Always Wear Joy: My Mother Bold and Beautiful

by Susan Fales-Hill

From an inside peek at the inner workings of Hollywood to the backstage drama of Broadway, from a poignant look at the black upper class to an honest look at the WASP elite, this elegantly wrought memoir of an extraordinary family has something for everyone. Growing up with a black Auntie Mame-like mother (who performed with the likes of Lena Horne) and an Anglo sea-faring father, Susan Fales-Hill moved seamlessly between many worlds. But it was from her mother -- a woman who was dressed by Givenchy and sculpted by Alexander Calder, yet rejected by many a casting agent for her "dark," unconventional looks -- that Susan drew inspiration, particularly when she faced challenges in her own career as a television writer in Hollywood, a town that wasn't always receptive to positive images of people of color. As a result the two developed a bond that mothers and daughters everywhere will find inspiring. Both a universally touching mother-daughter story and a portrait of a dazzling American family, Always Wear Joy is a memoir readers won't soon forget.

Genres: Biography, Memoir, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

http://susanfales-hill.com/susan-fale...

Reviews

[Deborah Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always Wear Joy|My Mother Bold and Beautiful by Susan Fales-Hill

This novel is a wonderful salute and tribute to her mother, Josephine Premice's indomitable spirit complete with joys, flaws, wisdom, quirks and eccentricities. A wonderful inside look into the fascinating lives of mother viewed through the eyes of her adoring daughter.

I was captivated from the moment I picked up the book at the library. Despite the fact that Ms. Fales-Hill and I have very different lives I can relate to many growing up instances in the book and the way her mother, her mother's family approached life as Black people in America.

My life was not as dazzling but I understand that special mother/daughter bond that changes, grows and develops from girlhood adoration to teenage angst and rebellion to finally respect and adult admiration of what the woman who birthed you went through. A Mother's or any Mother's triumphs and failures. Mom's idiosyncrasies, oddities, addictions, foibles, frailties; in essence your mother's humanity. Ms. Fales-Hill presents mother as Goddess and a very human woman. She also shows the role reversal that occurs as our mother's age and we become the protectors and providers that our Moms were to us as children. Always we remember Mother was and is Queen!

DeBorah Ann

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I purchased it, intrigued by the title. Soon after I opened it, I was captivated by both the author's mother, actress Josephine Premice, and by the author. It is a love story written to a woman who survived in a time when survival was not easy for an actress of color. Or for many people of color. Josephine Premice was larger than life, a woman of taste, of grace, of style, who also loved her friends and family. Deep into the book, she became someone I recognized. I realized I had had the great fortune of seeing her onstage in Los Angeles with Lena Horne and Cleavon Little in Pal Joey. And she was memorable and strikingly beautiful. It was the beautiful title that caught my attention. And to realize it was about someone I had seen made it even more special.

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Susan Fales presenting her mother as the fabulous woman I thought she was when I watched Josephine Premice play Louise Jefferson's sister on The Jeffersons and Whitley Gilbert's boss at the art museum on A Different World.

Josephine Premice seemed to exude elegance, charisma and fascinating conversation when I saw her act. I was pleased to learn that is who she was in life.

Susan Fales worked as a writer and producer on A Different World. So it was nice to learn about her job and the difficulties getting positive stories about middle, upper-middle and upper class African Americans on TV.

[Aisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. This book is about royalty. What a regal, talented, smart and classy lady Josephine Premice was. I am so glad that Ms. Fales-Hill wrote this book to keep her mother's memory alive!

[Micole Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

💛 how this Media-arts Maverick pays homage to her Diva Mom - Just finished my latest read I vlogged about @ #byobookclubforbusybodies virtual book club this past Saturday! This #5star #memoir was amazingly heartfelt and full of life and honor of a late loved one. It has so much artistic cultural history, bourgeois style, and heartbreaking transparency. I related to this book based on how I saw my grandmother, a feisty but subdued rock, leave this world- the author’s mother suffered from emphysema/tracheotomy and my grandmother, Alzheimer’s/Dementia- like the author, I too felt the agony that comes with watching the decline of my loved one, the slow progression of suffering mount up year after year and feeling like what we tried to do to help ease the pain, couldn’t - I could relate bc both ladies ( her mom and my grandmother) dealt with their lot in life with humor...and silence. I bought this book about 5 years ago at an expo booth and this felt like the perfect time to read it. This mother/daughter duo are extraordinary and you can really glean from their juxtaposed experiences. One of my fav quotes is, “My mother has left a trail that seemed to say, ‘Build on this. Know our past and improve upon it'" (262).

[Jasmin Hillary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely memoir of her and her mothers lives, as they were intertwined in life and death. This was a refreshing read about the daughter of two lineages both legendary in grand reputation and accomplishments. I enjoyed this easy read in a single sitting. Try not to get distracted as the references may lead you to do a google search.

Fales-Hill covers nearly 300 years of family history (maternal and paternal), behind the scenes black entertainment factoids, drops vocabulary in 5 languages to encompass concepts we do not yet have words for in English and takes the reader around the world as each chapter globetrots her family’s presence through the 20th and subsequent 21st century.

[Dholsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this biography hard to put down. Some of the "name dropping" in the beginning chapter almost deterred me, and I did find myself rolling my eyes, but then the connections began to happen, and the unraveling of a "perfect rich family" imagining ceased. There is so much pain in this biography, many of which come from surprising people that are associates and friends of the family, and from the consequences of putting off needed decisions. Be prepared to be engrossed by the details, moved by moments of glamour, and to laugh at a few of the human follies that exist in family moments.

[Paige Elson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully intimate and inspiring tribute for an unsung Black hero and actress that paved the way for so many. And if you’re a fan of A Different World, you may find some gems that inspired episodes and traits in Whitley Gilbert. A lovely read.

[Cynthia Bemis Abrams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is carefully crafted memoir of a mother-daughter bond is an insight into dimly lit corners of American society. The author did right by her parents, grandparents and many aunts and uncles, as well as herself.

[Bristol Fales-Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Thank you, Maman.

[Nicole Zalas-Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a tremendous story about a mother and daughter.

[Nenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

2019 Reading Challenge
Book That Includes a Wedding

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

IQ "I chose to ignore their unflattering comments. It was more important to succeed in the job, and to prove them wrong in the doing, than to deliver impromptu lectures on female equality and end up free and equal on the unemployment line." pg. 144

The writing, the story of Susan Fales-Hill's mother, Josephine Premice, all elegantly told and portrayed. I especially liked Geoffrey Holder's quote at Ms. Premice's funeral "Those of us in show businesss, we don't die. We go on tour" (pg.258), what a lovely way of putting it. I only wish I could remember Ms. Premice's role on Different World because it's one of my favorite shows but all the Deans sorta ran together in my head. All I know is she's not the one from Fresh Prince haha. I really enjoyed reading about Ms. Premice and her friends like Diahann Carroll who called themselves SEMPER FABULOUS. They all seemed wonderful, forever resilient and glamorous even in the face of ridiculous prejudice. The author does not present her mother as infallible, she shows her warts-and-all. Well excuse me, divas don't' have warts.

[Chivon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to read this book. It was not until the very end that I decided that I really enjoyed it. It was a heartfelt story of mother and daughter. A very interesting read about a black entertainer who broke barriers for women of color. Her daughter as well, broke barriers and wrote on The Cosby Show and A Different World, creating roles for black people that had not existed years earlier.

At first, I was a little bored with the memoir because I was unfamiliar with a lot of the names of friends of Susan's mother, and I was unfamiliar with Josephine Premice herself. I'm sure my mother and grandmother knew exactly who all of these side characters are.

But I stayed with the story and by the end, I was in awe of how beautiful a person Josephine Fales was and how she embraced life.

It was a very good true story.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember seeing Susan Fales-Hill discussing this book and having a lot of admiration for her work on the Cosby Show and A Different World. I loved the title, I agree it's the best way to live. The book was a dedication to her mother, a woman who broke many barriers and their relationship. It's about time for me to read it again. I enjoyed it!

[Aldonautico · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me conmovió mucho porque es un retrato amoroso y detallado de una madre maravillosa. Sin llegar a ser aburrido ni enfermamente cursi relata la vida personal y profesional de alguien que nació en el momento y lugar equivocado, aunque eso no le impidió brillar. Excelente elección para estos días.

[Doris Robinson]

A Daughters love shows through each page. Enjoyable.

[Jil Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great tribute to her mom and a great job capturing the good and bad aspects of life. I enjoyed this book immensely.

[Tenacious Virgo · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite memoirs...