Complex sentence: Simmons (1999) p.21-32 His father was Methodist, worked as a master of ceremonies and later in thrift stores, and his mother Russian Jewish, was a traveling fan dancer and later cosmetics saleswoman.
Split into simpler sentences: Simmons (1999) p.21-32 His father was raised Methodist and worked as a master of ceremonies and later in thrift stores. His mother was Russian Jewish and was a traveling fan dancer and later a store cosmetics saleswoman.