Sammy davis jr biography book covers

The writing process

Around 1961, Burt took a leave of absence from his column, and Burt and Jane began the long process of research and writing – interviewing friends and family, and talking to Sammy every night for hours wherever in the world he was performing.

By 1963, the Boyars found themselves with a mammoth 1,000 page manuscript which no publishing house in New York would touch – and they had tried them all.

The Boyars had made two choices which made their chances of finding a publisher remote, but ultimately contributed to the book’s popular appeal once published.

Firstly, the text eschewed the usual dates, facts, and detail that were found in the average biography of the time – instead Yes I Can was written with a strong first-person narrative drive that focussed on the story first and foremost.

Secondly, the book consisted predominately of dialogue (obviously invented) between Sammy and the people in his life. These choices g