Josephine Baker

A hefty tome dramatizing the life of dancer and singer Josephine Baker is an engaging read even if it leaves a muddled impression of the international superstar.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, and married twice before she was fifteen, Baker drew attention on stage with her humorous antics and facial mugging while dancing in the chorus line. When the chance to appear in a new show took her across the Atlantic to Paris in 1925, she found herself turning twenty in a place that didn't discriminate against her nearly as much as the segregated United States. She bloomed in the freer environment and became a headliner on stage and screen, settling in France and returning stateside over the next fifty years only for the occasional family visit, show more concert tour, and/or civil rights protest.

Financially careless and generous to a fault, her wealth was poured first into a menagerie of pets, then into a foster family of a dozen orphans from around the world -- her "Rainbow Tribe" -- and ultimately her own version of Dollywood, a castle-like home surrounded by a compound of entertainment facilities in which she would perform for tourists whenever she wasn't out on the road.

The narrative generally tends toward the neutral or positive but it does let through some hints of negativity when recounting Baker's sexual exploits (numerous), politics (Fidel Castro is her idea of a fun hang), and parenting style (No bikes for you!), with the extensive end matter carrying a lot of the weight in that regard. A timeline and biographies of all the secondary characters fill up a hundred pages in the back of the book after the story ends. I tried reading the bios as the story progressed, and I regret that choice as it sometimes killed the momentum, especially since the bios are rather long, spanning one to two pages for each person and filled with digressions with little impact on an understanding of Baker's life. At the same time, I can't imagine how hard and boring it would have been to try to read the end matter straight through after finishing the main story.

The art is striking at times, but also struggles frequently with the depiction of Black people. The white artist seems at times to be trying to evoke the stereotypical imagery that was used on the contemporary posters promoting Baker's shows and movies, especially during the segments set in her childhood and early career in St. Louis. Her style evolves over the course of the book, but often Black people are depicted with a dark black circle around the perimeter of their skulls with a white patch in the middle of their faces to allow an clear view of their expressions. It can be off-putting.

Side note: This is a thick and heavy book. It might be better enjoyed as an ebook if you are easily distracted by muscle strain and cracked spines.

FOR REFERENCE:

End Matter: Timeline for Josephine Baker -- Biographical Notes of main and secondary characters in Josephine's story, accompanied by portraits -- The Rainbow Tribe / Jean-Claude Bouillon-Baker -- Bibliography show less

I think I mentioned that I am enjoying graphic biographies. This one is no exception. I did not know much about Joséphine Baker besides the banana skirt image, and of course there is so much more to this remarkable woman. Trailblazer, speaking out against racism, spy, freedom fighter, dedicated mother to 12 orphans she found around the world, adopted and created as a model for the rest of the world. This book is a quick and fun read to get you started.

I absolutely loved this. It was a great biography that allowed me to get to know Josephine from birth until death. The drawings are outstanding and beautiful and help tell the tale of Josephine Baker. I can't believe we don't talk about Ms. Baker more in history. She did so much and I think it's just wonderful that she adopted 10 kids. A little crazy but wonderful. Highly recommend for people who love history, biographies or anything to do with the 1920's. You'll enjoy this educational romp through history.