Josephine Baker: The Hungry Heart
by Jean-Claude Baker
List Price:
Our Price: $12.99
You Save: $9.96 (43%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Jean-Claude BakerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2001-09-25
ISBN: 0815411723
Number of pages: 592
Publisher: Cooper Square Press
Book Reviews of Josephine Baker: The Hungry Heart
Book Review: The good, the bad, & the very ugly sides of Josephine Baker
Summary: 5 Stars
When most hear the name Josephine Baker, images of her sensually dancing across a stage in nothing but a skirt made of bananas comes to mind. There's much more to her than that and Jean Claude Baker (one of her adopted sons) gives us the dish. He recounts Tumpy's (a childhood nickname) poor beginnings in St. Louis to her death as a worldwide superstar in Paris. I'd really reccomend this book to anyone who wants to know what Josephine was really like. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Good things first, she was an untouchably talented dancer who has continually inspired dancers of all generations even after her death. Her voice, a shrill and lilting instrument, grew to almost Sarah Vaughn like heights. Despite her talents, Josephine could be a selfish and hurtful woman. She had a problem with lying all throughout her life. She never knew her father, but one minute she'd claim he was a successful black lawyer in Chicago and the next he was a simple Jewish man. Her whole early life in St. Louis would be flipped and turned around at her whim, to the point where published accounts would contradict themselves. Luckily, Jean Claude interviewed the people who knew her best and gave true accounts of her personality. She was also extremely promiscuous in her later teens. She went through male and female lovers like underwear and had no hestitation to use others when it would benefit her career. Even her legendary Rainbow Tribe was created out of plain publicity (shout-out to the Octomom). She barely spent time with the kids and left them in the constant care of nannies. She also had a penchant for slapping people she was angry with and her kids were no exception. She even sent one of her boys away to boarding school when she caught him with another boy, despite her own genderbending sexual history. Although Josephine could be downright mean, Jean Claude also reveals her funny and loving side. She made an effort to smother the kids with love when she had time to spend with them and she had a quick wit. Although the negative attitude of Josie is discussed at great length, Jean Claude isn't stepping into "tell all" territory. He obviously loved her, all flaws aside. He just wanted to create a more human portrait of a woman whose life has been clouded in myth and mystery.
Arts & Photography Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Audiobooks on Cassette
- Audiobooks on CD
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- e-Books
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Progressive Missouri
Progressive Nation: A Travel Guide with 400+ Inspiring Landmarks and Left Turnsby Jerome Pohlen
Chicago Review Press; Published: 2008-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops:
Space Is No Place - NYC: Noise From the Undergroundby Flaming Fire, No-Neck Blues Band, Enos Slaughter, Terrestrial Tones, Mountains of Mata Llama, Electro Putas, Axolotl, Las Malas Amistades, Mouth Us, Jesus With Me
Psych-o-Path Records; Published: 2003; Audio CD; Book
Lauren Weinstein: Goddess of Warby Lauren Weinstein
PictureBox; Published: 2008-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.11
Price in other shops:
Josephine Baker: The Hungry Heartby Jean-Claude Baker
Cooper Square Press; Published: 2001-09-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.95
Price in other shops:
The Josephine Baker StoryWHITFIELD,LYNN; Release date: 2001-06-05; DVD
Best price: $2.74
Price in other shops:
Robert Altman Collection (M*A*S*H / A Perfect Couple / Quintet / A Wedding)ALTMAN,ROBERT; Release date: 2006-04-25; DVD
Best price: $24.98
Price in other shops:
Who Framed Roger RabbitRelease date: 1999-09-28; DVD
Best price: $74.00
Darfur NowCHEADLE,DON; Release date: 2008-05-27; DVD
Best price: $3.57
Price in other shops:
Hotel RwandaCHEADLE,DON; Release date: 2005-04-12; DVD
Best price: $3.56
Price in other shops:
Logic and Mr. Limbaugh: A Dittohead's Guide To Fallacious Readingby Ray Perkins Jr.
Open Court; Published: 1998-12-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.54
Price in other shops:
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Josephine Baker;Edmond Mahieux;Alain Romans;Wal-berg;John Ellsworth - JOSEPHINE BAKER: J'ai Deux AmoursRelease date: 1997-07-15; Music CD
Best price: $10.99
Price in other shops:
Digging to America: A Novelby Anne Tyler
Ballantine Books; Published: 2007-08-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops:
The Josephine Baker Collection (Zou Zou / Princess Tam Tam / Siren of the Tropics)Kino Video; Release date: 2007-05-15; DVD
Best price: $46.07
Price in other shops:
Josephine Baker in Art and Life: THE ICON AND THE IMAGEby Bennetta Jules-Rosette
University of Illinois Press; Published: 2007-02-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.82
Price in other shops:
Jesus Land: A Memoirby Julia Scheeres
Counterpoint; Published: 2006-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.05
Price in other shops:
The Family Nobody Wantedby Helen Doss
Northeastern; Published: 2001-10-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $25.15
Price in other shops:
Indian Killerby Sherman Alexie
Grove Press; Published: 2008-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.70
Price in other shops:
Lucky Girl: A Memoirby Mei-Ling Hopgood
Algonquin Books; Published: 2009-04-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.98
Price in other shops:
Josephineby Josephine Baker, Jo Bouillon
Marlowe&Co; Published: 1995-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $49.86
The Josephine Baker StoryWHITFIELD,LYNN; Release date: 2001-06-05; DVD
Best price: $2.73
Price in other shops: