Stormy Weather - by James Gavin (Paperback)

About the Book

Gavin pens the definitive biography on Lena Horne, the legendary beauty and African-American icon who broke barriers of race and gender in show business.

Book Synopsis

THE "DEFINITIVE" (VANITY FAIR ) BIOGRAPHY OF LEGEND LENA HORNE--THE CELEBRATED STAR OF STAGE, MUSIC, AND FILM WHO BLAZED A TRAIL FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS IN HOLLYWOOD AND BEYOND

Drawing on a wealth of unmined material and hundreds of interviews-- one of them with Lena Horne herself--critically acclaimed author James Gavin gives us a "deftly researched" (The Boston Globe) and authoritative portrait of the American icon. Horne broke down racial barriers in the entertainment industry in the 1940s and '50s even as she was limited mostly to guest singing appearances in splashy Hollywood musicals. Incorporating insights from the likes of Ruby Dee, Tony Bennett, Diahann Carroll, and Bobby Short, Stormy Weather reveals the many faces of this luminous, complex, strong-willed, passionate, even tragic woman--a stunning talent who inspired such giants as Barbra Streisand, Eartha Kitt, and Aretha Franklin.

Review Quotes

"A FASCINATING STUDY OF A COMPLICATED WOMAN AND THE
COMPLICATED TIMES THAT SHAPED HER." --USA TODAY

"EVENTFUL AND SUSPENSEFUL. . . . A THOROUGH AND FLUENT BIOGRAPHY." --THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

"IN GAVIN'S CAPABLE HANDS, LENA HORNE'S STORY IS BOTH UNIQUELY HER OWN AND AN INTEGRAL PART OF A LARGER CULTURAL JOURNEY." --SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

"MAGNIFICENT, GRIPPING, MARVELOUSLY WRITTEN . . . [IT] MAY JUST BE ONE OF THE BEST BIOGRAPHIES ABOUT SHOW BUSINESS, RACE, LOVE, SEX, AND MUSIC EVER WRITTEN." --LIZ SMITH, VARIETY

"SYMPATHETIC AND TOUGH." --THE NEW YORKER