The Queen of Sugar Hill: A Novel of Hattie McDaniel―The Untold Story of Hattie McDaniel's Life and Legacy

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Bestselling author ReShonda Tate presents a fascinating fictional portrait of Hattie McDaniel, one of Hollywood’s most prolific but woefully underappreciated stars—and the first Black person ever to win an Oscar for her role as Mammy in the critically acclaimed classic film Gone With the Wind.

It was supposed to be the highlight of her career, the pinnacle for which she’d worked all her life. And as Hattie McDaniel took the stage in 1940 to claim an honor that would make her the first African-American woman to win an Academy Award, she tearfully took her place in history. Between personal triumphs and tragedies, heartbreaking losses, and severe setbacks, this historic night of winning best supporting actress for her role as the sassy Mammy in the controversial movie Gone With the Wind was going to be life-changing. Or so she thought.

Months after winning the award, not only did the Oscar curse set in where Hattie couldn’t find work, but she found herself thrust in the middle of two worlds—Black and White—and not being welcomed in either. Whites only saw her as Mammy and Blacks detested the demeaning portrayal. As the NAACP waged an all-out war against Hattie and actors like her, the emotionally conflicted actor found herself struggling daily.

Through it all, Hattie continued her fight to pave a path for other Negro actors, while focusing on war efforts, fighting housing discrimination, and navigating four failed marriages. Luckily, she had a core group of friends to help her out—from Clark Gable to Louise Beavers to Ruby Berkley Goodwin and Dorothy Dandridge.

The Queen of Sugar Hill brings to life the powerful story of one woman who was driven by many passions—ambition, love, sex, family, friendship, and equality. In re-creating Hattie’s story, ReShonda Tate delivers an unforgettable novel of resilience, dedication, and determination—about what it takes to achieve your dreams—even when everything—and everyone—is against you.

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432 pages

Average rating: 7.27

41 RATINGS

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Teresawhe

Apr 26, 2025

7/10 stars

An interesting read and I definitely learned a lot about Hattie’s life. However, despite the fact that creative liberties were taken when convenient for the story, in many places the narrative fell flat or felt disconnected. I wanted to forgive this as an effort to not make assumptions to her state of mind, but the list of factual changes at the end negates that. Similarly there were a few places where the timeline didn’t work - Hattie was upset due to the reception of a recent movie or actively filming a movie then a month later hadn’t worked in 2 years. Overall a worthwhile read but these smaller issues did drag me out of the story line more than once

Mia_cb

Apr 09, 2025

9/10 stars

The Queen of Sugar Hill is a great read. The story depicts the life of Hattie McDaniel, the 1st Black actress to win on Oscar for a supporting role in Gone With The Wind. Ms. McDaniel won the Oscar for her portrayal of a maid. McDaniel role wasn't well received by her race and her win wasn't acknowledged and rewarded like those of the white race. The Queen Of Sugar Hill gives you a clear picture of the struggles black actors and actresses experienced, the conflict among the black actors and actresses for roles, the preference of white Hollywood, the disparities of pay, work conditions and roles. Beyond the silver screen, the story told is about McDaniel and her life after the Oscar win until her death. As acclaimed as she is for her Oscar win and as little that is known about her generosity and fight for equal rights, her life was full of struggles, failed marriages and bad discussions.

Readingismyvibe

Jan 06, 2025

10/10 stars

What a splendidly written and well received book. I know I would’ve been as moved the same way had I read the physical book as I did listening to the Audible. I did however enjoy hearing Hattie‘s voice in the rendition that the narrator presented it. I appreciate the complete history behind the making of this book and I do feel that the author did a wonderful job. I enjoyed reading about this period in time and found myself siding with Hattie on a lot of her issues. Could it be, because I too am a brown skin woman? Maybe. I believe everyone who reads this story will get a greater sense of inspiration from Hattie McDaniel’s story and an understanding of the challenges she had to face in the time period she lived in. I enjoyed reading about the celebrities she encountered in her life. This is by no means a boring story. I enjoyed reading every bit of it, including the author’s note at the end, which helped to round out how this book came about and put a nice little cap on everything.

Dr. Loren

Dec 11, 2024

8/10 stars

Hattie worked so hard to be recognized for the quality of her skills. Racial bias blocked her at every turn. Her bad choices in men made life even more difficult.

MaryKay

Aug 16, 2024

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The Queen of Sugar Hill: A Novel of Hattie McDaniel: The Untold Story of Hattie McDaniel's Life and Legacy