Helpful Score: 1
Fascinating fictional biography of a successful black business woman born of former slaves. It's hard for me sometimes to not take historical fiction as gospel truth because I get so involved in the story only to be disappointed when further research reveals something different. So be aware of that going in. Still, Madame C.J. Walker--always use the honorific, it's never just C.J. Walker--was a driven woman who believed in the power of vision boards (don't know if this is fiction or not), was an inspiration to generations, and who weathered disappointments, heartbreaks, and betrayals amidst her successes. 4.5 stars
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.
I have not read this book.
