How do I write a brief summary for this book, Lady Sings the Blues? Do I have to summarize the whole book or just the important subjects on the...

You don't say how long your summary needs to be, but a
summary is a brief overview of the book. Be careful not to include details in the
book; instead, you want to include the main points in the book. This autobiography
contains twenty-four chapters, but they are short. Take another look at the chapters and
make notes about what is the most important thing you should take from each chapter. You
are looking for main ideas from each chapter. It may be that not every chapter needs to
be included in your summary, and some chapters may give you more than one main idea. The
important thing is to reread or skim and to make notes as you do so. Then look at your
notes and start putting together sentences. Find a thesis statement in your notes. This
is the theme of the book, what the auther is trying to convey. Overall, what is the
one main idea Billie Holliday is saying about her life? Certainly, race and drugs are
main ideas in her book. Read your summary after your first draft and make any
changes.

I have included a link below that will further
help you to summarize this book as well as a link to the book. Good
luck!