Rough Amusements: The True Story of A'Lelia Walker, Patroness of the Harlem Renaissance's Down-Low Culture (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "A police officer's hoarse voice rang out across the sidewalk..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Jennie June, Madame Walker (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Novelist Neihart's fun, quick read on the Harlem Renaissance's barely veiled gay culture is framed through the lens of the 1930 Faggots Ball, an annual drag bash that served as a precursor to the gay balls of today. One of the grand dames of the event was A'Lelia Walker, a rich giant of a woman. Though the events and figures are real, Neihart (Burning Girl) points out that he's taken great liberties in imagining scenes and dialogue, and presents his work more as historical fiction. A'Lelia was the daughter of Madame C.J. Walker (see above). Neihart's A'Lelia inherited her mother's knack for playing it grand, but she did it in the context of decadent parties where she kept her favorite people close to her side, including writer Langston Hughes and right-hand woman (and possible lover) Mayme White. The book has far less to do with A'Lelia Walker than it does with down-low culture; readers are given hints about the sexual mores of Renaissance figures like Richard Nugent and Harold Jackman. But the mini-portraits of these figures pale in comparison to the book's most compelling sketch, that of the wretched "baby-doll fairy" Jennie June, aka Earl Lind. Basing his sketch on Lind's memoirs, Neihart shows how June's appetite for sex and male domination refused to be satiated, even after some of her sex partners horrifically abused her. Those looking for in-depth, scholarly analysis of A'Lelia Walker's life as a troubled heir won't find that here. Also expect no major illuminations of drag-queen culture; much of the work's smoky, tragic (bordering on stereotypical) terrain has been already covered elsewhere. Instead, this breezy, over-the-top narrative romps through the rough amusements of parties, sex and violence.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Fascinating, engaging, and exhilarating, this "urban historical" by novelist Neihart is an "entertainment," a mix of footnoted references, real-life figures, and imaginary characters that purports to tell the "true story" of A'Lelia Walker, daughter of multimillionaire Madame C. J. Walker, who pioneered personal-care products for African American women. Flamboyant and voracious, A'Lelia spent her huge inheritance as only spoiled, second-generation elites can, lavishly, especially when it came to her celebrity-filled parties attended by the same New York society and Harlem Renaissance notables who frequented the undercover gay world A'Lelia gloried in, and which adored her and her excesses, including her same-sex "rough amusements." This is an alluring tale of sexual liberation, featuring a stellar cast, including Langston Hughes, Carl Van Vechten, Countee Cullen, Richard Bruce Nugent, and Harold Jackman, who all converge on the 1930 Faggots Ball at the Manhattan Casino in Harlem, complete with the (in)famous drag "Jennie June" (Earl Lind) and Dutch Schultz's gangsters, who are intent on harming A'Lelia, who died a suitably decadent death in 1931. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (April 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582342857
• ISBN-13: 978-1582342856
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,151,343 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rough Amusements is better than ever!, May 9, 2003

By	Arthur (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

Just finished reading this great great book of which I truly wished the author had taken it further and delved into waters unknown by including along with the story the true behind the scenes machinations of the book and all that went with it. This book is excellent and beautifully produced as well. A must must have for all librarys and a huge clue to black history. (I never rage about a book, but this one was GOOD!)

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DIVA of the Harlem Renaissance!, May 8, 2003

By	Joseph J. Hanssen "Joe" (Upstate New York) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

It is not very often that you discover a fascinating and exciting book by accident, totally unaware it even existed, and it enters your life like a cool breeze after a hot and humid summer day. You're thrilled, you're excited, and you find you can't tear yourself away from it until you're finished. This is the situation I found myself in right from page 1. Novelist Neihart has given us an entertaining story based on real events and people, but has taken liberty with some of the scenes and action in recreating these historical events for us.

It's the real life story of A'Lelia Walker, the daughter of Madame C.J. Walker who became a multimillionaire by selling personal-care products to African American women. The story is based on the life of A'Lelia, how she used her inheritance after her mother died, and the flamboyant characters she surrounded herself with. She threw elaborate, celebrity-filled parties in her Westchester mansion and 136th Street apartment. The story centers on the 1930 lavish drag ball, where female impersonators and the underground gay culture existed in all its splendor and sexuality. We are introduced to such figures as; Langston Hughes, the poetic genius, Nancy Cunard, the shipping heiress, Richard Nugent, Harold Jackman, and the most tragic figure of the drag ball, sexual addict Jennie June. There is more revealed about this fascinating character than any other in this story, including A'Lelia's. That Jennie June is a major part of the story is fitting as she is the most compelling and interesting of all the people portrayed.

Neihart has created a magnificent view of the Harlem Renaissance and written it in a way that is entertaining, light, and easy to read. It was a rough & sometimes tragic time to being living, but as this story shows it was also an exciting time of parties, fun, and lavish entertainment. Never dull, never boring, it's a piece of history that will enlighten and educate you.

Joe Hanssen

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply wicked and sympathetic trifle., July 29, 2003

By A Customer

...this book does not stick to the story of A'Lelia Walker. It veers wildly into the stories of a castrated transvestite, Jenny June, the poets Langston Hughes and Richard Bruce Nugent, assorted white gangsters. But A'Lelia's presence dominates the book, and it is a fast, celebratory account of one imagined night during the Harlem Renaissance's waning days. For a definitive account of A'Lelia Walker, you must wait for A'Lelia Bundles' bio-in-progress, and can also read her biography of A'Lelia's mother, Madame C.J. Walker.