About this item
Highlights
- From an inside peek at the inner workings of Hollywood to the backstage drama of Broadway, from a poignant look at the black upper class to an honest look at the WASP elite, this elegantly wrought memoir of an extraordinary family has something for everyone.Growing up with a black Auntie Mame-like mother (who performed with the likes of Lena Horne) and an Anglo sea-faring father, Susan Fales-Hill moved seamlessly between many worlds.
- Author(s): Susan Fales-Hill
- 304 Pages
- Biography + Autobiography, Personal Memoirs
Description
Book Synopsis
From an inside peek at the inner workings of Hollywood to the backstage drama of Broadway, from a poignant look at the black upper class to an honest look at the WASP elite, this elegantly wrought memoir of an extraordinary family has something for everyone.
Growing up with a black Auntie Mame-like mother (who performed with the likes of Lena Horne) and an Anglo sea-faring father, Susan Fales-Hill moved seamlessly between many worlds. But it was from her mother -- a woman who was dressed by Givenchy and sculpted by Alexander Calder, yet rejected by many a casting agent for her "dark," unconventional looks -- that Susan drew inspiration, particularly when she faced challenges in her own career as a television writer in Hollywood, a town that wasn't always receptive to positive images of people of color. As a result the two developed a bond that mothers and daughters everywhere will find inspiring. Both a universally touching mother-daughter story and a portrait of a dazzling American family, Always Wear Joy is a memoir readers won't soon forget.
Review Quotes
"Moving and beautifully rendered." -- Town & Country
"A distinguished memoir as well as an important contribution to black cultural history." -- Kirkus Reviews (Starred)
"At last, at last a memoir by a daughter who appreciates and loves her mother, at last." -- Bill Cosby
"[An] extraordinary story." -- Essence
"A daughter's ode to her mother who showed her 'infinity instead of . . .limitations.' This is no Mommie Dearest." -- Andre Leon Talley, Vogue
"A daughter's ode to her mother who showed her 'infinity instead of . . .limitations.' This is no Mommie Dearest." -- Vogue
"This love-filled, uplifting book will gladden your heart, moisten your eyes, and leave you smiling at the end." -- Malachy McCourt, author of A Monk Swimming: A Memoir
"A moving tribute from a daughter to a mother [and] a book about the undefeatable spirit of black women everywhere." -- E. Lynn Harris