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Officer Clemmons: A Memoir Audiobook
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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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"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
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"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 -
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
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