America's Mistress: The Life and Times of Eartha Kitt

by John L. Williams

The first ever biography of Eartha Kitt, one of the most enduring and mysterious stars of the twentieth century.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Music, African American

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2012

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I didn't really know anything about Eartha Kitt before I decided to buy and read this book. I knew she played Catwoman but I had never actually seen the show Batman. I had also seen her in the Eddie Murphy movie Boomerang but I didn't know she was a legend and every Christmas we all hear her hit song Santa Baby but I had no idea how controversial that song was when it was first released.

The title America's Mistress confused me when I saw it. I thought it was disrespectful and sexist which it is but as I read the book it made sense. The American public treated her like a mistress. Despite Miss Kitt being a classically trained dancer and actress she was treated like a fun novelty not someone to be taken seriously. White people considered her "A good negro" but not a serious artist and black people considered her " Uppity", "The white man's Nigga" and "Race traitor". It left Eartha with no place to fit in. White people didn't really get her and Black people thought she was a fraud.

This book does a great job of covering the first 35 years of her life. You can tell the author put a lot of time and research into her early years and career but the last 40 years of her life are rolled into one final chapter. I would have liked to know more about the years after she was no longer really famous. Overall I really liked America's Mistress and learned a lot about a woman who was a maverick and a head of her time. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy Old Hollywood and anyone who just wants to read a really good biography.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

America's Mistress- The Life and Times of Eartha Kitt by John L. Williams is a 2012 Quercus publishing release. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Just like the author states at the beginning of the book, most people of a certain age only recognize Eartha Kitt as one of several women who portrayed Catwoman on the old Batman television series during the 1960's. The author's primary focus is on Eartha's career prior to the Batman series and this I believe was done to demonstrate Eartha's illustrious career and remind people she was much, much more than the catwoman character she came to personify.

I for one did fall into the category the author knew most people fell into. I had a vague inkling that Eartha was a singer and dancer and had other roles on film, but I couldn't have told you what songs she sang or movies she appeared in. I had no idea what her personal life was like, if she had ever married or had children. So, I found all the facts and stories told in this book utterly fascinating.
Eartha's beginnings were humble. Her parentage, though the records are rather vague, suggesting she is of mixed race. Eartha was shuffled around a great deal and her childhood was far from being charmed. But, she did catch a few breaks here and there and her drive and determination to have a better life is what gave her a distinct advantage over many black women of her era. Eartha was taught different languages and not only spoke them fluently, but sang in different languages as well. She was not afraid to use her sexuality and she made no attempt to hide ambitions. She was well traveled, loving some places and not others. She has many lovers , some of which were famous and white which was very taboo in those days, but Eartha's popularity was not affected by those relationships mainly because she was very tight lipped and did not brag or gossip about her lovers. Privately, however, she did suffer the same pain as anyone who is a victim of racism. While her wealthy white lovers were all too happy to date her and some were no doubt in love with her, they didn't have the guts to go all the way in and marry her, too afraid of the backlash and stigma.



“When this girl drops her heard and walks straight at you, staring straight at you, it's like getting hit with a blackjack. When most singers walk, they walk. When Kitt walks, it becomes a personal proposition” Ed Sullivan


Over the years, Eartha did not seem to fit into any specific mold, often criticized for not being more vocal on the civil rights front. Once she did got on a diatribe it was perhaps not the best time and it came back to bite her big time.
Her career took a downturn shortly thereafter and from then on she kept a low profile often living overseas.
I had no idea about this part of Eartha's life so it made for some very interesting reading. She was certainly unique, one of kind and a very talented. She lead a most unusual life and a full life. Love seemed to elude her in the end, but she did have daughter who became the love of her life. Overall, this
book does a lot to show Eartha was much more than people remember her for and it's high time someone reminded us of this. Overall this one 4 stars

[Bunny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing kills a biography for me faster than the words "probably" and "might". This book starts off with big fat probablys, and made it impossible for me to continue on. I can't take anything the author reports seriously, and it makes the interviews and mini-bios of other people 8 times removed from Eartha seem less and less credible.

I can't do it.

[Marlene Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good biography of a fascinating twentieth century celebrity.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book about an very intriguing woman. Eartha is before my time but I grew up in a household full of music and was familiar with her singing at an early age and at a certain time watched Batman reruns in the '70s. The book is written in a very respectful tone, not hiding any controversy but also not talking any trash. I came away with the impression that Eartha Kitt was a forceful, independent woman who came from poverty and took life by the horns. She lived in a political era but was not a political person and had a heart full of love that she had a hard time finding anyone to share it with until the arrival of her beloved only daughter. It's interesting that this book is written by a Englishman. Eartha was an African-American from South Carolina but she had much more success in Europe, Britain especially, than she did at home. So it seems only appropriate for someone from the country that adored her most to present the first detailed biography of this enigmatic woman. Of course it is also intriguing for a non-American (me, Canadian)to read the American history she lived through from a detached author as well. Eartha lived through the poverty of the deep south in the '30s, segregation, American black/white racism, the Civil Rights movement, the black experience of a performer in the US who was a star on stage and a "Negro" offstage who had to leave by the backdoor. Eartha was an exciting woman who lived an exciting life, traveling the world, hobnobbing with the stars of the 40s/50s/60s both black and white at a time when African-Americans had to sit at the back of the bus. But Eartha was a woman who expected to be treated with the respect a person of her status was due and as such was both an African-American and a woman ahead of her times. She had detractors from both her own race and whites. Some whites could not let her forget she was "coloured", while some African-Americans, such as Sammy Davis Jr., thought she sold out her own race and acted white. A fascinating story, well-told, of a determined, talented woman living through an historic time of American history and yet all too sadly not remembered as the legend she should have been for various reasons as discussed in the book.

[GP · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say? I've always found Eartha Kitt fascinating. Her glamour, the cat thing, her worldly exterior. Finding out more about her was immediately attractive. And oh, what a woman! Like Nichelle Nichols, Eartha Kitt was a completely different example of black womanhood than what I had presented to me. It seemed to say that I could speak foreign languages, travel, be in charge, be sexy and have so much confidence you could practically see it fill up a room.
To know Eartha's humble, even tragic beginnings, sets her whole stage persona up in a new light. How she transformed herself, stood up for herself; it's inspiring. She worked hard, she wasn't perfect and in many ways, she was a frustrating individual with a tendency to rewrite what happened in her life as it suited her, but she was still amazing.

[Samuel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly this book was pretty wack, Eartha deserves better. Just read her autobiography instead.

[Wif Stenger · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant surprise, well researched and written study of her unparalleled, cross-genre role in racially split mid-century US culture

[Beverly K · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'est ci bon....

For most of Eartha Kitt's life, Williams depicts it in great detail, working at length to let the reader know what there is about her life, albeit with gaps that are impossible to bridge. For most of the book, the author has clearly done his homework. Interviews conducted by the author, background information gathered about her childhood and her history, and track lists of her albums demonstrate years dedicated to describing Kitt's life. I would say that about 270 of the 281 actual pages (discarding the end notes) are detailed and descriptive. The end notes also indicate a great deal of time and dedication to the task.

Where the book falls short, however, is after the 70s. It outright omits her role as Madame Zeroni in Holes (for shame!) and miscredits her role in The Emperor's New Groove, which is what I knew Eartha Kitt for. It also omits her continuation of Yzma in The Emperor's New School, and her performing a song ("Yzmapolis") for said show, in addition to other random songs ("The Emperor's New Musical"). While I was greatly interested in Eartha Kitt's beginning career and her struggles to make it in a white dominated culture, I feel like the author simply gave up describing her life after the 70s.

I would also have appreciated more background on her stint in the 60s Batman. As the author stated, it was considered an iconic role for her, yet it only receives a couple pages. ("Yzma" receives one sentence and it calls her the "evil queen", when she's actually the royal adviser).

Eartha Kitt does not sound like a pleasant person at times and her motivations remain obscure for certain things. Williams does his best to flesh her out and make her feel like a person rather than a one dimensional character. For the most part, he succeeds. Miss Kitt led a hard and glamorous life...and she should be remembered for all of her successes.

[Gavin Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was all going so well until the final 40 YEARS of her career were squeezed into, literally, an epilogue. Admittedly, these years may not have been as interesting as her early life, but that's not really up to the author to decide for us. He literally stops at catwoman and the controversy with Lady Bird Johnson. The tiny section after that basically agrees with the perception that this was a career-ending moment, but there was so much more that came after that.

There was plenty that could have been explored more, or wasn't even mentioned. For example, Eartha's musical reinvention in the '80s and '90s as a camp "disco" queen, Emmy-award winning voice acting work, numerous TV and film appearances, and Tony and Drama Desk nominations (an especially huge oversight, given the prestige involved, that these had no mention at all).

You get the impression that the author either got bored, or, more likely, places no value in any of this later work; that Eartha's career was effectively over after playing catwoman. That seems, at best, extremely unfair or, at worst, very snobbish.

Having said that, it was a very good read up until that point; it's not as if there are many (any?) other biographies out there.

It suffers at times from "maybe - could have - supposedly" kinds of speculations, but at least these are mostly well thought out and quite fair given that Kitt's own autobiographies tend to skip or gloss over certain aspects of her past.

Anyway, worth a read, but prepare to be disappointed if you're as interested in Kitt's later career as her early life and work.

[Angel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was utterly disappointed with this book. I had already read Eartha's own Confessions of a Sex Kitten, and this book did very little to supplement Eartha's own account of her life and was sterile by comparison. Though he seemed to try desperately to fact check Eartha's own statements, his revelations were not exactly earth-shattering and were often unsupported by facts, such as when he accused Eartha of prostituting herself as a teenager; perhaps it is true, but the reader cannot check because Williams provides absolutely no reference or basis for such a conclusion. And the times he does contradict Eartha are so trivial as to be uninteresting, such as when he suggests that it might not have been Eartha's ideas about using lounge chairs in her act that improved one of her shows. Where this book could have really excelled--in picking up where her autobiographies left off and telling the story of the later years of Eartha's life-- it fails completely. Williams ends the book in year 1970 and races through the last half of her life in a seven-page epilogue. For a more complete and interesting account of her life, read Eartha's own biographies.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written, enjoyable biography of a fascinating woman. My only criticism is that the book effectively ends in 1970, with only a short epilogue. While the second half of Eartha's career may not have been as eventful as the first, it deserved more attention. However, the chapter notes are also well worth reading, compensating somewhat for the abrupt conclusion.

[Vivianne Kacal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author has attempted to find the facts, but they are few & far between, apart from things externally documented by others - Kitt herself seems to have been happy to 'lose'or change details. This biography seemed to lack a real connection to its subject. But maybe that's because a woman who seemed mysterious,sublime etc was actually quite ordinary.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written, engaging and moving - throughly researched and clearly written with a massive amount of respect for a fabulous woman who absolutely deserves it too. A perfect example of what a good biography should do.

Makes me regret that I never had the opportunity to see her perform live; what a firecracker.

[Belinda Palamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standard biography of a fascinating woman. I was a little disappointed that the later years of her life were relegated to the last chapter of the book - there were many more interesting stories to be told.
And I don't know if they've been fixed in later editions (or if I'm the only nerd who reads them), but the end notes were an absolute mess.

[C Munn · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was obvious in every chapter this book was written from a white male perspective and it did Eartha Kitt no justice. I wish there was another book about her out there and I'm sad her personal book is out of print (though there are claims of extreme exaggeration). I will attempt to find however.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of in depth stories I didn't know, like EK's political activism, but I have to confess, I would have liked more about Catwoman too!

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eartha Kitt an African American woman who came from the cotton fields of South Carolina, and rose to become a sex symbol in a still segregated America. Her journey is unique and she went on to inspire other black woman to embrace their sexuality. She dated white men and a few black men, she wanted love but refused to sacrifice her career for it.

This biography was well written and tried its best to understand a habitually mysterious woman. It used her own words, first hand accounts from friends and family, and looked at local records, letters and notes. When John Williams had no way of finding out the truth of certain events he gathered as much evidence as he could and then tried to piece the puzzle together with the reader often leaving it an open ended question. This is a much better account than her own autobiographies which were riddled with inaccuracies and unanswered questions.

Eartha Kitt was more than just an actress and singer; she was a woman who knew what she wanted, she challenged the status quo, she dated white men when in many places it was incredibly dangerous to do so, she embraced her sexuality again when it was dangerous to do so. After overcoming abuse and neglect as a child she looked for love in the men she dated, often disappointed in the result. Differences in race ruined many of her love matches often being asked to be a mistress rather than a wife. She continued to adapt to the times and overcome barriers often times falling flat on her face. But Eartha's story, if nothing else is continuing to stand up after falling and trusting no one but herself to take care of her.

[Deirdre · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning more about the great Eartha Kitt, but there’s something about the writing that seriously rubs me the wrong way. From the title to phrases like ‘street Spanish’ and questioning the validity of racism in the US solely based on: white men lusting after her and white woman accepting her in the entertainment realm is absurd. The writing gives a strong vibe of being authored by someone that cannot relate to either the female or black American experience. I consciously had to overlook this ‘outsider’ view especially when certain racial slurs were quoted and when the author credits overt sexuality as being learned while on the streets of Spanish Harlem.

It also seems as if the author refuses to believe anything that the subject of his book has previous shared about her life opting to point out how her recollection does not match that of someone else’s. He only believes alternate accounts as fact. Often accusing Kitt of dalliances with any man she may have worked with or befriended, even when her own accounting states there was nothing more than a friendship and/or professional relationship.

‘Elegant and well-spoken’ being terms assumed not to be thought of black Americans. Condescendingly describing Ebony magazine. Overall, this was difficult for me to get through simply due to the writing and the author’s inability to remain unbiased. There’s a way that the author could have discussed racial themes without using them himself. However, he apparently could not keep his personal views from seeping in.

[Teng Thumbutu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eartha Kitt was talented. Eartha Kitt knew what she wanted from life for her life. Eartha Kitt wanted to be loved. Eartha Kitt was an exploiter.i Eartha Kitt was more profound than she was credited for.

Born poor and black were realities Kitt spent her life trying to change. A bed-hopping provocateur Kitt used her created sensually to attract, benefit from and determine how to move upward and forward. Many affairs, rumors of affairs and failed attempts to marry for money, prestige and acceptance found Kitt on the unstable periphery of success in her career.

However, her one marriage gave her the gift of love by way of her only child, Kitt. They were inseparable and completed the love cycle Eartha Kitt so desperately needed. Eartha Kitt had friends, made friends, kept and lost friends. But the many people and admirers who were in and out of her life never seem to be recognized as committed participants in her life. She had psychological demons that kept her off kilter and exposed to criticism. She always had a plan that should work. Timing and implementation were her continual challenges.

I felt an emptiness trying to know her through this offering. But I did come away knowing that Eartha Kitt was a survivor.

[Gus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant book, I feel like I actually know Eartha having read this book. I do agree with my fellow reviewers that he did condense essentially 40 years of her career into the end portion of the book, which I thought could be extended upon, and I felt like sometimes he guessed at how she would have felt with no real proof of such a feeling or framed things in a certain way that I think might not have been the right way to do things. Other than that this was a brilliant book about an inspirational woman and incredibly charismatic performer, who should be revered and remembered much more than she is in the public conscious.

[Neera Kapahi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eartha Kitt was talented, glamorous, amazing and alluring. She was a singer,dancer and an actress. I was amazed at her drive and ambition. She also spoke several languages and recorded songs in several languages. This is even more impressive because she spent the first eight years or so of her life on a cotton plantation in South Carolina. She later moved to Harlem, New York to stay with an aunt. This probably saved her life because opportunities opened up.

The book is fascinating and well researched. This is my first book by John L.Williams and I am looking forward to reading more of his books.

[Book Grocer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purchase America's Mistress here for just $12!

A well written and researched book. It tells of her early struggles with poverty and prejudice and how she ultimately became a successful entertainer in her own right. If you’re fan of Eartha Kitt you should definitely read!

Alicia - The Book Grocer

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked an advance copy up for free at the book exchange at the Jackalope coffee shop in the Bridgeport neighborhood. (Go there!)

This is a rousing tale about a powerful young woman who couldn't and wouldn't be contained, how she made herself a star, and how she got in her own way. Highly exciting and engaging.

[Elisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the most well written biography, but an interesting story that has given me great respect for Eartha Kitt. I'm not sure if the guy writing this actually likes her, or women, he seemed to lack compassion for her struggles. Whether it's this book or any other, the life and times of Eartha Kitt are worth investigating.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Completely without pathos. Also the last 35-ish years of her life being boiled down to one ten page chapter makes it seem like the author thinks middle-aged/ senior stars aren’t interesting or worth talking about which is downright offensive to me.

[Brian Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as personal as I wanted it to be, but still a fun read.

[Charlotte Hukvari · Rating 3 out of 5]

If the book was written in her voice and not so much as an observation I would have been more intrigued.

[Hamish Downie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, I’m not a fan of the way it’s framed

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book and enjoy learning more about Eartha Kitt. Wow what an amazing talented Woman she was. This book will be on one of my top ten favorites.