Josephine Baker: The Hungry Heart [Paperback]

Jean-Claude Baker (Author), Chris Chase (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 2001

Based on twenty years of research and thousands of interviews, this authoritative biography of performer Josephine Baker (1906-1975) provides a candid look at her tempestuous life. Born into poverty in St. Louis, the uninhibited chorus girl became the sensation of Europe and the last century's first black sex symbol. A heroine of the French Resistance in World War II, she entranced figures as diverse as de Gaulle, Tito, Castro, Princess Grace, two popes, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Yet Josephine was also, as one critic put it, "a monster who made Joan Crawford look like the Virgin Mary." Jean-Claude Baker's book also reveals her outbursts that resulted in lasting feuds, her imperious treatment of family and entourage members, and her ambivalent attitudes concerning her ethnic background. Reconciling Josephine's many personas--Jazz-age icon, national hero of France, proponent of Civil Rights, mother of children from across the globe--Josephine: The Hungry Heart gives readers the inside story on a star unlike any other before or since.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Nearly two decades after her death, the legend of Josephine Baker continues to flourish. Subject of a number of books and recent films, "the most successful music hall performer ever to take the stage" (according to Ebony magazine) was larger than life: She was the toast of Paris in the 1920s, star of stage and screen in the 1930s, Red Cross volunteer and undercover agent in World War II, participant in the 1963 Civil Rights Movement march on Washington, and star of several farewell (and comeback) tours. Baker adopted 12 children of different races and called them her "rainbow tribe." Jean-Claude, "the 13th of her twelve adopted children," and Chase have crafted a biography rich in anecdotes and personal recollections of many of her fellow entertainers. This intriguing story is recommended for most public libraries. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/93.
- Carolyn M. Mulac, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Josephine Baker "adopted" 14-year-old Jean-Claude when he waited on her in a Paris hotel. Although they didn't meet again until the last years of Josephine Baker's crazy, improvised life, Jean-Claude sustained an intense fascination for this most original and flamboyant of women and, after her death, devoted himself to learning as much of the truth about her as he could. His is not a scholarly biography but rather an impassioned, bemused, frank, and fond portrait of a woman who reinvented herself as often as the moon changes shape. Josephine, the daughter of an unloving black mother and an unidentified, most likely white father, became stagestruck early on and quickly left her miserable childhood behind to begin her metamorphosis from a poor, gawky, clowning youngster into an international sex symbol. Jean-Claude does a fine job of chronicling Josephine's progress from chorus girl to the hottest commodity in Paris during the heady years between the world wars. Hard as she worked on perfecting her talents, Josephine remained a wild child, capricious, manipulative, mercurial, and sexually voracious. Jean-Claude reveals all about Josephine's many conquests of both sexes, her penchant for telling lies, and her extreme eccentricity, but he always makes sure we recognize her unfailing sense of humor and endless craving for admiration. As we watch Josephine grow from chanteuse to hero of the Resistance, from seductress to adoptive mother of 12 children of different racial backgrounds, we marvel at her resiliency, zest for life, and sheer chutzpah. Donna Seaman --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 592 pages
• Publisher: Cooper Square Press; 1st Cooper Square Press ed edition (July 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815411723
• ISBN-13: 978-0815411727
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,063 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Dancers

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastique!, August 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Josephine Baker: The Hungry Heart (Paperback)

A perfectly balanced expose of this legendary and highly complex superstar: Amoral in extremis, manic and delusional, but blessed with indomitable human spirit. Excellent historical perspective throughout.

A beautifully written biography which does not succumb to the tawdry, despite its detailed narrative of Josephine Baker's pathologically decadent lifestyle.

Absolutely the best biography of J.B., bar none. A Must Read for Paris cabaret enthusiasts.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars THE inside scoop on Miss Josephine, February 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Josephine Baker: The Hungry Heart (Paperback)

This is a biography of LaBaker written by one of her many adopted children. He gives the inside dish on his mom, including that both she and his adopter father were gay. He points out too that she did have some self-loathing issues regarding her race as well. This book has a great photo section. It helped me to see the ugly side of Josephine that wasn't fully presented in the great movie by HBO. I am not sure it is the best work out there, but it is a must-read for any Josephine fans and scholars. In addition, people that study Black Americans abroad or French naturalized citizens should read this.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Absorbing Read, July 6, 2007

By 

Zarah Mayes-Orowitz (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Josephine Baker: The Hungry Heart (Paperback)

Jean-Claude gives a well balanced account of the life and times of Josephine Baker. With unabashed frankness he describes her sexual escapades and decadent appetites, her manipulative and cunning business dealings, and her unbelievable selfishness. This biography paints a very clear picture of the woman who gave definition to the term "diva." Her demands of those who handled her and worked for her would go beyond unreasonable. For instance, she would borrow enormous sums of money from friends and would never pay them back, and would then call on them again for more favors as if she had never defrauded them. There was no request too outrageous for this woman to make. Realizing that her family in St. Louis was suffering the horrendous racial atrocities of America, she brought them to her home in France only to use them to work for her on her estate. At one point she disowned her brother because he would not allow her to adopt his child and raise it as her own. She would work her nurses, her maids, and the children's tutors so hard that the turnover became virtually unmanageable. Her maids would work extremely long hours, and as a result her employees became disgruntled and would often steal from her. She used men like one would use Kleenex. She brazenly carried on affairs with married men, some of whom were husbands of friends and fellow-entertainers. She engaged in enumerable sexual affairs (and orgies) with both men and women. Wild goings-on aside, she was a consummate entertainer--constantly reinventing herself and giving herself completely to her audience. In an era when black performers suffered atrocious injustices, she perseveared. She'd encountered terrible racism in many cities (especially when she returned to America), so much so that she was turned away from so many hotels that she had to stay with friends while under contract to perform. While not a tell-all tabloid type expose (thankfully), Jean-Claude Baker delivers a thorough account of the life of one of the world's most exciting and enduring icons. If you are a fan of historical figures and of biographies, this one is a must read.