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Fearless and Free: A Memoir
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR: The TODAY Show, Vanity Fair, Financial Times, W Magazine, Oprah Daily, LibraryReads
Praised as “funny and witty” by Kwame Alexander on the TODAY show, now published in the US for the first time, Fearless and Free is the memoir of the “trailblazing” (People), rule-breaking, one-of-a-kind Josephine Baker, the iconic dancer, singer, spy, and Civil Rights activist.
“A gorgeous, captivating gem of a memoir… Josephine Baker’s as enthralling on the page as she was on the stage.” —Abbott Kahler, New York Times bestselling author of Eden Undone and Sin in the Second City
After stealing the spotlight as a teenaged Broadway performer during the height of the Harlem Renaissance, Josephine then took Paris by storm, dazzling audiences across the Roaring Twenties. In her famous banana skirt, she enraptured royalty and countless fans—Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso among them. She strolled the streets of Paris with her pet cheetah wearing a diamond collar. With her signature flapper bob and enthralling dance moves, she was one of the most recognizable women in the world.
When World War II broke out, Josephine became a decorated spy for the French Résistance. Her celebrity worked as her cover, as she hid spies in her entourage and secret messages in her costumes as she traveled. She later joined the Civil Rights movement in the US, boycotting segregated concert venues, and speaking at the March on Washington alongside Martin Luther King Jr.
First published in France in 1949, her memoir will now finally be published in English. At last we can hear Josephine in her own voice: charming, passionate, and brave. Her words are thrilling and intimate, like she’s talking with her friends over after-show drinks in her dressing room. Through her own telling, we come to know a woman who danced to the top of the world and left her unforgettable mark on it.
Praised as “funny and witty” by Kwame Alexander on the TODAY show, now published in the US for the first time, Fearless and Free is the memoir of the “trailblazing” (People), rule-breaking, one-of-a-kind Josephine Baker, the iconic dancer, singer, spy, and Civil Rights activist.
“A gorgeous, captivating gem of a memoir… Josephine Baker’s as enthralling on the page as she was on the stage.” —Abbott Kahler, New York Times bestselling author of Eden Undone and Sin in the Second City
After stealing the spotlight as a teenaged Broadway performer during the height of the Harlem Renaissance, Josephine then took Paris by storm, dazzling audiences across the Roaring Twenties. In her famous banana skirt, she enraptured royalty and countless fans—Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso among them. She strolled the streets of Paris with her pet cheetah wearing a diamond collar. With her signature flapper bob and enthralling dance moves, she was one of the most recognizable women in the world.
When World War II broke out, Josephine became a decorated spy for the French Résistance. Her celebrity worked as her cover, as she hid spies in her entourage and secret messages in her costumes as she traveled. She later joined the Civil Rights movement in the US, boycotting segregated concert venues, and speaking at the March on Washington alongside Martin Luther King Jr.
First published in France in 1949, her memoir will now finally be published in English. At last we can hear Josephine in her own voice: charming, passionate, and brave. Her words are thrilling and intimate, like she’s talking with her friends over after-show drinks in her dressing room. Through her own telling, we come to know a woman who danced to the top of the world and left her unforgettable mark on it.
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Community Reviews
The title of the book "Fearless and Free", captivates the true spirit of the great Josephine Baker. I loved hearing stories about Ms. Josephine's travels, experiences as a performer, and her time in the military. It's interesting how many of the accounts of her life still somehow tie into current day events such as politics, women's right, racial equality, and so on. One thing that stood out to me was when she mentioned how valuable it is to have love for one another as a human race. We can progress much further in life when we take time to hear each other and consider how are actions effect the next person. I truly enjoyed this read. It was a great selection for Women's History Month!
"That's how I live. Randomly. I don't rehearse like a machine. I'm not a machine. And randomness is more beautiful than a machine. I know that. Josephine Baker. Voila!"
Such a bold woman, free-spirited and captivating. Her quirky nature radiates through in her own words. Among the many anecdotes describing everything from the early days of her career as a Paris entertainer, to her first film-making experiience, to some very troubling heath issues, and finally her return to the United States, readers can find something to chuckle or raise an eyebrow about.
That being said, I saw someone compare the reading experience to listening to your grandmother talk about random things and people from her past with no proper context. I think that is a pretty good description. I really wanted to like this, but too often -- not ALL the time, but too often -- I found myself wondering what she was talking about and not being particularly interested.
I mean, this is Josephine Freakin' Baker! How can I be bored?
I'm going to chalk it up to a less than adequate translation from french and poor execution on the part of the transcriber of the conversations. It's as if the transcriber was trying to keep the essence of Ms. Baker's own voice at the expense of cohesiveness, direction and brevity
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