David Faucheux will be leading a historical fiction discussion as he does three times a year of Ella: a novel DB123445 by Diane Richards. Below is a book review submitted by David of this novel followed by its NLS annotation, Bookshare link, and Zoom invitation.
Book review
I want to thank Alan for forwarding this review of my December choice for discussion during the next Journey through History.
First the NLS annotation:
Ella: a novel DB123445
Author: Richards, Diane
Reading Time: 10 hours, 24 minutes
Read by: Alexandra Grey
Subjects: Historical Fiction, African American Topics
“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 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.”– From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
I have always found biographical novels of interest because they somehow — and in a way that nonfiction simply cannot – manage to bring characters to life and make us care. Sometimes, after taking one of these historic novels in, I look for a nonfiction biography to add depth or another perspective.
Reviewer’s Note: See the short bibliography at the conclusion of this review.
I found this novel about Ella Fitzgerald’s early life interesting if a bit upsetting. The novel opens on July 18, 1948, with her about to appear on The very new Ed Sullivan Show. But then we are taken back to January of 1932 when Ella is told by her mother that she will have to help out in the laundry where the mother works. Ella, needless to say, is not amused. She loves to dance and has been practicing with her neighbor; they live in Yonkers and Ella lives for dance contests especially because participants who do well can earn money prizes.
In any event, the mother unexpectedly dies at work, her white boyfriend becomes abusive to Ella who goes to live with her aunt in Harlem where she takes up with a criminal element and becomes a Numbers Runner in order to bring in much-needed income as the money is very good in the numbers racket. Her mentor is killed when the white mob decides that they want to muscle in on the lucrative numbers game. In typical mob fashion, people start dying as bullets start flying.
Because Ella has been missing so much school at the excellent institution where her aunt has enrolled her, she is picked up by the truant officer. With the help of several police officers who have accompanied the truant officer, Ella is taken to jail. She then is sent to an upstate reformatory where she is badly treated as are other “colored” girls who are told “to know your place.” They are not taught typical high school subjects such as English as are the white girls but rather made to work in the reformatory garden. They learn from other imprisoned girls about the sexual predations of several low-life white, male workers at the reformatory. Ella herself is locked up in solitary for over a week.
She manages to escape after a year when several of the girls, both white and African-American, are chosen to sing Christmas carols at the nearby town. With the help of several women hiding in the train yard, she hops a train to New York City and lives on the streets of Harlem where she dances with street kids for coins.
Due to a lucky break (she draws the shortest straw), She is chosen for a coveted spot to participate in an early Amateur Night at the famed Apollo where the audience is known for its ruthless critique; if they like you — they love you. Otherwise, they scream and boo and you are swept off the stage by a broom-wielding tap dancing someone called The Executioner.
Ella was supposed to dance but as she was put on first during Amateur Night, she would follow the conclusion of the professional show which consisted of two superb twin sister dancers clad in vivid yellow dresses spangled with sequins, even to their sparkly dance shoes. Ella manages to convince the emcee to let her sing which she does. The audience falls in love.
Then, suddenly, we are back with Ed Sullivan and she goes on and sings. How Ella gets from the stage at the Apollo in November of 1934 to Sullivan’s world in 1948 is anyone’s guess as the novel does not explain.
All in all, an excellent intro to Ella Fitzgerald with some interesting singing by narrator Alexandra Grey who herself has an interesting story to tell. Meet Alexandra Grey, the 2016 Breakout Star of … – ScreenCrush
For further interest:
Ella Fitzgerald – Ed Sullivan Show
And on BARD
Ella Fitzgerald: a biography of the first lady of jazz DB40020
She persisted: Ella Fitzgerald DB115988
Becoming Ella Fitzgerald: the jazz singer who transformed American song DB118643
Dangerous rhythms: jazz and the underworld DB109819
And I would encourage anyone interested in either Ella Fitzgerald or Marilyn Monroe to keep checking on BARD as I’m sure the novel Can’t We Be Friends by Denny Bryce and Eliza Knight that came out earlier this year should appear there at some point. A search indicated at this time the book is not in progress, but I think it will eventually make it. I reviewed it for Library Journal and enjoyed it. There are certainly enough books, fiction and nonfiction, about Marilyn. Enjoy
NLS Annotation
Ella: a novel DB123445
Author: Richards, Diane
Reading Time: 10 hours, 24 minutes
Read by: Alexandra Grey
Subjects: Historical Fiction, African American Topics
“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 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.”– From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
New York : HarperAudio, [2024]
Bookshare
This book can be found at Bookshare at the following link:
https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/6016879?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZsaWJyYXJ5VG9TZWFyY2g9Ym9va3NoYXJlJmF1dGhvckZpbHRlcj1EaWFuZSUyQlJpY2hhcmRzJmF1dGhvcj1EaWFuZSUyQlJpY2hhcmRzJnNvcnRPcmRlcj1SRUxFVkFOQ0U
