Praise for Josephine Baker's Last Dance
“Sherry Jones takes us on a remarkable journey of heartbreak and empowerment. Josephine Baker’s Last Dance is a bold and beautiful book about a bold and beautiful life. This book left its mark on me.”
Description
A richly imagined biographical novel, this sweeping work of historical fiction brings to life the extraordinary journey of Josephine Baker—legendary performer, civil rights activist, and World War II resistance hero.
Born into poverty in the United States, Josephine Baker rose from domestic servitude to international stardom after reinventing herself in 1920s Paris. Famous for her daring performances and iconic banana skirt, she captivated audiences while escaping the racism that limited her opportunities at home. But fame was only one part of her story.
As Europe descended into war, Josephine became an unlikely hero, using her celebrity to aid the French Resistance and risking her life to fight fascism. In later years, she returned to the United States to confront segregation head-on, lending her voice to the Civil Rights Movement and standing alongside leaders at the March on Washington. Her personal life—marked by passionate love affairs, heartbreak, and her creation of the “Rainbow Tribe” of adopted children—was as bold and unconventional as her public one.
Spanning from Jazz Age Paris to wartime Europe and mid-century America, this intimate and vividly researched novel captures the final chapter of Josephine Baker’s life while honoring the triumphs, sacrifices, and courage that made her one of the most remarkable women of the 20th century.
Reviews
“The mesmerizing chanteuse who shattered race barriers and hearts across the world is brought to vivid, unstoppable life in Josephine Baker's Last Dance. The champagne swirl of the Jazz Age fuels this amazing, untold story of a defiant woman who fought her way from poverty to become the toast of Europe, infamous for her bawdy act and banana-peel-barely-there skirt. Jones’s Josephine is complicated and human: a courageous artist on a quest for freedom under the haunting legacy of race inequality; she emerges as not only a fantastic icon from the past in her own right, but also as a mirror and example for today. “
“[An] entertaining portrait of a groundbreaking woman. Hand this to fans of Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife (2011), Liza Klaussman’s Villa America (2015), and other tales of Jazz Age artists.”
“The extraordinary story of a unique and unrivaled icon…Jones delivers a satisfying life of one endlessly fascinating person.”
