Título: Sonny Boy: A Memoir
Autor: Al Pacino
Sinopse: From one of the most iconic actors in the history of film, an astonishingly revelatory account of a creative life in full
To the wider world, Al Pacino exploded onto the scene like a supernova. He landed his first leading role, in The Panic in Needle Park, in 1971, and by 1975, he had starred in four movies—The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon—that were not just successes but landmarks in the history of film. Those performances became legendary and changed his life forever. Not since Marlon Brando and James Dean in the late 1950s had an actor landed in the culture with such force.
But Pacino was in his midthirties by then, and had already lived several lives. A fixture of avant-garde theater in New York, he had led a bohemian existence, working odd jobs to support his craft. He was raised by a fiercely loving but mentally unwell mother and her parents after his father left them when he was young, but in a real sense he was raised by the streets of the South Bronx, and by the troop of buccaneering young friends he ran with, whose spirits never left him. After a teacher recognized his acting promise and pushed him toward New York’s fabled High School of Performing Arts, the die was cast. In good times and bad, in poverty and in wealth and in poverty again, through pain and joy, acting was his lifeline, its community his tribe.
Sonny Boy is the memoir of a man who has nothing left to fear and nothing left to hide. All the great roles, the essential collaborations, and the important relationships are given their full due, as is the vexed marriage between creativity and commerce at the highest levels. The book’s golden thread, however, is the spirit of love and purpose. Love can fail you, and you can be defeated in your ambitions—the same lights that shine bright can also dim. But Al Pacino was lucky enough to fall deeply in love with a craft before he had the foggiest idea of any of its earthly rewards, and he never fell out of love. That has made all the difference.
Contexto da obra
Como livro em inglês, esta obra costuma ganhar também uma camada própria de interesse editorial e linguístico. “Sonny Boy: A Memoir”, de Al Pacino, publicado pela editora Penguin Press, em 2024 e com 400 páginas, integra a categoria Livros em Inglês. Por isso, o interesse da obra tende a se ampliar quando o leitor considera também a relação com a língua em que ela circula.
Editora: Penguin Press
Páginas: 400
Ano: 2024
Edição:
Linguagem: en
ISBN: 0593655117
ISBN13: 9780593655115
Sobre a editora
Os livros da editora Penguin Press costumam explorar narrativas densas e multifacetadas, que transitam entre o íntimo e o coletivo, com personagens frequentemente enfrentando dilemas existenciais ou contextos sociais complexos. A experiência de leitura combina uma linguagem elaborada com temas que vão da memória e identidade até questões políticas e históricas, sempre com um tom que mistura reflexão profunda e acessibilidade. O catálogo sugere uma atenção especial a histórias de transformação pessoal e social, com obras que apresentam tanto relatos biográficos quanto investigações jornalísticas e ensaísticas. Há obras que privilegiam o ritmo narrativo e a construção de personagens, enquanto outras adotam um tom mais informativo e analítico, revelando a diversidade editorial da Penguin Press.
