Ella: A Debut Biographical Fiction – From Harlem's Jazz Clubs to the Apollo Theater Stage - Couverture souple

Richards, Diane

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0063338521 ISBN 13 : 9780063338524

Editeur : Amistad, 2025

Synopsis

In the vein of The Paris Wife and The Personal Librarian comes this debut novel, a magnificent work of African American historical fiction that reimagines the turbulent and triumphant early years of Ella Fitzgerald, arguably the greatest Jazz Age singer of the twentieth century.

In an inspiring story of resilience, when fifteen-year-old Ella Fitzgerald’s mother dies at the height of the Depression in 1932, the teenager goes to work for the mob to support herself and her family. When the law finally catches up, the "ungovernable" adolescent is incarcerated in the New York Training School for Girls in upstate New York―a wicked prison infamous for its harsh treatment of inmates, especially Black ones. Determined to be free, Ella escapes and makes her way back to Harlem, where she is forced to dance for pennies on the street.

Looking for a break into show business, Ella draws straws to appear at the legendary Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night on November 21, 1934. Rather than perform a dance routine directly after "The World Famous Edwards Sisters" number, the homeless Ella, wearing men’s galoshes a size too big, risks everything when she decides to sing Judy instead. Four years later, at barely twenty-one, Ella Fitzgerald has become the bestselling female vocalist in America.

Diane Richards’ Ella Fitzgerald is inspiring and intriguing―an emotionally rich, psychologically complex character, a flawed mother and wife who struggles with deep emotional scars and trauma and battles racism, sexism, and colorism as she learns to find her voice on the stage. Ella takes us from the brothels, speakeasys, and streets of Depression-era New York City during the Harlem Renaissance to the grand hotel suites where Ella, now older and wiser, looks back on her life and finally confronts the demons from childhood that torment her.

Compelling and rich in historical detail, Ella is a remarkable debut novel about an extraordinary woman.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Diane Richards is the executive director of the Harlem Writers Guild and a writer, playwright, and music producer. She is also a singer who recorded her own album in the 1980s and performed as a backup singer for Whitney Houston. Like Ella, Diane won a talent competition that launched her career—singing Watch What Happens, a song made famous by Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. She lives in New York City.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Amistad
• Date d'édition: 2025
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0063338521
• ISBN 13: 9780063338524
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 384
• Coordonnées du fabricant: Product Safety Manager; enquiries@harpercollins.ie; ; HarperCollins, Macken House, 39/40 Mayor Street Upper; Dublin 1; D01 C9W8; Irlande