The Voice: A Memoir

In November 1959, Quasthoff's parents were completely unprepared to welcome into the world a child born with birth defects. One of thousands of German mothers to have taken thalidomide during her pregnancy to ease morning sickness, Quasthoff's mother gave birth to a young boy who, according to the doctors, looked just like a young seal with flippers for hands and crippled feet. The doctors told his parents that young Tommy would never be able to walk, but Quasthoff's inspiring memoir is a story of steely determination and a paean to the human spirit. With lively humor and unerring honesty, Quasthoff energetically regales readers with the challenges he faced growing up as well as his many triumphs as one of the world's most famous classical singers. His parents refused to treat his disabilities as a barrier to his success and taught him to walk, supported him through boarding school, lobbied on his behalf with music teachers and applauded his success when he debuted at Lincoln Center. Discovering his love of music during his boarding school days, Quasthoff, with the help of his parents, built a career as a bass-baritone lied singer, who also sings jazz, and he continued to teach voice and to perform upwards of 40 concerts a year around the world. Quasthoff's splendid memoir is not simply about overcoming the odds but about the power of music and one man's loving tribute to his powerful instrument. (June)