Summary:
Celebrate the life of Lena Horne, the pioneering African American actress, and civil rights activist.
Lena Horne was born into the freedom struggle, to a family of teachers and activists. Her mother dreamed of being an actress, so Lena followed in her footsteps as she chased small parts in vaudeville, living out of a suitcase until MGM offered Lena something more—the first ever studio contract for a black actress.
But the roles she was considered for were maids and mammies, stereotypes that Lena refused to play. Still, she never gave up. “Stormy Weather” became her theme song, and when she sang “This Little Light of Mine” at a civil rights rally, she found not only her voice but her calling.
My review:
"You have to be taught to be second class; you’re not born that way."
What a powerful statement that was said by Miss Horne and one she proved time and time again through her actions and words. This book gives a complete account of her life from birth, career, and death(that can be found in bibliography notes).
Growing up, I often saw movies that featured Lena Horne and found her to be a talented and a beautiful woman. Her voice was lovely.
Of course being of "privilege" I had no idea what her life was truly like or what she had to endure to be in those movies. This book gave me an insight to her complete endurance and fight for civil rights. She paved a way for the musical and movies stars of today, they should be grateful that she did. She did it with dignity and head held high.
This book has opened my eyes further about this lovely woman and I am the better for it. I am only sorry that I never met her and that her voice musically and for civil rights is now gone.
One would be amiss to not know about Miss Horne and this book should be in every classroom and homeschool room shelves.
5 stars!
Disclosure: I obtained a copy of this book at my local library. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~M.M. Hudson aka Naila Moon
Where to find the author:
Amazon
Goodreads
1 comment:
This is such a great biography of an incredibly inspiring woman.
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