Module12/SLIS 5420 Biographies and Autobiographies

Becoming Billie Holiday

Written by Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Floyd Cooper

2009 Coretta Scott King Honor Author
2009 ALA Best Books for Young Adults


Summary

Weatherford and Cooper tell the story of Billie Holiday's early life through illustrations and poetry. Each poem carries the name of one of Billie's songs, and expresses her thoughts and feelings while describing each turn of event. The biography is told from Holiday's point of view, and discusses her relationships with people as well as justification for many of her actions. The book takes the reader through the beginning of Holiday's career and tells of the abuse, neglect, and discrimination she had to endure. The biography ends after Holiday tells of her landmark recording, Strange Fruit.

My Impressions

This biography successfully navigates through the savory and unsavory moments in her life, including jail time, prostitution, and drug use, by utilizing a dialect that remains sensitive to Holiday's character. The sepia illustrations add a vibrant dimension to the overall tone and structure of the book that assists in bringing Holiday's character alive.

Reviews

In this fictionalized memoir, Weatherford has composed nearly 100 first-person narrative poems that detail Holiday's life from birth until age 25, the age at which she debuted her signature song, "Strange Fruit." The poems borrow their titles from Holiday's songs, a brilliant device that provides readers with a haunting built-in sound track. Weatherford's language is straightforward and accessible—almost conversational. She captures the woman's jazzy, candid voice so adroitly that at times the poems seem like they could have been lifted wholesale from Holiday's autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues. Cooper's sepia-toned, nostalgic, mixed-media illustrations provide an emotional counterpoint to the text.... This captivating title places readers solidly into Holiday's world, and is suitable for independent reading as well as a variety of classroom uses.—Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD for School Library Journal.

In a series of free-verse poems and bluesy lyrics, headed by song titles, Weatherford retraces Holiday’s childhood and early career in the renowned jazz singer’s own voice... Closing with Holiday’s spectacular headline gig at the Café Society, where she sang “Strange Fruit”—“how could I not claim: / this is my song?”—Weatherford leaves the 25-year-old at a high spot in her career, before later troubles and drug addiction. After the whole story readers will find a generous assortment of recommended reading and listening at the end of this proud, clear-voiced testimonial. John Peters for Booklist.

Activities

Listen to some of Holiday's more notable recordings before reading the book. Note that the names of the book sections are the titles of her songs. Have the students choose their favorite titles and listen to those songs.

Bibliography

Weatherford, Carole Boston, Floyd Cooper, ill. Becoming Billie Holiday. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong, 2008. ISBN: 159078507X