Josephine Baker in Art and Life: The Icon and the Image
Savage dancer, Black Venus, exotic Jazz Age star, liberated new woman,  gender-bending cross-dresser, mother, socialist, war hero and  writer—Josephine Baker (1906–1975) was all of those in life and in the  images she projected. In this vibrant if academic portrait of Baker,  Jules-Rosette alerts the reader that this is "not a biography" but an  exploration of "the complex construction of Baker's multiple images in art and  life." The first part opens with the tourist attractions that Baker sparked,  not with her birth, then moves through her stage performance history, and  concludes with an analysis of her films and films about her. In Part II, Baker  emerges as a fully independent figure, influencing the art and fashion worlds,  and in Part III, Jules-Rosette discusses the obstacles Baker confronted as she  struggled to promote her ahead-of-its-time multicultural worldview.  Jules-Rosette's scholarly deconstruction, generously documented (including more  than 50 illustrations) and supplemented with a chronology, particularly helpful  in a thematically structured work, will reward Baker fans. As well, the book's  careful documentation, ample bibliography and discography add tremendous value  for readers engaged in cultural, ethnic, diaspora or women's studies.(Apr.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.