early years in Alabama and Ohio, marked by family trauma and loss, through his studies as a music major at Oberlin College, where Clemmons began to investigate and embrace his homosexuality, to a chance encounter with Fred Rogers which changed the whole course of both men's lives, leading to a deep, spiritual friendship and mentorship spanning nearly forty years. When he earned the role as ""Officer Clemmons"" on the award-winning television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Clemmons made history as the first African American actor to have a recurring role on a children's program. A new, wide world opened for François ― but one which also required him to make painful personal choices, and sacrifices. From New York to the Soviet Union, Berlin to California, Clemmons has performed for audiences around the world, and remains a beloved figure. Evocative and intimate, and buoyed by its author's own vivacious, inimitable energy, Officer Clemmons chronicles a historical and enlightening life and career of a man who has brought joy to millions of adults and children, across generations and borders."

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9781713525738

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Reviews

It's important to acknowledge heroes who build bridges between all of us. Officer Clemmons offers readers the unique opportunity to understand how one man's life can have an unexpected, positive impact on millions of people. By sharing his lived truth, his artistic journey, and his friendship with Fred Rogers, Dr. Clemmons has written a memoir from a place of love and faith, in both God and in the power of music, as a gift to the world. --Common, Grammy Award-, Academy Award-, and Golden Globe-winning musician, actor, activist, and author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Let Love Have the Last Word Clemmons, who played Officer Clemmons on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, tells of his life as a gay African-American in the postwar era, in this uplifting memoir.... Clemmons's thoroughly delightful, inspiring story will speak particularly to artists in marginalized communities. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) The extraordinary story of one of Mister Rogers' most groundbreaking and endearing 'neighbors, ' Officer Clemmons.... A dear friend of Rogers for three decades, Clemmons offers a firsthand account of his work on Rogers' show, a story intertwined with the author's remarkable career as an operatic singer, actor, playwright, and choir director.... A heartwarming story that explores the power of friendship as well as race, sexuality, talent, and identity. --Kirkus Reviews Clemmons's voice is serene and unwavering as he paints a vivid picture of his difficult upbringing, which was marked by violence, abuse, discrimination, and confusion about his sexuality. In a steady cadence and expressive tone, Clemmons moves past his formative years to recall the events that took place after his acceptance to Oberlin College, which ultimately led to his first conversation with Fred Rogers, who would become his dear friend. This expertly narrated audiobook leaves nothing to be desired as Clemmons gives listeners a glimpse of the life of the groundbreaking Officer Clemmons. --AudioFile Magazine Narrating with a colorful cadence, Clemmons shares deeply affecting reflections on life as a Black, gay, ordained person of the theater. Listeners hear the pain of his abusive family life, the tender thrill of first relationships in the closeted '60s, and the outrage of discrimination during the dawn of the civil rights movement. --Booklist

It's important to acknowledge heroes who build bridges between all of us. Officer Clemmons offers readers the unique opportunity to understand how one man's life can have an unexpected, positive impact on millions of people. By sharing his lived truth, his artistic journey, and his friendship with Fred Rogers, Dr. Clemmons has written a memoir from a place of love and faith, in both God and in the power of music, as a gift to the world. Common, Grammy Award-, Academy Award-, and Golden Globe-winning musician, actor, activist, and author of the New York Times bestselling memoir Let Love Have the Last Word Clemmons, who played Officer Clemmons on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, tells of his life as a gay African-American in the postwar era, in this uplifting memoir . . . Clemmons's thoroughly delightful, inspiring story will speak particularly to artists in marginalized communities. --Publishers Weekly (starred review) The extraordinary story of one of Mister Rogers' most groundbreaking and endearing 'neighbors, ' Officer Clemmons . . . A dear friend of Rogers for three decades, Clemmons offers a firsthand account of his work on Rogers' show, a story intertwined with the author's remarkable career as an operatic singer, actor, playwright, and choir director . . . A heartwarming story that explores the power of friendship as well as race, sexuality, talent, and identity. --Kirkus Reviews Francois Clemmons played Officer Clemmons on Mister Rogers (making him the first African American with a recurring role on a children's program), which would be reason enough for me to want to read his memoir. But Clemmons's life beyond his work on the show, and his friendship with Fred Rogers (who, unfortunately, advised him to marry a woman rather than accept that he was gay) was fascinating, as well. --Jessie Gaynor, Literary Hub, One of the Most Anticipated Books of the Year Officer Clemmons offers us a look into the life of a man who may have once been overlooked and is only now being appreciated for his unique and rippling influence on our society through friendship and a ferocious commitment to individuality. Ashley C. Ford, author of Somebody's Daughter Clemmons in this book allows us such an act of tenderness and affection. Officer Clemmons is a window into a time that is rapidly being forgotten, a history of blackness and queerness, and perhaps most especially of beauty. But more than that, it traces and retraces with devoted clarity the path that leads from the horrifying pains of racism, violence, and homophobia to the blessings of love, spirit, friendship, and God. Dr. Francois S. Clemmons understands that his life, despite everything, is a gift. And here he shares that gift with us in a way that is both clear-eyed and softhearted. The effect for me is healing and wondrous. Carvell Wallace, contributor to The New York Times Magazine, author of The Sixth Man, and host of the Finding Fred podcast

Author Information

Dr. François S. Clemmons received a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin College, and a Master of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University. He also received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Middlebury College. In 1973, he won a Grammy Award for a recording of Porgy and Bess; in 1986, he founded and directed the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble; and from 1997 until his retirement in 2013, Clemmons was the Alexander Twilight Artist in Residence and director of the Martin Luther King Spiritual Choir at Middlebury College in Vermont, where he currently resides. Dr. François S. Clemmons received a Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin College, and a Master of Fine Arts from Carnegie Mellon University. He also received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Middlebury College. In 1973, he won a Grammy Award for a recording of Porgy and Bess; in 1986, he founded and directed the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble; and from 1997 until his retirement in 2013, Clemmons was the Alexander Twilight Artist in Residence and director of the Martin Luther King Spiritual Choir at Middlebury College in Vermont, where he currently resides.

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