A gathering of stellar writings on the life, legend, music, and meaning of Bob Marley, international voice of dissent and freedom. Throughout Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and America, Bob Marley represents far more than just the musician who translated spiritual and political beliefs into hypnotic, hard-hitting songs such as "Get Up, Stand Up," "No Woman, No Cry," and "Jammin'." Marley was born in rural Jamaica and reared in the mean streets of Kingston's Trenchtown; his ascent to worldwide acclaim, first with The Wailers--Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingstone--and later as a solo artist, is a riveting story of the spiritual awakening of a uniquely talented individual. Now, for the first time, a symphony of voices has joined together to offer perspective on one of this century's most compelling figures. Dealing with Bob Marley as a man and myth, from his "rude boy" teens to international fame and his tragic death at the age of thirty-six, Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright then explores the larger picture, examining Marley as the spokesman for Jamaica's homegrown religion of Rastafarianism, as a flash point for the pressure cooker of Jamaican politics, and his unique status as the first pop musical superstar of the so-called "Third World."

...renowned poet and scholar Kwame Dawes analyzes in detail what Bob Marley's actual verses and lyrics meant when matched against the climate of the time and what it meant to be a black man in the modern world

「前方的道路將會崎嶇艱難，我不知道它通往何方，但我還是踏上這條路。眼前即將出現一個奇怪的世界，亂雲罩頂，閃電頻傳。那個世界，許多人不理解，也從來沒能弄懂。我卻直直走了進去。那是個寬廣的世界。」這本自傳的結尾這樣寫。今日世人知道，那個寬廣的世界，會因為巴布．狄倫直直走了進來而得到改變。 狄倫的歌聲如此美國：寬大、認真、充滿理想，節奏感十足。狄倫所說的故事如此引起共鳴：憤怒、慧黠、辛辣、純潔、批判、傷感。那樣的狄倫，是如何形成的？他的自傳將會給出答案。 在自傳第一部曲《搖滾記》中，狄倫回顧了人生幾個重大轉折。讀者跟著他的步伐，從故鄉明尼蘇達州來到紐約曼哈頓，看見1961年的格林威治村，經歷烏茲塔克事件。 讀者看見狄倫帶著對民謠的熱愛來到紐約，儘可能尋找表演的機會，但他只唱自己想唱的歌。他聆聽各種民謠並欣賞其他歌手；他閱讀思想經典，因為詩而震撼，因為故事而感動。幾段戀情隨風而逝，幾個朋友終生維持情誼。 在傷逝的情懷之中，狄倫追記往事，情景鮮明，歷歷如昨。有時敘情，有時寫景；有時詩意，有時熱情。《搖滾記》承載了巴布?狄倫對於一個非凡時代所懷抱的情感，呈現了一顆誠實的藝術心靈，讓世人更深入思索狄倫對世界的影響。