The Many Faces of Josephine Baker: Dancer, Singer, Activist, Spy

Gr 6 Up—Josephine Baker, entertainer, ex-pat, and activist, is a unique and controversial figure of the Jazz Age. Admitting that verifying the truth of Baker's life proves difficult, Caravantes offers a thorough biography. Where there is more than one version of a story, she is careful to explain the origin of the distortion—often Baker herself, as she rewrote her own history to better suit the image she wanted to project. A remarkable woman nonetheless, Josephine, illiterate most of her life, pulled herself out of extreme poverty and often disturbing conditions in the slums of East St. Louis to become the toast of Paris, where racial prejudice was less pronounced than in the United States. An adoptive mother of 13 children, she was recruited to spy for France during World War II. Baker suffered numerous ups and downs, many of her own making, but she never lost her faith that all people should live in brotherhood. This is a straightforward biography, enhanced by photographs, sidebars, source notes, and bibliography. The prose is workmanlike, but Baker's story is inspiring enough to provide interesting reading beyond simple report writing. Recommended especially for collections in African American and women's studies, but it may also be useful for history and entertainment buffs in general.—Katherine Koenig, The Ellis School, PA