![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snurriBooks 1-10.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
Books 61-70.
Books 71-80.
Books 81-90.
Books 91-100.
Books 101-110.
111. Slaves of Spiegel by Daniel Pinkwater.
112. Interfictions 2: An Anthology of Interstitial Writing, edited by Delia Sherman and Christopher Barzak.
113. The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death by Daniel Pinkwater.
114. His Eye Is on the Sparrow: An Autobiography by Ethel Waters (with Charles Samuels). Here's how I came to this book: I'm writing about 1934. I started looking at pop culture from 1934--movies, music, etc. "Stormy Weather," one of my favorite tunes, was first performed by Ethel Waters in 1933 at the Cotton Club. Now, Waters grew up in Philadelphia, not St. Paul, so the research value here may be limited, but it's of the right era, at least. Anyway. I find that with celebrity autobiographies, the early parts--about childhood and growing up--tend to be the most interesting; once they start to "make it" the books tend to become a catalog of collaborator's names, ups and downs, etc., and the trials of their adult personal lives tend to be elided. That's true of this book as well. Waters' early life was harrowing; born to a mother who didn't want her, she latched onto her grandmother, who worked as a housemaid and was only home once a week. Her aunts were selfish drunks, and Waters spent much of her childhood literally on the mean streets of Philly's red light district. For a book published in the early fifties, the autobiography is surprisingly frank about much of this. It appears that the virtues Waters learned from her childhood were self-reliance and hard work, and when she chanced into a singing career she was able to prosper thanks to those qualities. In the process she became the first African-American woman to headline a play on Broadway, recorded several hit records, and starred in some major Hollywood films--including "Pinky," for which she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress award.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
Books 61-70.
Books 71-80.
Books 81-90.
Books 91-100.
Books 101-110.
111. Slaves of Spiegel by Daniel Pinkwater.
112. Interfictions 2: An Anthology of Interstitial Writing, edited by Delia Sherman and Christopher Barzak.
113. The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death by Daniel Pinkwater.
114. His Eye Is on the Sparrow: An Autobiography by Ethel Waters (with Charles Samuels). Here's how I came to this book: I'm writing about 1934. I started looking at pop culture from 1934--movies, music, etc. "Stormy Weather," one of my favorite tunes, was first performed by Ethel Waters in 1933 at the Cotton Club. Now, Waters grew up in Philadelphia, not St. Paul, so the research value here may be limited, but it's of the right era, at least. Anyway. I find that with celebrity autobiographies, the early parts--about childhood and growing up--tend to be the most interesting; once they start to "make it" the books tend to become a catalog of collaborator's names, ups and downs, etc., and the trials of their adult personal lives tend to be elided. That's true of this book as well. Waters' early life was harrowing; born to a mother who didn't want her, she latched onto her grandmother, who worked as a housemaid and was only home once a week. Her aunts were selfish drunks, and Waters spent much of her childhood literally on the mean streets of Philly's red light district. For a book published in the early fifties, the autobiography is surprisingly frank about much of this. It appears that the virtues Waters learned from her childhood were self-reliance and hard work, and when she chanced into a singing career she was able to prosper thanks to those qualities. In the process she became the first African-American woman to headline a play on Broadway, recorded several hit records, and starred in some major Hollywood films--including "Pinky," for which she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress award.