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Becoming Billie Holiday
Before the legend of Billie Holiday, there was a girl named Eleanora. In 1915, Sadie Fagan gave birth to a daughter she named Eleanora. The world, however, would know her as Billie Holiday, possibly the greatest jazz singer of all time. Eleanora's journey into legend took her through pain, poverty, and run-ins with the law. By the time she was fifteen, she knew she possessed something that could possibly change her life—a voice. Eleanora could sing. Her remarkable voice led her to a place in the spotlight with some of the era's hottest big bands. Billie Holiday sang as if she had lived each lyric, and in many ways she had. Through a sequence of raw and poignant poems, award-winning poet Carole Boston Weatherford chronicles Eleanora Fagan's metamorphosis into Billie Holiday. The author examines the singer's young life, her fight for survival, and the dream she pursued with passion in this Coretta Scott King Author Honor winner. With stunning art by Floyd Cooper, this book provides a revealing look at a cultural icon.
120 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2008
26 people are currently reading
774 people want to read
About the author
Carole Boston Weatherford
106 books422 followersCarole Boston Weatherford is a children's book author and poet who mines the past for family stories, traditions, and struggles. A number of CAROLE's books tell the stories of African-American historical figures such as Harriet Tubman, Jesse Owens, and Billie Holiday. Other books recount historical events such as the Greensboro Sit-ins and the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. CAROLE's books have received a wide variety of awards, including a Caldecott Honour for “Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People To Freedom”.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
November 8, 2010
Read this striking collection of poetry while listening to a Billie Holiday record, preferably something from her earlier years. I chose The Quintessential Billie Holiday Columbia Jazz Compilation 1933-1935 (Vol 1) on vinyl.
Electrifying, my friends. Electrifying
(So ends the shortest review I've ever written.)
Electrifying, my friends. Electrifying
(So ends the shortest review I've ever written.)
Read
January 23, 2015This book is a collection of over 100 wonderful poems. Eleanora Fagan better known as Billie Holiday, had a very tough life. Carole Boston Weatherford catches a lot of the little details and aspects of Billie Holiday's life and is able to put them into a series of amusing poems.
I first picked up this book because I was looking for a poem for a poetry assignment.
I finished reading this book because after I had found the poem I was looking for, I read more of Weatherford's poems. I got hooked on her poetry right away and at the end I hadn't even noticed I finished the book.
I would recommend this book to Kareena because when I had read my poem that I got from the book, she really seemed to enjoy it.
I first picked up this book because I was looking for a poem for a poetry assignment.
I finished reading this book because after I had found the poem I was looking for, I read more of Weatherford's poems. I got hooked on her poetry right away and at the end I hadn't even noticed I finished the book.
I would recommend this book to Kareena because when I had read my poem that I got from the book, she really seemed to enjoy it.
October 10, 2010
Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Publisher and Date: Wordsong, 2008
Summary: This is a collection of over 100 poems written about Eleanor, other wise known as Billie Holiday. Almost all the poems Weatherford wrote in this book are titled with titles from songs Billie Holiday wrote and sang. Although Billie Holiday is known as one of the greatest jazz singers, these poems brutally describe the hardships of molestation, poverty, and hard work that brought her to not only the spotlight but to become a strong, independent women who was saved by her voice at the young age of 15.
Review: Not only was I captivated by the expressions and body language of Billy Holiday illustrated as a little girl. Although some of the oil based illustrations look simple at a first glance, such as Billy Holiday leaning on a cement step with her eyes closed and the sun behind her, the emotions that come from the illustrations alone show a complex world of sadness, fear.
Many of the poems are in free verse, expressed as the voice of Billy Holiday. This book is targeted towards older readers because of the content. In the free verse poems Love For Sale, followed by Time On My Hands and Lady’s Back in Town, Weatherford wrote about Holiday and her mother being sent to jail for prostitution and described the harsh, cold period of time with comparisons such as, “Harlem was a black sea that parted each night for white partygoers with money to burn and cares to shed. I was swept up by the tide.” (page 58).
This book left me with an overwhelming feeling of pain but at the same time, strength. It tells a powerful story.
Publisher and Date: Wordsong, 2008
Summary: This is a collection of over 100 poems written about Eleanor, other wise known as Billie Holiday. Almost all the poems Weatherford wrote in this book are titled with titles from songs Billie Holiday wrote and sang. Although Billie Holiday is known as one of the greatest jazz singers, these poems brutally describe the hardships of molestation, poverty, and hard work that brought her to not only the spotlight but to become a strong, independent women who was saved by her voice at the young age of 15.
Review: Not only was I captivated by the expressions and body language of Billy Holiday illustrated as a little girl. Although some of the oil based illustrations look simple at a first glance, such as Billy Holiday leaning on a cement step with her eyes closed and the sun behind her, the emotions that come from the illustrations alone show a complex world of sadness, fear.
Many of the poems are in free verse, expressed as the voice of Billy Holiday. This book is targeted towards older readers because of the content. In the free verse poems Love For Sale, followed by Time On My Hands and Lady’s Back in Town, Weatherford wrote about Holiday and her mother being sent to jail for prostitution and described the harsh, cold period of time with comparisons such as, “Harlem was a black sea that parted each night for white partygoers with money to burn and cares to shed. I was swept up by the tide.” (page 58).
This book left me with an overwhelming feeling of pain but at the same time, strength. It tells a powerful story.
March 18, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. It is told in verse and also has illustrations throughout it, but the way the story is told is so captivating that I couldn't stop reading!
This follows a African-American young girl who grows up in a difficult situation: her mother got pregnant really young and couldn't take care of he. Her pregnancy was shameful on the family, so there was no one to take care of "Billie" when she was a baby. She went from family to family, and ended up getting herself in a lot of trouble in her life. At a very young age she had to go through things to escape poverty, that would break a lot of people's minds. However she stayed strong and found her love in jazz music, which when she "becam[e] Billie Haliday."
I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was captivating and beautiful! I am really glad that I picked it up, because I really took something from it: the circumstances in which you were born, do not determine where you end up. You can become whoever you want, you just have to fight for it!
Really enjoyable. Definitely recommend it to people 16/17 and older.
Trigger warning: this book deals with poverty, prostitution and racism.
This follows a African-American young girl who grows up in a difficult situation: her mother got pregnant really young and couldn't take care of he. Her pregnancy was shameful on the family, so there was no one to take care of "Billie" when she was a baby. She went from family to family, and ended up getting herself in a lot of trouble in her life. At a very young age she had to go through things to escape poverty, that would break a lot of people's minds. However she stayed strong and found her love in jazz music, which when she "becam[e] Billie Haliday."
I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was captivating and beautiful! I am really glad that I picked it up, because I really took something from it: the circumstances in which you were born, do not determine where you end up. You can become whoever you want, you just have to fight for it!
Really enjoyable. Definitely recommend it to people 16/17 and older.
Trigger warning: this book deals with poverty, prostitution and racism.
April 23, 2017
Found in the young adult section of the library, as I was reading this book, I felt the cover should have notations that the some of the subject matter contained adult content.
No doubt about it, the life of Eleanora Fagan was exceedingly difficult. Finding her voice and learning to accept the praise took her on a journey with joys and sorrows. Discarding her birth name given by her unwedded mother, she took the last name of her father, also a musician, and became Billie Holiday, who was most likely the best jazz singer to date.
With parents who abandoned her, a neighbor who raped her, and a drug addiction that ruined her, the reader feels sorry for the things that occurred beyond her control, and then saddened by the choices she intentionally made that could have taken her on a better journey if different options were pursued.
Told in a series of 100 poems, each with a heading borrowed from the title of her songs, and writing accompanied by background illustrations that leap off the page, this is a book that calls the reader to learn more about this legend named Billie Holiday.
No doubt about it, the life of Eleanora Fagan was exceedingly difficult. Finding her voice and learning to accept the praise took her on a journey with joys and sorrows. Discarding her birth name given by her unwedded mother, she took the last name of her father, also a musician, and became Billie Holiday, who was most likely the best jazz singer to date.
With parents who abandoned her, a neighbor who raped her, and a drug addiction that ruined her, the reader feels sorry for the things that occurred beyond her control, and then saddened by the choices she intentionally made that could have taken her on a better journey if different options were pursued.
Told in a series of 100 poems, each with a heading borrowed from the title of her songs, and writing accompanied by background illustrations that leap off the page, this is a book that calls the reader to learn more about this legend named Billie Holiday.
June 29, 2023
This book tells the story of who Billie Holliday was and what she did. Her life was brutal and she escaped in music. She is a figure in the world of jazz that is unique.
September 3, 2008
Reviewed by Julie M. Prince for TeensReadToo.com
Billie Holiday does not have a happy life story. After all, she sang the blues for a reason. A biography written in verse seems only appropriate for a woman who lived her life in song -- whose only reliable escape was via music.
Weatherford uses Holiday songs as poem titles throughout the book, which, in addition to the first person perspective, serves to bring the reader close to the narrative. While the story of Holiday's life is disturbing, Weatherford does a fantastic job of pulling readers in for an occasional close-up, and in giving them much-needed distance -- room to breathe.
Subtlety is key, and both author and artist seem to realize the delicate balance.
Floyd Cooper used a subtractive technique for the gorgeous illustrations, meaning he used erasers to make shapes and then enhanced them with mixed media. The heavily textured, sepia tones flow seamlessly into the verse.
Then we have the book itself, smooth to the touch, but grainy and old school. Billie Holiday all over. This publisher, Wordsong, created a perfect marriage of author & artist, then packaged the work brilliantly in a book for the ages.
Billie Holiday does not have a happy life story. After all, she sang the blues for a reason. A biography written in verse seems only appropriate for a woman who lived her life in song -- whose only reliable escape was via music.
Weatherford uses Holiday songs as poem titles throughout the book, which, in addition to the first person perspective, serves to bring the reader close to the narrative. While the story of Holiday's life is disturbing, Weatherford does a fantastic job of pulling readers in for an occasional close-up, and in giving them much-needed distance -- room to breathe.
Subtlety is key, and both author and artist seem to realize the delicate balance.
Floyd Cooper used a subtractive technique for the gorgeous illustrations, meaning he used erasers to make shapes and then enhanced them with mixed media. The heavily textured, sepia tones flow seamlessly into the verse.
Then we have the book itself, smooth to the touch, but grainy and old school. Billie Holiday all over. This publisher, Wordsong, created a perfect marriage of author & artist, then packaged the work brilliantly in a book for the ages.
December 5, 2014
Billie Holiday's life is chronicled by Carole Boston Weatherford's poetry in this collection. We learn about Eleanora Fagan's parents and early life, and follow her through her turbulent teen years, moving from Baltimore to Philly to the place where she felt drawn - Harlem and finally became Billie Holiday. A creation all her own, these heartfelt poems convey a sense of rebellion, independence, and longing - all of which we hear through Holiday's songs. Tackling hard issues head on - like a sexual assault by a neighbor, her dismissal by her father, and her moth-to-flame attraction to the night life, Weatherford casts a poetic light on the whole picture. This biography is moving, musical, and evocative just like its subject, with smoky and dark art to accompany it. Highly recommended for grades 6-10.
Nonfiction/Informational
Coretta Scott King award
Weatherford, C.B. & artist Cooper, F. (2008). Becoming Billie Holiday. Boyds Mills Press, Inc.: Pennsylvania.
Nonfiction/Informational
Coretta Scott King award
Weatherford, C.B. & artist Cooper, F. (2008). Becoming Billie Holiday. Boyds Mills Press, Inc.: Pennsylvania.
January 30, 2010
Becoming Billie Holiday takes readers on the journey of Eleanora Fagan as she transformed from a troubled youth into jazz musician Billie Holiday. Carole Boston Weatherford beautifully tells the singer’s fictional memoir through free verse poems. Weatherford’s words are beautifully enhanced with the dramatic art of Floyd Cooper. I recommend using this book with older students as it describes events in Eleanora’s life from rape and reform school to racial segregation. The story will lead to deep conversations and discussions on overcoming challenges and becoming the person you knew you could be.
February 14, 2016
A good biography, notable for not shying away from the adult situations in Billie ' life, including rape, prostitution, and arrest, all by age 14. The verse makes it easy to read and the focus on her early life makes it fast paced. It might make a good companion to Navigating Early for readers looking to know more about the singer, who is mentioned repeatedly. Unfortunately, though good quality, the muted colors of the pictures may not appeal much to young readers, though they do match the often somber tone of the book.
June 11, 2021
Becoming Billie Holiday
Carole Boston Weatherford creates a beautifully written heartfelt book about Billie Holidays’ life. How Billie grew up, her struggles, and even her triumphs and success.
Becoming Billie Holiday was published in 2008, and won an honorary Coretta Scott King award in 2009. The poetic written fleet gives an inside to not only Billie’s career as a singer, but also her family and home life. Weatherford throughout the book takes Billie’s thoughts and feelings into consideration. I felt that I was reading Billie’s diary or that the book itself was written by her. The connection the author wants you to feel with the characters is phenomenal. I felt empathy with Billie from the start of her life, to the end.
Becoming Billie Holiday sheds a light on racial injustice. How Billie was denied her talent from time to time because of her race. Weatherford writes about her younger years and how Billie was sexually assaulted, her relationship with her mother, and how she felt she had to be a grownup by the time she was twelve. When her record label comes into play, it talks about the music industry as a whole, and her struggles to have her voice heard, and about the money her and her mother didn’t have. The book is set from 1915 to 1937, and only adds crucial parts of Billie’s life.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a short read, and written in a poetry form, with the pages only being a few sentences long. I do wish I could have had more detail on Billie’s life since, every few pages we would skip a few years. It felt like some key information was missing, or I was lost as to what age Billie was. I would recommend this book to older audiences, since the book touches on topics that may make younger audiences uncomfortable.
I give Becoming Billie Holiday a 4.5/5 stars. The way the book was written was beautiful, and had so much meaning, I just felt some key information and detail was missing.
Carole Boston Weatherford creates a beautifully written heartfelt book about Billie Holidays’ life. How Billie grew up, her struggles, and even her triumphs and success.
Becoming Billie Holiday was published in 2008, and won an honorary Coretta Scott King award in 2009. The poetic written fleet gives an inside to not only Billie’s career as a singer, but also her family and home life. Weatherford throughout the book takes Billie’s thoughts and feelings into consideration. I felt that I was reading Billie’s diary or that the book itself was written by her. The connection the author wants you to feel with the characters is phenomenal. I felt empathy with Billie from the start of her life, to the end.
Becoming Billie Holiday sheds a light on racial injustice. How Billie was denied her talent from time to time because of her race. Weatherford writes about her younger years and how Billie was sexually assaulted, her relationship with her mother, and how she felt she had to be a grownup by the time she was twelve. When her record label comes into play, it talks about the music industry as a whole, and her struggles to have her voice heard, and about the money her and her mother didn’t have. The book is set from 1915 to 1937, and only adds crucial parts of Billie’s life.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a short read, and written in a poetry form, with the pages only being a few sentences long. I do wish I could have had more detail on Billie’s life since, every few pages we would skip a few years. It felt like some key information was missing, or I was lost as to what age Billie was. I would recommend this book to older audiences, since the book touches on topics that may make younger audiences uncomfortable.
I give Becoming Billie Holiday a 4.5/5 stars. The way the book was written was beautiful, and had so much meaning, I just felt some key information and detail was missing.
August 31, 2024
Carole Boston Weatherford (2008) BECOMING BILLIE HOLIDAY (AUDIOBOOK)
Spotify - Media Recorded Books
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5 stars
Spotify writes, "In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 7, 1915, Sadie Fagan gave birth to a daughter. She named her Eleanora. The world, however, would know her as Billie Holiday, possibly the greatest jazz singer of all time.
Eleanora's journey into legend took her through pain, poverty, and run-ins with the law. By the time she was fifteen, she knew she possessed something that could possibly change her life—a voice. Eleanora could sing.
That remarkable voice led her to Harlem nightclubs, the Apollo Theater, and a place in the spotlight with some of the era's hottest big bands. Billie Holiday sang from somewhere inside her that made it seem as if she had lived each lyric, and in many ways she had. This unique talent is what made Billie Holiday more than a singer. She was an artist.
Through a sequence of raw and poignant poems that form the singer's fictional memoir, award-winning poet Carole Boston Weatherford chronicles Eleanora Fagan's metamorphosis into Billie Holiday. We hear the intimate voice of the artist as she examines her young life, her fight for survival, and the dream she pursued with passion."
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✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻
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#CaroleBostonWeatherford #BecomingBillieHoliday #Book #Books #Read #Reads #Reading #Review #Reviews #BookReview #BookReviews #GoodReads #Audiobook #Audiobooks #Spotify
Spotify - Media Recorded Books
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5 stars
Spotify writes, "In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 7, 1915, Sadie Fagan gave birth to a daughter. She named her Eleanora. The world, however, would know her as Billie Holiday, possibly the greatest jazz singer of all time.
Eleanora's journey into legend took her through pain, poverty, and run-ins with the law. By the time she was fifteen, she knew she possessed something that could possibly change her life—a voice. Eleanora could sing.
That remarkable voice led her to Harlem nightclubs, the Apollo Theater, and a place in the spotlight with some of the era's hottest big bands. Billie Holiday sang from somewhere inside her that made it seem as if she had lived each lyric, and in many ways she had. This unique talent is what made Billie Holiday more than a singer. She was an artist.
Through a sequence of raw and poignant poems that form the singer's fictional memoir, award-winning poet Carole Boston Weatherford chronicles Eleanora Fagan's metamorphosis into Billie Holiday. We hear the intimate voice of the artist as she examines her young life, her fight for survival, and the dream she pursued with passion."
=====
✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻
=====
#CaroleBostonWeatherford #BecomingBillieHoliday #Book #Books #Read #Reads #Reading #Review #Reviews #BookReview #BookReviews #GoodReads #Audiobook #Audiobooks #Spotify
February 11, 2024
Being a fan of Billie Holiday’s music I was eager to read her story. This is a fictional verse memoir, the first I’ve personally ever read, and I thought it was a beautifully unique way to share details of her life. I also think this memoir taught me a lot in a short time as any other memoir that isn’t told in verse would. We learn so much of her childhood, and the abandonment of her mother and father in various ways. Her dropping out of school and being sent to a reform school, and finally dipping her toes into music with singing at bars and clubs and speakeasys.
We also learn about her trials, and hardships, like her assault and prostituting with her mother to make a living wage, and singing at a strip club. All while still being a child and so young.
We also found out how she got her name, Billie Holiday, from actress Billie Dove and then eventually with her last name from her father. This also shows us the start of her career, like getting to tour, and her being the first African American woman to tour with an all white band. And all that she faced with segregation.
I also learned of her bisexuality and just everything she did to break down barriers and how despite her hardships, she found success.
I’d definitely recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about her life before she became who we all know in her career.
We also learn about her trials, and hardships, like her assault and prostituting with her mother to make a living wage, and singing at a strip club. All while still being a child and so young.
We also found out how she got her name, Billie Holiday, from actress Billie Dove and then eventually with her last name from her father. This also shows us the start of her career, like getting to tour, and her being the first African American woman to tour with an all white band. And all that she faced with segregation.
I also learned of her bisexuality and just everything she did to break down barriers and how despite her hardships, she found success.
I’d definitely recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about her life before she became who we all know in her career.
January 30, 2020
This book was about Billie Holiday, and how she grew up. It talks about her whole life all the way up until her death, and there are a lot of details. This book gave me so much information about Billie Holiday, and it shows me how great of a person she was. It even shows the struggles that she went through when her father left her with her mother when she was a child. She says "How could you pack your banjo and big-band wishes and run to New York, leaving Mom to care for me as best she could alone without a cent from you? What kind of father would do that?" I have come to love Billie Holiday as a person even though she is no longer alive she inspires me and she probably inspires many others. I'm glad that I read this book and recommend it to anyone in middle school or highschool.
January 9, 2026
Rating: pg13 raped at 9(?), worked in a brothel in her young teens, hard drugs and lots of alcohol, Billie holiday’s life was not a sweet, innocent ride.
Recommend: jh with content warnings, hs and up, musical biographies
If you had to fictionalize Billie holiday’s life, this book does it about as innocently as possible. It does not gloss over the hard, but it doesn’t overly explain either.
Her lifelong yearning for a family, for a father, for stability and support that a family can provide, is clear throughout, and explains much of her life choices.
This is a good introduction to her life, but further reading will be needed to more fully understand her life.
Recommend: jh with content warnings, hs and up, musical biographies
If you had to fictionalize Billie holiday’s life, this book does it about as innocently as possible. It does not gloss over the hard, but it doesn’t overly explain either.
Her lifelong yearning for a family, for a father, for stability and support that a family can provide, is clear throughout, and explains much of her life choices.
This is a good introduction to her life, but further reading will be needed to more fully understand her life.
November 4, 2017
Defined in the afterword as a "fictional verse memoir [...in] first person poems titled after her songs," Becoming Billie Holiday is a beautiful book of poetry that collectively tells of Holiday's tragic young life. The text ends a little abruptly, and I wish it gone further into her life into adulthood. Side note - Best read with Billie's tracks playing in the background. ;)
May 8, 2017
What a tragic yet talented woman Billie Holiday was! This short, free verse biography is beautifully written and doesn't shy away from all the grit and grime in Billie's young life: rape, working in a brothel, abandonment by her father, transient living...Talk about rising up!
Grades 8 and up.
Grades 8 and up.
September 10, 2023
C. Becoming Billie Holiday was a well-written account that illuminated the life story in a short, however charismatic way. Billie’s parentage, childhood, family life, upbringing, and music career was presented with a distinctive and thoughtful flair. There are many sad moments that explains why Billie often sung with an old-soul, broken heart, and somber passion. The writer also noted a few bright spots to Billie’s life.
January 14, 2025
Lovely audiobook that sounded as though it was narrated by Billie herself. I had read a biography of Ms. Holliday previously, but it began with Billie dying in a hospital. This book had more of her childhood and early performances. Recommend. Kristi & Abby Tabby
February 21, 2018
Outstanding poems and beautiful illustrations.
June 8, 2018
The poetry comes off the page as the reader travels back in time to meet “Lady Day.” Her life was a song that had to be sung, and her strength, talent, and journey are awe-inspiring.
November 5, 2018
Lovely biography in verse.
February 14, 2019
Did not know it was a juvenile book. It was good and if I were younger in high and looking for a book about jazz singers this was fine. Laid out in an interesting way
October 20, 2019
Early life and career of the singer set in verse inspired by and titled by the songs she sang.
November 4, 2019
The story is very good, you can picture Holiday's life easily. But it reads more like a story, rather than a poem, in my opinion. Would recommend regardless, though.
February 18, 2020
A lovely biography in verse.
February 26, 2022
A really lovely, poetic journey into the life of Billie Holiday. The ups and downs are inspiring and heart wrenching. I really appreciated this mode of story telling.
January 12, 2023
A collection of over 100 poems that chronicle the life, times, struggle, heartache, triumph, and talent of Billie Holiday - born Eleanora Fagan.
October 18, 2023
An accessible bio of Billie Holiday told in first person perspective. A quick and fun read of one of America's great jazz vocalists.
May 2, 2024
I really enjoyed this fictional verse memoir! It was a coming of age for Billie Holiday and portrayed so much of the pain behind her emotive music.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews