Tavis Smiley

Born

in Gulfport, Mississippi, The United States

September 13, 1964

Website

http://www.tavistalks.com/

Genre

Nonfiction, Social Sciences, Biographies & Memoirs

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Tavis Smiley is a talk show host, author, political commentator, entrepreneur, advocate and philanthropist. Smiley grew up in Kokomo, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to Tom Bradley, the mayor of Los Angeles. Smiley became a radio commentator in 1991, and starting in 1996 he hosted the talk show BET Talk (later renamed BET Tonight) on BET. Controversially, after Smiley sold an exclusive interview of Sara Jane Olson to ABC News in 2001, BET declined to renew Smiley's contract that year. Smiley then began hosting The Tavis Smiley Show on NPR from 2002 to 2004 and currently hosts Tavis Smiley on PBS on the weekdays and "The Tavis Smiley Show" from PRI. Most recently, he and best friend Dr. ...more

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Tavis Smiley’s books

Average rating: 3.79 · 27,200 ratings · 3,695 reviews · 38 distinct works • Similar authors

	Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Final Year by Tavis Smiley, David Ritz (With) 3.97 avg rating — 1,067 ratings — published 2014 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Rich and the Rest of Us: A Poverty Manifesto by Tavis Smiley, Cornel West 3.83 avg rating — 738 ratings — published 2012 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Covenant with Black America 3.75 avg rating — 309 ratings — published 2006 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	My Journey with Maya by Tavis Smiley, David Ritz (With) 4.06 avg rating — 250 ratings — published 2015 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America by Tavis Smiley, David Ritz 3.78 avg rating — 206 ratings — published 2006 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fail Up: 20 Lessons on Building Success from Failure 3.81 avg rating — 188 ratings — published 2011 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Before You Judge Me: The Triumph and Tragedy of Michael Jackson's Last Days by Tavis Smiley, David Ritz 3.14 avg rating — 213 ratings — published 2016 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Covenant In Action by Tavis Smiley (Introduction), Cornel West (Afterword) 4.15 avg rating — 60 ratings — published 2007 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Covenant with Black America - Ten Years Later 3.74 avg rating — 47 ratings — published 2016 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Accountable: Making America as Good as Its Promise by Tavis Smiley, Stephanie Robinson (Contributor) 3.48 avg rating — 44 ratings — published 2009 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Tavis Smiley

“The choices we make about the lives we live determine the kinds of legacies we leave.”
― Tavis Smiley, The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

tags: choice, legacy, life, morality

69 likes

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant.”
― Tavis Smiley, Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Final Year

3 likes

“I refuse to despair in this moment. I refuse to allow myself to fall into the dark chambers of pessimism, because I think in any social revolution the one thing that keeps it going is hope, and when hope dies somehow the revolution degenerates into a kind of nihilistic philosophy which says you must engage in disruption for disruption’s sake.… I believe that the forces of goodwill, white and black, in this country can work together to bring about a resolution.… We have the resources to do it.…”
― Tavis Smiley, Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Final Year

2 likes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Readers and Reading: May 2011 reads	9	25	Jun 05, 2011 07:03AM
Book Nook Cafe: What I read in May 2011	68	81	Jun 17, 2011 07:51AM
Challenge: 50 Books: Naomi's 2012 50 (plus?) books	104	147	Dec 31, 2012 05:07PM
The History Book ...: ALISA'S 50 BOOKS READ IN 2014	19	82	Jan 05, 2015 07:11AM
Book Nook Cafe: Native Son- January 2015	87	57	Feb 14, 2015 06:37PM
The History Book ...: BRYAN CRAIG'S 50 BOOKS READ IN 2015	48	112	Dec 31, 2015 01:39PM
Book Nook Cafe: The Best & Worst of 2015	14	28	Jan 03, 2016 05:30PM
The History Book ...: MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.	78	300	Apr 10, 2018 10:11AM

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Combine Editions
Tavis Smiley’s books