Becoming Billie Holiday

Reviewed by Julie M. Prince for TeensReadToo.com

Billie Holiday does not have a happy life story. After all, she sang the blues for a reason. A biography written in verse seems only appropriate for a woman who lived her life in song -- whose only reliable escape was via music.

Weatherford uses Holiday songs as poem titles throughout the book, which, in addition to the first person perspective, serves to bring the reader close to the narrative. While the story of Holiday's life is disturbing, Weatherford does a fantastic job of pulling readers in for an occasional close-up, and in giving them much-needed distance -- room to breathe.

Subtlety is key, and both author and artist seem to realize the delicate balance.

Floyd Cooper used a show more subtractive technique for the gorgeous illustrations, meaning he used erasers to make shapes and then enhanced them with mixed media. The heavily textured, sepia tones flow seamlessly into the verse.

Then we have the book itself, smooth to the touch, but grainy and old school. Billie Holiday all over. This publisher, Wordsong, created a perfect marriage of author & artist, then packaged the work brilliantly in a book for the ages. show less

Found in the young adult section of the library, as I was reading this book, I felt the cover should have notations that the some of the subject matter contained adult content.

No doubt about it, the life of Eleanora Fagan was exceedingly difficult. Finding her voice and learning to accept the praise took her on a journey with joys and sorrows. Discarding her birth name given by her unwedded mother, she took the last name of her father, also a musician, and became Billie Holiday, who was most likely the best jazz singer to date.

With parents who abandoned her, a neighbor who raped her, and a drug addiction that ruined her, the reader feels sorry for the things that occurred beyond her control, and then saddened by the choices she show more intentionally made that could have taken her on a better journey if different options were pursued.

Told in a series of 100 poems, each with a heading borrowed from the title of her songs, and writing accompanied by background illustrations that leap off the page, this is a book that calls the reader to learn more about this legend named Billie Holiday. show less

This book in verse tells about the famous Billie Holiday’s (Eleanora Fagan) rough upbringing. Each poem has its own bit of heartbreak, as Billie dealt with the abandonment by both of her parents, tough peers at school, harsh treatment by nuns in reform school, and sexual abuse from a neighborhood man. It tells how Billie looked up to her absent father, looking for his approval. He was a musician, and her involvement in the same jazz circles was an embarrassment to him. It is said that Billie Holliday sang the blues so well because she had such a hard life. She a had a magnificent voice. If this book is any indication, she had a really fast life that threw her in many difficult circumstances, and it seems like she had some fun along show more with some heartache and run-ins with the law.

I liked this book, and usually books in verse annoy me. I really could not see how else you would write about someone who loved song so much. The artwork in the book was very interesting, almost all of it in sepia tones. The bad parts of Billie’s life were not glossed over, and they were not too graphic either. I think any kid interested in jazz music or growing up in Harlem would love this book. show less

I'm usually not drawn to poetry stories. I only read this because it received Coretta Scott King Award recognition this year. But the poems pulled me into Billie's story, her pain, hard life, and success. Very affecting poems and richly illustrated in sepia and brown tones.

This is a fictionalized memoir-in-verse of Billie Holiday. Beautiful, lyrical poetry and art, but I think I would have liked it better if I knew more about Billie Holiday going into it. It's somewhere between a novel and a biography. Also, the art is beautiful but the poems are all printed on pages with a gray, gritty background which makes it hard to read the text. I appreciate the symbolism, but wish it had been easier to read.

My personal response to the book: This is a deep book about Billie Holliday. There are deep issues revealed here and should be used only at the high school level. Some issues include rape, family dynamics, prostitution, child neglect and others. It is an okay book with deep messages.
Curricular connections: The curricular connections include African American, historical, musical and women's issues. As a TL I would only have this book at a high school level and even then as a school counselor too, I would be cautious.

Emotional biographic reference to Billie Holiday, jazz artist.