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Summary: Reggae : music for the soul
Review: For a lover of music , freedom ... liberty ,a lover of the word of Jah, the first striking title is "in the beginning". The book gives spiritual satisfaction and makes the reader feel rasta! But, I think the writer insists too much on creation, the live of marcus garvey, Haile selassie I, than bob marley.It would have been better getting more information about the life Bob (From his very begginings up to death,life with each person in te wailers, Private life af the Artist Familly life of the artist at the moment of death).
Rating: 
Summary: slow read but a great book!
Review: I feel at times times the book was slow but the overall story and content was excellent. one of the best bios ive ever read. Bob was the greatest!
Rating: 
Summary: This book was amazing!
Review: I must say that after reading this book, i came to the full knowledge and understanding of what Jamaican cultures and music are all about. One of the main thing that touched me was the great contribution that Bob Marley gave to reggae music.Adding to all this, the pictures were awesome.
Rating:
Summary: Good biography, ok writing
Review: I picked up this book because I'm a fan of Marley's music but I realized I never knew too much about the guy himself. I wasn't disappointed with the content. "Catch A Fire" takes you through Bob's early childhood into when he first started singing and recording, all the way through to his death, with great stories and details along the way. In addition to a book about his life, this is also a book about Jamaica's history, rastafarianism, and reggae music. It goes into some depth on these three topics, putting Marley's life into historical perspective. My gripe is that the writing in the book was only OK. For a topic that I was interested in reading about, the book did a poor job of holding my attention. However, I would recommend the book to a Bob fan, because it is filled with stories and anecdotes about Bob's life that I never knew about. I would not recommend this book to the casual Bob fan. You are probably better off just watching that documentary about him. I forget the name of it right now.
Rating:
Summary: Good biography, ok writing
Review: I picked up this book because I'm a fan of Marley's music but I realized I never knew too much about the guy himself. I wasn't disappointed with the content. "Catch A Fire" takes you through Bob's early childhood into when he first started singing and recording, all the way through to his death, with great stories and details along the way. In addition to a book about his life, this is also a book about Jamaica's history, rastafarianism, and reggae music. It goes into some depth on these three topics, putting Marley's life into historical perspective. My gripe is that the writing in the book was only OK. For a topic that I was interested in reading about, the book did a poor job of holding my attention. However, I would recommend the book to a Bob fan, because it is filled with stories and anecdotes about Bob's life that I never knew about. I would not recommend this book to the casual Bob fan. You are probably better off just watching that documentary about him. I forget the name of it right now.
Rating:
Summary: Not enough about 70s era Marley
Review: I really enjoyed this book and thought it provided great insight into Bob's early life as well as Rastafari and Jamaican culture. Having said that, it seemed like Mr. White devoted so much space to certain aspects of Bob's life that he skimmed right over others without much comment. The recording and release of "Catch a Fire" is barely covered as is Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer's departure from the Wailers. I would recommend reading this along with "Bob Marley" by Stephen Davis as his book covers the Island years in greater detail.
Rating:
Summary: Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley
Review: I recently read "Catch a Fire" while on vacation in Jamaica, and found it the best reading choice I could possibly have made. I was awed by Timothy White's success in describing and documenting the cultural, economic, historical, musical, racial, religious and political contexts which spawned Bob Marley. The book is not just an account of one musician's rise to fame, but of the land and society which inspired, sustained, and betrayed him, and which continues to learn and grow from him. Though I lived in Jamaica for many years, I learned much from the book about the culture and history which I never knew before. The book made Bob Marley at once more human and more astounding. It documents the human perils, uncertainties and challenges he encountered and how he dealt with them, sometimes better than others. At the same time, it does not attempt to explain away his genius, inspiration or transcendent powers - those inexplainable qualities which made him extraordinary and which resulted in the ongoing legend which may never stop. The experience of reading the book whilst involved in activities such as touring the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston, listening to his recordings, and discussing Marley with people across the island made it impossible for me not to make mental comparisons between the birth and growth of the legend of Jesus of Nazareth and that of Robert Nesta Marley of Nine Miles. Timothy White has done a superb job of documenting the birth of a legend. As Bob sang and White concluded, "Time Will Tell."
Rating:
Summary: Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley
Review: I recently read "Catch a Fire" while on vacation in Jamaica, and found it the best reading choice I could possibly have made. I was awed by Timothy White's success in describing and documenting the cultural, economic, historical, musical, racial, religious and political contexts which spawned Bob Marley. The book is not just an account of one musician's rise to fame, but of the land and society which inspired, sustained, and betrayed him, and which continues to learn and grow from him. Though I lived in Jamaica for many years, I learned much from the book about the culture and history which I never knew before. The book made Bob Marley at once more human and more astounding. It documents the human perils, uncertainties and challenges he encountered and how he dealt with them, sometimes better than others. At the same time, it does not attempt to explain away his genius, inspiration or transcendent powers - those inexplainable qualities which made him extraordinary and which resulted in the ongoing legend which may never stop. The experience of reading the book whilst involved in activities such as touring the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston, listening to his recordings, and discussing Marley with people across the island made it impossible for me not to make mental comparisons between the birth and growth of the legend of Jesus of Nazareth and that of Robert Nesta Marley of Nine Miles. Timothy White has done a superb job of documenting the birth of a legend. As Bob sang and White concluded, "Time Will Tell."
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Summary: BEST BOOK OF IT'S YEAR
Review: I THINK THIS IS THE GREATEST DOCUMENTARY OF BOB'S LIFE. FROM CHILDHOOD TO DEATH, THIS BOOK IS THE BEST.
Rating:
Summary: Its good but.....
Review: I was very excited to receive this book, and read it in a few days. The book gives thorough details of Jamaican history, the Rastafarian religion, and Marley's family. But what the book is lacking is emotion and heart. The author speeds through the end of Bob's life and commercial success. It didn't really touch on how much Bob's music affected people. Overall, I think it was a good book, but I wish that I had bought Spirit Dancer. I heard that that book is better.
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