Tavis Smiley

Born

in Gulfport, Mississippi, The United States

September 13, 1964

Website

http://www.tavistalks.com/

Genre

Nonfiction, Social Sciences, Biographies & Memoirs

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

Combine Editions
Tavis Smiley’s books

Average rating: 3.81 · 34,343 ratings · 4,317 reviews · 36 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) 3.99 avg rating — 1,223 ratings — published 2014 — 13 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 3.84 avg rating — 797 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 3.76 avg rating — 333 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) 4.07 avg rating — 286 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 3.80 avg rating — 226 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
	Before You Judge Me: The Triumph and Tragedy of Michael Jackson's Last Days by Tavis Smiley, David Ritz 3.21 avg rating — 259 ratings — published 2016 — 9 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 3.82 avg rating — 199 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
	The Covenant In Action by Tavis Smiley (Introduction), Cornel West (Afterword) 4.18 avg rating — 62 ratings — published 2007 — 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
	The Covenant with Black America - Ten Years Later 3.74 avg rating — 54 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
	50 for Your Future: Lessons from Down the Road 3.76 avg rating — 38 ratings — published 2016 — 3 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

75 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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