Douglas Beatty and Lori Hench host Baltimore County Public Library’s Book Chat, where they share their favorite titles, talk about new books hitting the shelves and help you discover your next great read. Join them on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. on Facebook Live at facebook.com/bcplonline. And on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 7 p.m., Baltimore County Public Library will host authors Bethonie Butler, Caseen Gains and Odie Henderson in the virtual program, Book Lovers Bash: That’s Entertainment – African Americans in Film, Television and Broadway on. Register to attend at bcpl.info/events-and-programs.
Doug Beatty’s Picks:
“Medgar and Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America” by Joy-Ann Reid
A love story is at the heart of the compelling work of nonfiction by Joy-Ann Reid, the host of MSNBC’s The ReidOut and bestselling author of “The Man Who Sold America.” The author recounts the story of Myrlie Louise Beasley, who met and married her Alcorn College classmate Medgar Evers in 1951, in their home state of Mississippi. Evers went on to become a civil rights campaigner and the field secretary for the NAACP, with Beasley working tirelessly at his side as his full-time secretary, both raising their three children, Darrell, Reena and James. On June 12, 1963, Evers was assassinated in front of his home, the first high-profile assassination of a civil rights leader at the time. His wife continued to fight for civil rights, writing “The Autobiography of Medgar Evers” (using his writings, letters and speeches), made two bids to run for Congress and eventually serving as chairwoman for the NAACP. Using their strong relationship as the focal point of the book, Reid tells the story of two remarkable individuals who earned their place in American history.
“Becoming Ella Fitzgerald: The Jazz Singer Who Transformed American Song” by Judith Tick
Ella Fitzgerald holds a beloved place in the hearts of many, from those who were able to experience her music live in concert to those who listen to her legacy of recorded works, including the Great American Songbook, where she covered songs from Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart, and more. In this extensive biography, Judith Tick, professor emerita of music history at Northeastern University, recounts the pivotal moments of the singer’s life, from her childhood in Yonkers to her big break singing at amateur night at the Apollo Theater to becoming a bandleader in 1939. This biography is perfect for music lovers and anyone who wants to learn more about an important figure who shaped the world of entertainment.
Lori Hench’s Picks:
Explore African Americans’ invaluable contributions to film, television and Broadway in this entertaining group of books certain to please any fan of the performing arts.
“When Broadway Was Black: The Triumphant Story of the All-Black Musical That Changed the World” by Caseen Gaines is about the wildly successful Broadway show, “Shuffle Along,” which premiered in 1921. Featuring notables such as Eubie Blake, Josephine Baker and Paul Robeson, this show is widely considered to have launched the Harlem Renaissance.
Bethonie Butler delves into the history of Black actors and comedians in television in “Black TV: Five Decades of Groundbreaking Television From Soul Train to Black-ish and Beyond.” Read about revolutionary broadcasts like “Roots,” Diahann Carroll’s “Julia” and beloved sitcoms such as “Good Times”—all of which blazed the trail for the entertainers and shows we watch now.
In 1971, with the release of movies like “Shaft” and Melvin Van Peebles’ “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” and the subsequent tens of millions of dollars in profit each earned for their studios, blaxploitation cinema was born. Film critic and author Odie Henderson examines this film genre and its legacy in Hollywood in his book, “Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras: A History of Blaxploitation Cinema.”
