George Stevens Jr.'s My Place in the Sun is a rapturous ode to his father's remarkable imprint on American cinema, as well as engaging evidence of the son's indelible mark on America's cultural politics. This enthralling recollection paints a moving picture of Hollywood discovering itself and America defining itself in its most consequential hours. Stevens, Jr. captivates with intimate moments and decisive encounters where we discover the humans behind the boldface names. Escapade, heart and grace fill the pages.
~Alfre Woodard
LISTEN: George Stevens, Jr. discusses his father's epic film, Giant (1956), on the Classic Movie Musts Podcast. Listen online here.
George Stevens, Jr.'s life as a guardian of American cinema and his own signature films have been a remarkable celebration of the arts. In this riveting memoir he takes us on a glorious journey through so many of America's most important and enduring moments both on-screen and off.
~Tom Brokaw
George Stevens' new book is a fascinating journey through his amazing life. He has been at the center of Hollywood for longer than he cares to admit and has the stories to prove it. You will even find out why I've always called him 'Kingfish.' Movies, family, the arts and politics — My Place in the Sun is quite a ride.
~Quincy Jones
Long before Ronald Reagan came to Washington, George Stevens Jr. brought Hollywood glamour, and serious film, to the backwater 1960s capital of the United States. The son of a legendary director (Giant, Shane, A Place in the Sun), George Stevens Jr.'s role as an important player in the cultural and political life of the nation, on both coasts, is unique. Through half a century, he established the American Film Institute, the Kennedy Center Honors, and was a friend and confidant to presidents from Jack Kennedy to Barack Obama. His is a tale like no other and spun out here with grace and historical sweep.
~Carl Bernstein
If George Stevens Sr. were half as impressive as George Jr. writes in this compelling book, he would still be a Hollywood Lion, director of some of our most memorable movies. The son, like his dad, has also lived a memorable life, recounted in vivid anecdotes of friendships with Elizabeth Taylor, Orson Welles, Edward R. Murrow, and the Kennedys, the movies and documentaries he birthed, the arts he championed, the Kennedy Center he pioneered, the noble life he has lived. My Place in the Sun is a book I avidly consumed in one gulp.
~Ken Auletta, media critic for The New Yorker
For anyone interested in Hollywood and the inner workings of Washington, DC, My Place in the Sun is a treasure. It is also the captivating story of a loving father and son.
~Jill Abramson, former executive editor, The New York Times
My Place in the Sun offers the reader a front-row seat to the birth of the American Century through the lens of a model cultural citizen. In both wartime and peacetime, through national celebrations and tragedies, George Stevens Jr.'s meticulously documented, even-handed portraits of a century's worth of filmic and political historymakers is a must-read for anyone interested in human affairs. I couldn't put it down.
~Yo-Yo Ma
A beautifully written memoir of a beautifully lived life. From the studio lots of Hollywood to the corridors of the Capital; from Elizabeth Taylor to Sidney Poitier to my father Robert Kennedy — George Stevens, Jr. was always in the room where things happened. Magnetic, elegant, and deeply thoughtful, My Place in the Sun shines its bright light upon a remarkable man, while so movingly illuminating our own American time.
~Rory Kennedy
This is the rare Hollywood memoir that is actually reported, giving the reader — in addition to the intimacy native to a son writing about a father — the assurance that what's on the page is the honest truth. As told by Stevens, one of our keepers of Hollywood's golden age, I will not soon forget the up-close and detailed accountings of game-changing industry meetings and the creations of — amongst other classics — Shane and Giant, conveyed as they are with the careful and compassionate eye of a lifelong citizen of Hollywood and, we now know, ace historian.
~Sam Wasson, author of The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood and Improv Nation: How We Made a Great American Art
LISTEN: George Stevens, Jr. discusses his new book with Hawk Koch on "Inside Hollywood & Behind the Book". Listen online here.
In this insightful and well written memoir, Stevens looks at his family but also tells his own impressive story of a life dedicated to advancing culture and working in Washington's most rarefied circles. It's a must-read for anyone interested in moviemaking, politics, or the inner workings of a great American clan.
~Adam Rathe, Town & Country
My Place in the Sun is a pleasure to anyone interested in the high-end, inner workings of 20th century American culture and will be a source book for future historians. My Place in the Sun is a pleasure to anyone interested in the high-end, inner workings of 20th century American culture and will be a source book for future historians.
~Shepherd Express
Stevens Jr.'s new memoir is filled with hugely entertaining anecdotes, featuring legends from Katherine Hepburn to Cecil B. DeMille. If it was just celebrity encounters, however, the book would have felt like a sugary confection of name-dropping. Stevens Jr. not only uses his father's story...but also historic footage shot at D-Day, in Berlin and at the liberation of Dachau...to illuminate where his own values came from.
~Orange County Register
Elegant and engaging...this memoir delivers.
~Wall Street Journal
The book is neither serious nor hard to chew, with Stevens taking a relaxed and anecdotal tone when describing his life's work. He makes what was a busy and illustrious career an easy read, it is not overwhelming, complex, or hard to remember. Quite like his father's principles the book respects the audience and talks directly with it- the relaxed tone makes for an easy read. It reads more like a conversation over coffee with one of Hollywood's greats than a lecture by a political figure. Steven's fear of being lesser than his father rings true for many people in America and makes it a great read for those struggling to find themself or their passion- it is especially pertinent for those working in the film industry or looking to bring a political spin to their art.
~Aastha Gopal, MichiganSportsZone.com
George Stevens Jr. displays the self-deprecating style of someone enthralled by his work, engaged by his politics and enriched by his friends. His memoir, gracefully written, shows a man who knows that blessings accrue to those who take the high road.
~Kitty Kelley, The Georgetowner
This eloquent, tender, profoundly moving memoir captured my heart from start to finish. My Place in the Sun delivers both a beautifully written account of a remarkable father/son relationship and a sweeping history of more than a hundred years of life in Hollywood and politics.
~Doris Kearns Goodwin
It occurred to me reading My Place in the Sun that the apple didn't fall far from the tree. George Stevens Jr. created his own place in the sun and has stood the test of time through his contribution to the culture of the motion picture and all forms of the creative arts. As a deeply patriotic and proactive American, everything he has touched seems to have found a place in our collective history.
~Steven Spielberg
"My Place in the Sun is a compelling book to read. I couldn't put it down.... I can't recommend it highly enough."
~Leonard Maltin (Maltin on Movies podcast)
Thank you, George Stevens, Jr., for not only writing a great book but for being a great artist, a great statesman, and especially in these times, a great friend of democracy in a time that needs it.
~Michael Beschloss
