My Name Is Barbra

By: Barbra Streisand

Narrated by: Barbra Streisand

The long-awaited memoir by the superstar of stage, screen, recordings, and television

PLEASE NOTE The audiobook edition is read by Barbra Streisand. Features additional anecdotes and music that are exclusive to the My Name Is Barbra audiobook.

Barbra Streisand is by any account a living legend, a woman who in a career spanning six decades has excelled in every area of entertainment. She is among the handful of EGOT winners (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) and has one of the greatest and most recognizable voices in the history of popular music. She has been nominated for a Grammy 46 times, and with Yentl she became the first woman to write, produce, direct, and star in a major motion picture.

In My Name Is Barbra, she tells her own story about her life and extraordinary career, from growing up in Brooklyn to her first star-making appearances in New York nightclubs to her breakout performance in Funny Girl on stage and winning the Oscar for that performance on film. Then came a long string of successes in every medium in the years that followed. The book is, like Barbra herself, frank, funny, opinionated, and charming. She recounts her early struggles to become an actress, eventually turning to singing to earn a living; the recording of some of her acclaimed albums; the years of effort involved in making Yentl; her direction of The Prince of Tides; her friendships with figures ranging from Marlon Brando to Madeleine Albright; her political advocacy; and the fulfillment she’s found in her marriage to James Brolin.

No entertainer’s memoir has been more anticipated than Barbra Streisand’s, and this engrossing and delightful book will be eagerly welcomed by her millions of fans.

©2023 Barbra Streisand (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"The book is undeniably moving—it does not, even for a moment, read as false. . . . Streisand’s chatty, discursive presence hums on every page. . . . Riveting . . . . All the usual memoir forms rear their heads. There’s the sob story, the gallant bildungsroman, the louche chronicle of various addictive behaviors, the righteous making of an activist, the victory lap. Streisand’s book, in its sheer breadth and largesse, attempts to be all of these things, and thus becomes something incredibly rare. . . . If something interests her, then it is interesting, full stop. In a way, she draws on an old-fashioned idea of celebrity: to be a star is to be golden, and to make everything you touch look the same. . . . Streisand has never thought it necessary to contain herself, and there’s no reason to start now."
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker

"The celebrity memoir I've coveted most is that of the singular Ms. Barbra Streisand. . . . We don't see a diva, we see a genius. . . . In a society that tends to value women's passivity while lauding their accomplishments in hindsight, it's a distinct pleasure to look back with My Name Is Barbra and marvel at how the real she came to be."
—Brittany Luse, NPR

“A gloriously massive memoir from a sui generis star. . . . What a talent, what a career, what a life, and what a treat to relive it all with this most down-to-earth of demigods.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

48 hours with Barbra

Wow. For all her fans and for those interested in 60 plus years in the history of the entertainment industry. Her reading is warm and intimate. Well worth the investment.

A Singular Talent and Life

I have been a fan of Barbra Streisand from very early in her career, since I was 11 years old. At the time, who could have foreseen all that this artist would become and achieve? Her accomplishments are legendary, and her talents, intelligence and instincts have afforded her an extraordinary life.

To hear her read from her own memoir is to be made to feel that you are having the most intimate of conversations with her, sitting around a coffee table laden with the foods she loves to eat; that she is sharing with you the personal details of a most fascinating life, filled with some of the most famous names and personages of the last 6 decades.

This memoir is full of wit and charm, with remarkable self insights and revelations. It is worth every moment invested in hearing or reading it all.

Just wonderful!

Barbra’s first album came out when I was 16, and I have been a big fan ever since. Her memoir is a gift, filled with wonderful behind-the-scene stories, told with honesty, humor, and insight into her own evolution as an artist and a person. It is conversational, as if she is sitting next to you sharing memories rather than reading from a book. Love it!

AUDIOBOOK BY BARBRA S. THE TRUTH WILL SET U FREE;

IN CHAPTER 43: THE TIME 28:51 INTO THE READING; PAT CONROY'S LETTER; TO MISS BARBRA S., MR. CONROY DESCRIBES BARBRA'S DISCIPLINE AND HARD WORK ETHIC, PLUS, ALSO, BEING INTUNE IN DISCRIBING HER TENACITY AND PERSISTENCE IN SEEING THROUGH ALL OF THE TASKS SHE'S DECIDED TO DO IN BEING VERY RESPONSIBLE IN HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS, IN HONORING HER WORD... ALSO, MR CONROY MENTIONS THE NUMBER OF STORMS IN THIS PROJECT (PRINCE OF TIDES) SHE'S WEATHERED, WITH HER "MOTTO BEING THE TRUTH WILL ALWAYS SET YOU FREE"... THEN MR. CONROY STATES; BARBRA IS A GENIUS AT WORK; SO TRUE... IN MY OPINION, THIS LETTER CAN ALSO DESCRIBE WHAT MISS BARBRA S. CHARACTER (5-STARS) IS ALL ABOUT IN FINISHING THE MOVIE (YENTL).... KUDOS TO THIS AUDIO BOOK AND TO YOU MISS BARBRA S. FOR SHARING YOUR GOD GIVEN TALENTS WITH THE WORLD... PEACE BE WITH YOU... GUSTAVO RUBIO

Fantastic

Incredible story about an Amazing Artist’s Life.
Barbra is a Blessing to Humanity.
Her story made me laugh and cry.
I’m glad I read it and will read it again soon.
I recommend this book to everyone.
Barbra Streisand is one of Americas greatest talents.
It was a pleasure to listen to her reading her life story.

How someone so blessed with god given talent could spend her life missing her dad and hating her mother

Didn’t think we needed to hear every review she ever had . Her work speaks for itself

What a Gift!

I am so sad this has ended. It was like spending time with the greatest entertainer of all-time who just happened to be a close friend as well, and I was riveted by this walk through Ms. Streisand’s life. Funny, sad, intelligent, touching, angering, insightful, down to earth...the hours just flew by and I began dreading it as the time dwindled away.

I am so impressed with the person she revealed herself to be. What a joy and inspiration she has been, and as corny as it sounds , I am so proud to call myself a lifelong fan. All these years later, she has proven herself a woman who was always worthy of admiring, deserving of all the accolades that were bestowed upon her(and the many more that were not), and she is someone I am so thankful I was here to witness.

This is a magnificent book; the Audible version is definitely the best way to experience this autobiography. Nothing like a fascinating life story told in that wonderfully familiar and expressive voice.

Kudos and thank you to a truly legendary force of nature. Just spectacular!

An authentic account of a meaningful life of a talented, strong, and loving woman

Loved listening to it, since it provides a different layer of closeness and a better tone that doesn’t require interpretation. I enjoyed all 48 hours of it and was sad when it ended. Barbra S’a life is inspiring. While listening to her, I imagined she is a girlfriend telling me her life story. I would love a girlfriend like her: authentic, brave, loyal, compassionate, and a leader for positive change, Well done.

Wonderful

A great memoir of Barbra Streisand, who, in my opinion, is the most talented person alive in my lifetime. A wonderful book, beautifully read, and Honest.

wow

It's just grand to listen to Barbra tell her story. And a grand story it is!