What do you think?
Rate this book
The Black Rose
“One of the most exciting novels of the year . . . The dramatic story of Madam C.J. Walker, America’s first black female millionaire.”—E. Lynn Harris
Born to former slaves on a Louisiana plantation in 1867, Madam C.J. Walker rose from poverty and indignity to become America’s first black female millionaire, the head of a hugely successful beauty company, and a leading philanthropist in African American causes. Renowned author Alex Haley became fascinated by the story of this extraordinary heroine, and before his death in 1992, he embarked on the research and outline of a major novel based on her life. With The Black Rose, critically acclaimed writer Tananarive Due brings Haley’s work to an inspiring completion.
Blending documented history, vivid dialogue, and a sweeping fictionalized narrative, Tananarive Due paints a vivid portrait of this passionate and tenacious pioneer and the unforgettable era in which she lived.
Praise for The Black Rose
“An artfully framed page-turner.” — Essence
“An impressive accomplishment . . . Due’s combination of historical study and fictional exploration endows this gripping tale with intimacy and emotional authenticity.” — The Miami Herald
Born to former slaves on a Louisiana plantation in 1867, Madam C.J. Walker rose from poverty and indignity to become America’s first black female millionaire, the head of a hugely successful beauty company, and a leading philanthropist in African American causes. Renowned author Alex Haley became fascinated by the story of this extraordinary heroine, and before his death in 1992, he embarked on the research and outline of a major novel based on her life. With The Black Rose, critically acclaimed writer Tananarive Due brings Haley’s work to an inspiring completion.
Blending documented history, vivid dialogue, and a sweeping fictionalized narrative, Tananarive Due paints a vivid portrait of this passionate and tenacious pioneer and the unforgettable era in which she lived.
Praise for The Black Rose
“An artfully framed page-turner.” — Essence
“An impressive accomplishment . . . Due’s combination of historical study and fictional exploration endows this gripping tale with intimacy and emotional authenticity.” — The Miami Herald
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
163 people are currently reading
3405 people want to read
About the author
Tananarive Due
111 books6,123 followersTANANARIVE DUE (tah-nah-nah-REEVE doo) is the award-winning author of The Wishing Pool & Other Stories and the upcoming The Reformatory ("A masterpiece"--Library Journal). She and her husband, Steven Barnes, co-wrote the Black Horror graphic novel The Keeper, illustrated by Marco Finnegan. Due and Barnes co-host a podcast, "Lifewriting: Write for Your Life!"
A leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years, Due has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award, and her writing has been included in best-of-the-year anthologies. Her books include Ghost Summer: Stories, My Soul to Keep, and The Good House. She and her late mother, civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due, co-authored Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights. She and her husband live with their son, Jason.
A leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years, Due has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award, and her writing has been included in best-of-the-year anthologies. Her books include Ghost Summer: Stories, My Soul to Keep, and The Good House. She and her late mother, civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due, co-authored Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights. She and her husband live with their son, Jason.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
November 24, 2008
One of the best and most influential books that i have ever read. I was tearing up with in the first couple of pages. I was a better person after having read this book.
September 1, 2019
I wanted to read this book for such a long time but without even knowing what will be the story about. I didn't know that it was a biography until I started to read it and I could not stop for I was mesmerized. I loved the title and the fact that I love to read stories about the African-American people but through my reading of this book I discovered a legend. Sarah Breedlove was a big inspiration and I felt like an ignorant for not knowing who was this GREAT LADY for she is and she deserve to be known by all the generations. Hollywood should make a movie about Madame CJ.Walker, why, until now, nobody have made a movie about her life?!!
This woman was a force of nature, when she decided that she wanted to have better, to become someone, she worked for it and at the end she became more and she has accomplished much more. She was a fighter for she had faced many sad battles but never gave up, Never!
I just can say that I'm happy that I've discovered The Black Rose and thanks to the author for her researches and for writing this beautiful book. I don't think that I can read now the book of Michelle Obama after Sarah Breedlove.
I think that we should talk about Madame CJ.Walker more and made this great woman known to the world. What a life she had!
This woman was a force of nature, when she decided that she wanted to have better, to become someone, she worked for it and at the end she became more and she has accomplished much more. She was a fighter for she had faced many sad battles but never gave up, Never!
I just can say that I'm happy that I've discovered The Black Rose and thanks to the author for her researches and for writing this beautiful book. I don't think that I can read now the book of Michelle Obama after Sarah Breedlove.
I think that we should talk about Madame CJ.Walker more and made this great woman known to the world. What a life she had!
April 1, 2018
The Black Rose tells the story of Sarah Breedlove (later known as Madam C.J. Walker) who was the first African-American female millionaire in the United States. It's incredible how many hurdles she had to overcome in order to get this title, such as her gender, race, social class, and many other reasons. I loved this book and thought it was very inspiring and captivating. However, I would recommend this book to mature audiences/readers since there are some sexual passages in the book.
February 12, 2018
My local library has a display commemorating Black History Month, and I thought that even though I have a million books checked out to read, it would be a good thing to read a book written by an African-American about an African-American during this important month. And I was not disappointed. I'd never heard of Tananarive Due before, though now I want to seek out more of her books, but I had come across some history about Madam C.J. Walker. I was also intrigued by the fact that Alex Haley had done a great deal of the research for this novel before he died.
This is a fantastic rags-to-riches story, an amazing exemplification of the American dream. Sarah Breedlove was born just after the end of the Civil War to sharecroppers that had been slaves just a few years before. Both her parents died of yellow fever when she was a child, and she and her sister had to support themselves from then on. Working long hours as a laundress, she never had time for school or even to take care of herself properly. Even as an adult, she had problems with her scalp and her hair that she could never heal until she came up with her own preparation. From then on, her hair began to grow, and she began to think that not only could she sell this miracle product, but she could change the lives of so many other black women by hiring them to sell her product. In this way she not only made her clients beautiful, but also gave them financial security for years to come in a time when black women, whether educated or not, were expected to do no more than cook or clean for the white families around them.
It's impressive how Madam always thought of others when she decided to sell her product. She didn't just want to make a lot of money for herself and her daughter, but to share her financial gains with every person of her race. That level of altruism is rarely seen nowadays.
Due touches on a lot of social issues in this novel, though frequently it's just a slight touch. Of course, Madam experiences racism from the white people around her, but it's also evident from other African-Americans whose families have been free longer or whose skin tone was much lighter. But she never let anything hold her down, and instead she reached higher and higher to create more opportunities for her African-American sisters and brothers.
It's such a shame that Madam died so young, especially considering that modern medicine could have treated her high blood pressure and whatever ailments (I'm suspecting diabetes) she suffered from. But her legacy lives on, and I hope that everyone learns the name of Madam C.J. Walker, the first black female millionaire, who surmounted so many obstacles to become so very successful.
This is a fantastic rags-to-riches story, an amazing exemplification of the American dream. Sarah Breedlove was born just after the end of the Civil War to sharecroppers that had been slaves just a few years before. Both her parents died of yellow fever when she was a child, and she and her sister had to support themselves from then on. Working long hours as a laundress, she never had time for school or even to take care of herself properly. Even as an adult, she had problems with her scalp and her hair that she could never heal until she came up with her own preparation. From then on, her hair began to grow, and she began to think that not only could she sell this miracle product, but she could change the lives of so many other black women by hiring them to sell her product. In this way she not only made her clients beautiful, but also gave them financial security for years to come in a time when black women, whether educated or not, were expected to do no more than cook or clean for the white families around them.
It's impressive how Madam always thought of others when she decided to sell her product. She didn't just want to make a lot of money for herself and her daughter, but to share her financial gains with every person of her race. That level of altruism is rarely seen nowadays.
Due touches on a lot of social issues in this novel, though frequently it's just a slight touch. Of course, Madam experiences racism from the white people around her, but it's also evident from other African-Americans whose families have been free longer or whose skin tone was much lighter. But she never let anything hold her down, and instead she reached higher and higher to create more opportunities for her African-American sisters and brothers.
It's such a shame that Madam died so young, especially considering that modern medicine could have treated her high blood pressure and whatever ailments (I'm suspecting diabetes) she suffered from. But her legacy lives on, and I hope that everyone learns the name of Madam C.J. Walker, the first black female millionaire, who surmounted so many obstacles to become so very successful.
April 4, 2020
I watched the Netflix series ‘Self Made’ and wanted to know more about this extraordinary woman so I found this book. First it should be made clear that this book is Historical Fiction, not a work of non-fiction as described on Goodreads. The research was begun by Alex Haley (‘Roots’) and after his death his notes were passed on to Tananarive Due whose own extensive research completed this book. I grew up in the US but had never heard of this amazing woman. Is that because she was black? Or because she was a woman? You can decide if it was one or the other or both as you learn about her life from her early years as a share croppers daughter on the very land where her parents and older siblings had been owned just a few short years before her birth, through her hard years as a washer woman, and into her rise as a successful businesswoman and philanthropist.
December 16, 2023
Excellently researched and vividly described –– it's tough to delve into archives and really make historical figures live as Due has here, and her passion for the life and work of Mme. Walker is palpable. I wish more archive-based writing/speculative biography was written with this level of creativity and care.
January 26, 2021
The life of this woman is so inspiring.
July 31, 2025
Decent book about a fascinating woman. It really left me wanting to know more about her life.
July 30, 2016
I have loved reading biographies since I was a teenager and I found this one was especially interesting. First, I had never heard of Madam C.J. Walker, her life and her company. She was driven by her heart which told her that Negros are just as intelligent as white people. Her life, her company and her passion was to help the women of her race and their families live a better life made so much sense to her during a time when the whites believed that black meant poor, uninteresting and of lesser intelligence.
Second, Madam (Sarah) had two great loves of her life. She lost the first one when he was killed in a demonstration of black workers seeking equal wages. The second she lost when he betrayed her with other women. She loved both and could forget neither. With her divorce from C.J. she devoted every minute she had to her company and expanding it. One goal was to make it succeed. Another goal was to support her daughter and herself. Yet another was to help black women support their families so their children may have a better life through education. And, as time passed, she realized that she wanted to further her race as much as possible.
This is her story. A story of being poor, humiliated and ignored. With determination and persistence, Sarah discovered a hair growing solution that helped her own miserable hair condition improve to a point where she no longer had bald patches and covered her head to hide it from others. The tale is emotional, tragic and sad in many ways but it's an excellent read. I commend the author for telling readers about this ambitious woman whose life spanned poverty to wealth. Well done.
Second, Madam (Sarah) had two great loves of her life. She lost the first one when he was killed in a demonstration of black workers seeking equal wages. The second she lost when he betrayed her with other women. She loved both and could forget neither. With her divorce from C.J. she devoted every minute she had to her company and expanding it. One goal was to make it succeed. Another goal was to support her daughter and herself. Yet another was to help black women support their families so their children may have a better life through education. And, as time passed, she realized that she wanted to further her race as much as possible.
This is her story. A story of being poor, humiliated and ignored. With determination and persistence, Sarah discovered a hair growing solution that helped her own miserable hair condition improve to a point where she no longer had bald patches and covered her head to hide it from others. The tale is emotional, tragic and sad in many ways but it's an excellent read. I commend the author for telling readers about this ambitious woman whose life spanned poverty to wealth. Well done.
September 9, 2019
Stellar
I didn’t know if I would want to read this book. Now, after spending an entire day and half devouring this book, and finishing it, it was a page turner. You felt that you knew Madam and at the end the book I was sobbing. She truly was an inspiration and the writing was phenomenal.
I didn’t know if I would want to read this book. Now, after spending an entire day and half devouring this book, and finishing it, it was a page turner. You felt that you knew Madam and at the end the book I was sobbing. She truly was an inspiration and the writing was phenomenal.
February 25, 2023
Excellent writing that brings to life the story of Madam CJ Walker, born in poverty to slaves who grew to be the first black female millionaire. The story of her life and her commitment to education and to provide black women pride and beauty. You won't want to put this one down!
August 16, 2015
I enjoy historical fiction novels and this one is no exception. I read this years ago and enjoyed it then as well. Picked it up a while ago because I felt like reading a "real book" and it is one of the few that I have left. I think I enjoyed it a little more the first time around, but it was still a good read. If you are a big Tananarive Due fan like I am, it is a complete departure from her suspense/thriller books. After having read Joplin's Ghost a few times though, it was neat to read her brief characterization of him here as Madame lived in St. Louis and visited the Rosebud cafe.
The story of Madame CJ Walker, the first black millionaire, is a fascinating rags to riches story. Orphan at a young age to washerwoman to crazy wealthy in an era where few black people, much less women, achieved any kind of wealth at all.
Some interesting issues were raised here too about ambition, giving back to the community/politics, relationships where the woman is more successful than the man...
I put the book down eager to read some more historical material on Walker so that is always a good thing.
The story of Madame CJ Walker, the first black millionaire, is a fascinating rags to riches story. Orphan at a young age to washerwoman to crazy wealthy in an era where few black people, much less women, achieved any kind of wealth at all.
Some interesting issues were raised here too about ambition, giving back to the community/politics, relationships where the woman is more successful than the man...
I put the book down eager to read some more historical material on Walker so that is always a good thing.
September 7, 2008
I am a big fan of historical fiction, but I think this was a very sanitized, whitewashed version of Madame C.J. Walker's life. Since the millionaire kept no diary and no one is alive that knew her, there's little insight into her personality and character. We can only assume her charactaristics based on what she accomplished. In looking at her background, this lady came up in extremely rough circumstances, so I think there would be more of a toughness and edge to her than presented in Ms. Due's book. However, I though the book was good in terms of providing more information about Madame Walker, her marriage to the gold-digging Mr. Walker and her rivalry with black hair-care entrepreneur Annie Prescope
August 17, 2012
3.5 stars... Overall, this was a fascinating story about the first black female millionaire. It is awe-inspiring to see how Sarah Breedlove started with absolutely nothing as the daughter of former slaves and became not only incredibly wealthy, but an inspiration to hundreds of thousands of people. The book was well-written, but I had to knock it down half a star for stretches in the book that plodded on without making much impact to the story. These parts of the book made it difficult to finish. I was also disappointed to read in the afterword just how much had been imagined by the author, particularly the character of Lottie. I think Sarah's story is quite fascinating, and I would love to read more biographical information about her life.
October 11, 2012
Inspiring story...Unfortunately, I lost interest toward the end. And I always wonder about the genre of historical fiction, especially in the case of someone not generally well-known. It seems to me that the fiction has such potential for becoming the fact. For example, in the case of Madame Walker, I learned in a quick wikipedia search, that she had several brothers. The book only mentions one brother. Not that the number of siblings is extremely important, I guess. But, still....
However, I am glad I read it. And it makes me want to go to Indianapolis and take advantage of whatever history about her the city has to offer. So far, we have only been to the theater one time.
However, I am glad I read it. And it makes me want to go to Indianapolis and take advantage of whatever history about her the city has to offer. So far, we have only been to the theater one time.
March 7, 2012
This was a great historical fiction book based on the life of Madam C.J. Walker (Sarah), the first black female millionaire. The story takes you through the life of Sarah from a child to an adult and all of the struggles she faces while starting her own hair care business. It was amazing the problems Sarah faced and how she was able to overcome the obstacles and continue. I love the fact that although she strived to do well for herself she was always concerned with others as well.
September 10, 2012
I'm grateful to the author for bringing Madam C.J. Walker's story to a wider audience, but the writing just did not engage me. It was a relief to put this book behind me. That being said, lots of other friends whose opinions I really respect loved it. Having already read the story of Walker's life in nonfiction form, I just didn't feel like this book had much to offer. The characters felt flat to me and the amazing arc of Walker's life didn't translate into a page turner somehow.
December 30, 2015
This is an incredible novelization of an incredible woman's life. I have never been overly fond of historical fiction and biographical works (due to an over-saturation of required reading as a teenager), but I couldn't wait to get back to The Black Rose every time I had to put it down.
I cannot recommend the book highly enough, especially if, like me, your upbringing neglected to mention the amazing, hard-working entrepreneur who was Madam C.J. Walker.
I cannot recommend the book highly enough, especially if, like me, your upbringing neglected to mention the amazing, hard-working entrepreneur who was Madam C.J. Walker.
February 22, 2017
I loved this story! I had no idea America's first self made millionaire was Madam C.J. Walker. I saw a program on the Smithsonian channel featuring the new African American History Museum. One of the highlights they mentioned was Madam Walker and her story sounded intriguing. This book didn't disappoint on this fascinating woman's life.
June 11, 2018
This is a very interesting book because of the personality of “Sarah”. I only gave it 2 *’s
because 1/3 of the book could have been cut and it wouldn’t have detracted from the story at all. In fact it became tedious at the end. If one is not familiar with the history of the South from Emancipation until the turn of the century I would certainly recommend for the history involved.
because 1/3 of the book could have been cut and it wouldn’t have detracted from the story at all. In fact it became tedious at the end. If one is not familiar with the history of the South from Emancipation until the turn of the century I would certainly recommend for the history involved.
July 26, 2013
I started this book on Sunday night and finished it Wednesday! Even though I knew the heroin died at the end, I still cried! I never thought I would enjoy reading historical fiction so much! I loved this book!
November 7, 2015
A beautiful look at the life of one of the most influential African-American women. Completely fascinating.
February 29, 2016
Tedious but good!
March 5, 2014
Great read and even though it is fiction it was very informative!
May 11, 2020
I found this a highly engaging and well-researched read. Unlike the Netflix series, which started in Sarah Breedlove's adulthood and lacked a script worthy of its subject matter, this narrative starts with her childhood as she, her sister, and her parents work as sharecroppers for a white family. It takes you through her adolescence and young adulthood; you're halfway through the book before she even considers mixing something up to calm her bloody, itchy scalp and regrow the hair to her head bald from constant wrapping. This book is about the whole woman and her business--and, as her next husband would unfortunately realize, she WAS her business, to the exclusion of most other things (and people).
I was shocked (I know; naïve me) to see that after her parents died of yellow fever when she was around 10, she and her sister were expected to work to pay for the cabin they inhabited. Arranged to be married at 14 (!), her first husband ended up being a kind and compassionate man (her sister was not so lucky).
I was struck in the first half by the challenges she faced every day: she was often in need of a safe place to live, and her work as a washerwoman (taking in washing was one of the few things black women could do to earn money), was backbreaking.
I love that she had these "vision boards" where she put up pictures of everything she wanted to have and be. And she ended up getting or being most of them, which was pretty damn unlikely, considering there wasn't a clear route out of poverty.
The last third of the book is interesting but a little sad--now a success, she is never satisfied, always seeking to build more, speak more, do more for her family and her race. I'd hate to have been her kid or husband, but you've got to admire the drive from someone who started with so very much working against her.
The last few chapters were about the mansion she built to host events, and I was curious, so I searched for photos of her, her original ads, and Villa Lewaro.
An inspiring read; highly recommend.
I was shocked (I know; naïve me) to see that after her parents died of yellow fever when she was around 10, she and her sister were expected to work to pay for the cabin they inhabited. Arranged to be married at 14 (!), her first husband ended up being a kind and compassionate man (her sister was not so lucky).
I was struck in the first half by the challenges she faced every day: she was often in need of a safe place to live, and her work as a washerwoman (taking in washing was one of the few things black women could do to earn money), was backbreaking.
I love that she had these "vision boards" where she put up pictures of everything she wanted to have and be. And she ended up getting or being most of them, which was pretty damn unlikely, considering there wasn't a clear route out of poverty.
The last third of the book is interesting but a little sad--now a success, she is never satisfied, always seeking to build more, speak more, do more for her family and her race. I'd hate to have been her kid or husband, but you've got to admire the drive from someone who started with so very much working against her.
The last few chapters were about the mansion she built to host events, and I was curious, so I searched for photos of her, her original ads, and Villa Lewaro.
An inspiring read; highly recommend.
April 15, 2018
The Black Rose is the lightly fictionalized story of the life of Madame C. J. Walker, America's first black female millionaire. Tananarive Due seems to have taken over the project from Alex Haley, the acclaimed late co-author of Malcolm X's autobiography. Due is a wonderful storyteller; many biographies I've read have been dry and uninteresting, but The Black Rose is technically a novel, and kept my attention through the entire book. Madame Walker, born Sarah Breedlove, is an incredibly charismatic figure. She was born to former slaves just after the Civil War - the only member of her family born free - and the book chronicles her entire life. From her parents' deaths, to her early years working in a cotton field, to being a washerwoman, cook, then finally an entrepreneur. According to Wiki she had four brothers; the book only mentions one. Wiki also mentions a marriage in between her daughter's father and CJ Walker; that one wasn't mentioned in the book at all. So there are some differences.
The Black Rose is an engrossing look at an influential woman whose name seems to be largely forgotten. Or perhaps it's only forgotten because we're not taught nearly as much African-American history as we should be in this country. Madame Walker's company was a path to economic freedom for thousands of black women in the early 20th century. Besides the jobs she created, she also made many charitable donations and was active in politics and civil rights, participating in marches and, once, visiting the White House to speak with the president. (According to the book, the president declined to speak with her group, though.)
This is a good example of why I'm trying to diversify my reading. I didn't know the name C. J. Walker. I had no idea where she came from, or the scope of the company she built and the people she helped.
Excellent, educational book.
You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.
The Black Rose is an engrossing look at an influential woman whose name seems to be largely forgotten. Or perhaps it's only forgotten because we're not taught nearly as much African-American history as we should be in this country. Madame Walker's company was a path to economic freedom for thousands of black women in the early 20th century. Besides the jobs she created, she also made many charitable donations and was active in politics and civil rights, participating in marches and, once, visiting the White House to speak with the president. (According to the book, the president declined to speak with her group, though.)
This is a good example of why I'm trying to diversify my reading. I didn't know the name C. J. Walker. I had no idea where she came from, or the scope of the company she built and the people she helped.
Excellent, educational book.
You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.
November 18, 2020
Novels written about historical figures are complex to rate. I appreciated that Due, in her afterward stated, “I have tried to be faithful to the spirit of Madam C.J. Walker in this book, but The Black Rose is a work of fiction.” For me that dismissed any concern I had about changing of facts (e.g. conflation of 3 brothers to 1, completely leaving out second husband, John Davis, etc.). When an author states that the work is fiction, it is I feel it is my responsibility to check out the facts, if so desired, not the author’s to present them accurately. With that being said, acknowledging that it is a work of fiction endows it with the need for a story structure, in my opinion. I want my fiction to have increasing action and tension culminating in a climax and resolution. Biographical fiction that covers a whole life makes this difficult to accomplish—and in the end that’s where Black Rose falls short. There is tension and conflict but in bits and pieces. It becomes overwhelmed by detail and time skips. There are epistolary sections that take away from the flow of the action and uneven and jarring future sequences framing past sequences. I found it had the tone of a biographical novel for middle school readers. However, the dialogue was aptly done, especially in the beginning and middle, and the character of Mme. Walker is intriguing. She was a laudable person who rose from unspeakable poverty to scale great heights and Due, I think, was “faithful to her spirit” and I am glad to have made her acquaintance in this fictional account.
December 27, 2018
I love Tananarive Due's horror and related fiction, and I would have loved some supernatural spirit here! Due is certainly a gifted storyteller and I knew very little about Madam C.J. Walker before reading this. It's a fictionalized account and I think that is how it had to be told. Due continued a project started by Alex Haley, and she has done the story justice, from my reading. There is little criticism of Sarah Breedlove, Madam C.J. Walker, and that grated at times. There was little mention of Annie Malone, someone Madam Walker may have stolen the recipe for her wonderful hair grower formula from.
What I found most interesting was the historical context of the story. Sarah really did go from rags to riches and her incessant hard work led to an early death at 51. She also set many black families up with the financial means to pursue higher education and to broaden their life goals, through their own hard work. She was involved in the politics of the day and did what she could to advance rights and opportunities for African American people.
This was a solid introduction for me to Madam C.J. Walker's life and the tenderness Due has for her comes across well. I might have wanted a more analytical tone at times, but this isn't a straight biography and I don't think her life has been romanticized.
What I found most interesting was the historical context of the story. Sarah really did go from rags to riches and her incessant hard work led to an early death at 51. She also set many black families up with the financial means to pursue higher education and to broaden their life goals, through their own hard work. She was involved in the politics of the day and did what she could to advance rights and opportunities for African American people.
This was a solid introduction for me to Madam C.J. Walker's life and the tenderness Due has for her comes across well. I might have wanted a more analytical tone at times, but this isn't a straight biography and I don't think her life has been romanticized.
November 20, 2020
For the life of Madam Walker I award 5*****. For the way this book read I give it 2**.
The story of the life of Madam C J Walker is a story well worth knowing about. There are many very worthy and interesting pages in this historical novel that highlight the immense drive Madam Walker experienced. Her life was one to be looked up to for her incredible strength, and determination to persevere despite incredible odds.
Having said that I was very disappointed in the way this story was written. The author seemed to lack a focus as to what was the main point of her story. A more focused shorter book would have been better rather than including everything in the story that might have happened to Ms. Walker.
I'm a historian and live in St Louis Missouri and I became very confused as to some of Ms. Walker's supposed journeys about town and things that happened to her there. There seemed to be some mix up between what supposedly happened to Ms. Walker in East St Louis which is in Illinois and St Louis which is in Missouri.
This book was so all over the place that I find it difficult to write a better review.
The story of the life of Madam C J Walker is a story well worth knowing about. There are many very worthy and interesting pages in this historical novel that highlight the immense drive Madam Walker experienced. Her life was one to be looked up to for her incredible strength, and determination to persevere despite incredible odds.
Having said that I was very disappointed in the way this story was written. The author seemed to lack a focus as to what was the main point of her story. A more focused shorter book would have been better rather than including everything in the story that might have happened to Ms. Walker.
I'm a historian and live in St Louis Missouri and I became very confused as to some of Ms. Walker's supposed journeys about town and things that happened to her there. There seemed to be some mix up between what supposedly happened to Ms. Walker in East St Louis which is in Illinois and St Louis which is in Missouri.
This book was so all over the place that I find it difficult to write a better review.
July 26, 2024
Orphaned at a tender age, Walker spent many years toiling and barely making ends meet as a washerwoman in Vicksburg, Mississippi. With a great deal of determination (and a bit of scientific experimentation), in the early 1900s she devised a ground-breaking hair treatment and technique for Black women that not only made her America's first Black female millionaire, but positively changed the lives and finances of countless other women who became company representatives.
Though Due reminds us that this is a work of fiction, with some sequential modifications and character amalgamations, I had to remind myself that it was historical fiction and not a narrative nonfiction. It is very well researched and has given me a glimpse into a historical figure previously unknown to me, for which I am always grateful. The edition I read had such tiny print that it at first made progress feel pretty slow-going, but once Walker's story really got under way it was no longer noticeable. Just one minor quibble with respect to timeline: I feel somewhat confident that there were no plastic salon capes in 1909!
Though Due reminds us that this is a work of fiction, with some sequential modifications and character amalgamations, I had to remind myself that it was historical fiction and not a narrative nonfiction. It is very well researched and has given me a glimpse into a historical figure previously unknown to me, for which I am always grateful. The edition I read had such tiny print that it at first made progress feel pretty slow-going, but once Walker's story really got under way it was no longer noticeable. Just one minor quibble with respect to timeline: I feel somewhat confident that there were no plastic salon capes in 1909!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews