Joy Goddess
eBook - ePub

Joy Goddess

A'Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance

  1. 364 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Joy Goddess

A'Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance

About this book

FINALIST FOR THE ANISFIELD-WOLF BOOK AWARD

“Raucously immersive...An intimate portrait of Black opulence in the early 20th century.” —Oprah Daily

A “scintillating, vibrant” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) and deeply researched biography of A’Lelia Walker—daughter of Madam C.J. Walker and herself a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance—written by her great-granddaughter.

Dubbed the “joy goddess of Harlem’s 1920s” by poet Langston Hughes, A’Lelia Walker was a dazzling cultural icon whose legendary parties and Dark Tower salon helped define the Harlem cultural scene.

After inheriting her mother’s pioneering hair care business, A’Lelia became America’s first high-profile Black heiress and a patron of the arts. Joy Goddess takes readers inside her New York homes, where she hosted luminaries including Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Paul Robeson, Florence Mills, James Weldon Johnson, Carl Van Vechten, and W.E.B. Du Bois—figures who shaped African American history and culture during the Roaring Twenties.

Drawing on extensive research and personal correspondence, A’Lelia Bundles presents a nuanced biography of a woman navigating life as a wife, mother, businesswoman, and patron outside the shadow of her famous mother’s legacy.

With vivid detail, Joy Goddess brings to life A’Lelia’s radiant personality, fashion-forward influence, and role as one of the most important cultural icons of Harlem, offering a fresh and unforgettable portrait of the woman who embodied the spirit of a new Black cultural era.

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Information

Publisher
Scribner
Year
2025
Topic
History
eBook ISBN
9781501154133
Subtopic
Social Science Biographies
Index
History

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Author’s Note: Discovering A’Lelia Walker
  6. Chapter 1: Guest of Honor
  7. Chapter 2: St. Louis Girl
  8. Chapter 3: Black Cinderella
  9. Chapter 4: Harlem 1913
  10. Chapter 5: New Territory
  11. Chapter 6: At War
  12. Chapter 7: The Guest List
  13. Chapter 8: A Conference of Interest to the Race
  14. Chapter 9: Two Loves
  15. Chapter 10: Love and Loss
  16. Chapter 11: A Funeral and a Wedding
  17. Chapter 12: Honeymoon
  18. Chapter 13: Crazy Blues
  19. Chapter 14: All the World’s a Stage
  20. Chapter 15: Presidential Dinner
  21. Chapter 16: Bon Voyage
  22. Chapter 17: Lelia Abroad
  23. Chapter 18: Woman of the World
  24. Chapter 19: Moving Fast
  25. Chapter 20: Renewal and Reclamation
  26. Chapter 21: A Reckoning
  27. Chapter 22: An Heiress Weds
  28. Chapter 23: Close Call
  29. Chapter 24: Best of Friends
  30. Chapter 25: The Capital of the Negro World
  31. Chapter 26: Inspectin’ Like Van Vechten
  32. Chapter 27: Safety Valve
  33. Chapter 28: Nigger Heaven
  34. Chapter 29: Black Society
  35. Chapter 30: Home Is Where the Heart Is
  36. Chapter 31: Creating the Dark Tower
  37. Chapter 32: Opening Night
  38. Chapter 33: Balancing Act
  39. Chapter 34: Back Home
  40. Chapter 35: The Coming Storm
  41. Chapter 36: Friends
  42. Chapter 37: Close Friends and Companions
  43. Chapter 38: Dark Tower Anniversary
  44. Chapter 39: Collisions 1930
  45. Chapter 40: Auction
  46. Chapter 41: Endings
  47. Chapter 42: Queen of the Night
  48. Epilogue
  49. What Became of the People Who Were Closest to A’Lelia Walker
  50. Photographs
  51. Acknowledgments
  52. About the Author
  53. A Note about Sources
  54. Notes
  55. Bibliography
  56. Index
  57. Copyright

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Yes, you can access Joy Goddess by A'Lelia Bundles in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & Social Science Biographies. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.