Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of the Temptations

Ain't Too Proud to Beg definitely stirs up the soul, as the great times transcend rather quickly into devastation. Ribowsky impeccably weaves together accounts, interviews, and records, and creates a seamless tale of success and pain. While reading this book you grow up with the Temptations, you fall in love with each one, and on the flip side a part of you dies when their journeys on this earth ends all in tragedy (even though you may know how it will end). You'll learn things you never knew about the original five as myths from the movie "Temptations" are dispelled. Ain't Too Proud to Beg will have you laughing and crying. Ribowsky knows his music, beats, and instruments and explains them so well that you will find yourself singing along to those Temptation classics. I do not believe that the story of the Temptations could have been recorded any better. Ribowsky exhausted all avenues possible in telling the tale of a group with only one surviving original member. I recommend this book to Temptation and/or Motown fans, music industry buffs, and history lovers. And to those who read avidly about Motown I felt Ribowsky laid his own opinions about Berry Gordy aside and put both sides of the argument on the table. He leaves it for you to decide if Gordy financially, mentally, or emotionally drained the Motown acts or did he help them.The way this drama was compiled and the leg work that Ribowsky did made me more than happy. As a fan who has read and interviews by Otis, and even Kendrick and Ruffin, I am so please with what I was given. My heart took a beating and I was depressed at times but I loved this book.

I really enjoyed reading the book, Ain't To Proud to Beg; The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of the Temptations. It was a great read. I am not saying that everything in it was true, but I surely got some new insight into the lives of the Temptations(my favorite group of all time). The book was not the least bit predjudice to one person's side of the story. It gave information from all sides, and that is what I liked about it the most. It did not make me change my mind about any of the guys, but I do think that I understand them a little better. It is up to the individual to decide if the are going to believe the story or not. I couldn't put the book down once I started reading it. I think that if you are interested in the Temptation story(notice I said story and not history), you will enjoy reading this book.

The Temptations are by far my favorite group of all time. When I saw this book was written with Otis William's input I ordered it. Sad as the story is, I couldn't put it down. Even thought I knew they were all gone except for Otis, the information was invaluable. I recommend this book for any fan of the Temptations. The inside information about Berry Gordy and the way he operated was a real eye opener.

This is a detailed book about the Temptations, though the author relies heavily on his interview with Otis Williams and his autobiography. The author has studied music and goes into great technical detail about the creation of each Temptations hit, which gets a bit dry at times. He is biased in his dislike of the talented but troubled David Ruffin and isn't particularly kind to Eddie, Paul or Dennis at times. The author's dislike of Diana Ross is obvious, but I've read other autobiographies and biographies that harbor the same feeling about Ms Ross. She is a controversial figure. There is a definite "male gaze" with the author's writing, as he makes rather sexist or vulgar remarks that only a guy would say. That was rather disconcerting, because in most good biographies, the author adopts a more neutral, sometimes even scholarly tone.For the most part, I do like the detail that the author delves into, and I learned more about each Temptation and other Motown stars that weren't in Otis' autobiography. Reading both will give you a good idea about the Temptations, though again, with more of Otis' slant. Being the only surviving Temptation from the original group, it seems the author feels a strong obligation to defer to him and also needed his cooperation for this book. It would have been interesting if the author could have interviewed other people who knew or worked with the Tempts and integrated their stories more into this book instead of relying so heavily on Mr. Williams. At times this almost felt like an update to Otis' autobiography, though I can also see it as a companion piece to his. As other reviewers pointed out, there are some errors in the book, but it is still an interesting and arresting read for the most part.

By far one of the most insightful and riveting book 're: The Tempts. Well written and very fun to read! Highly recommend.

Currently reading this book. Was hard going at first as it refers way back to the past and I had to keep going back to see who was who. However it's worth sticking it out.Quite a few sad facts about David Ruffin that I wasn't aware of while he was growing up before he joined the Temps

Some interesting parts in this book.

couldn't be happier with this purchase. Arrived on time and was exactly as described

Bought for my dad for Xmas. He absolutely loved it, one of best books he's read

Journey into the lives of Back America's most famous group, revealing insights and facts of each of these five geniuses!