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se_wigget's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read this for a book discussion group, and when I started reading it, I forgot that it's a novel, not a biography. I was 24 pages in when I paused and checked the cover because... this "biography " seemed written a lot like a novel.
Assuming the novel is as accurate as I think it is (like... the main made-up stuff is dialogue), I learned so much more about Josephine Baker. My knowledge of her was vague before I began reading: basically, she was a singer and dancers in the 1920s, I knew about the banana skirt, I knew she ended up working and living in Paris because the U. S. was too racist to appreciate her, and I knew she spied on Nazis during WWII. It's great to learn so much more and have a better understanding of her as an individual.
Assuming the novel is as accurate as I think it is (like... the main made-up stuff is dialogue), I learned so much more about Josephine Baker. My knowledge of her was vague before I began reading: basically, she was a singer and dancers in the 1920s, I knew about the banana skirt, I knew she ended up working and living in Paris because the U. S. was too racist to appreciate her, and I knew she spied on Nazis during WWII. It's great to learn so much more and have a better understanding of her as an individual.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Classism, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Vomit and War
Minor: Miscarriage, Colonisation, Fatphobia, Abortion, Antisemitism, Body shaming, Death, Infertility, and Grief
missjmart's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I have learned so much about Josephine Baker’s life throughout the years that I was excited to read this book when I saw it. After reading the synopsis of this book, I was excited to step into this historical fiction world.
“Discover the fascinating and singular life story of Josephine Baker—actress, singer, dancer, Civil Rights activist, member of the French Resistance during WWII, and a woman dedicated to erasing prejudice and creating a more equitable world—in Josephine Baker’s Last Dance.
In this illuminating biographical novel, Sherry Jones brings to life Josephine's early years in servitude and poverty in America, her rise to fame as a showgirl in her famous banana skirt, her activism against discrimination, and her many loves and losses.”
However after reading this book, I was very let down. I felt that this book made Josephine out to be an egocentric, entitled person almost to the point that it seems out of character for her to care about others when explaining situations where she tried so hard to help.
And I admit that this is my first Sherry Jones read, so this might be a theme in her writings, but I also felt let down from the constant description of her romantic partners that the important ground breaking events in her life are presented as a drop in a bucket in her life. I understand that she did so many things in life, but the way she is written and her romantic life is the main plot point in this book, I didn’t think, even in this historical fiction, that I didn’t get to really know Josephine Baker.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Abortion, Antisemitism, Domestic abuse, Murder, Pedophilia, Slavery, Violence, War, Racial slurs, and Racism
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