Description
Book SynopsisCaptures the scope of the author's long life and career, this is an essential book for both fans of West's fiction and students of race, class, and American women's lives. Dorothy West's Paradise offers an intimate biography of an important author and a privileged glimpse into the society that shaped her work.
Trade Review"Soundly researched and well written,
Dorothy West's Paradise adds significantly to our understanding of the Harlem Renaissance and its youngest surviving member." -- Maureen Honey * editor of Shadowed Dreams: Women's Poetry of the Harlem Renaissance *
“An illuminating study that should secure West’s place in the canon and at the center of the racial geography of place, gender, and class.” -- Paula J. Giddings * author of IDA, A Sword Among Lions *
"Interest in the life and works of Dorothy West, now generally recognized as the last surviving artist of the Harlem Renaissance, has surged in the 21st century. In this new biography, Sherrard-Johnson emphasizes West's childhood as the dark-skinned daughter of a light-skinned African American Boston beauty, and her explorations, through her writing, or intra-racial color and class divisions. Recommended."
* Choice *
"An illuminating analysis of the ways black women writers negotiated race, class, and gender. Sherrard-Johnson’s book offers an intimate and valuable look at the complex relationships between some of the most heralded artists, writers, and intellectuals of the Harlem Renaissance."
* American Studies *
"Soundly researched and well written,
Dorothy West's Paradise adds significantly to our understanding of the Harlem Renaissance and its youngest surviving member." -- Maureen Honey * editor of Shadowed Dreams: Women's Poetry of the Harlem Renaissance *
“An illuminating study that should secure West’s place in the canon and at the center of the racial geography of place, gender, and class.” -- Paula J. Giddings * author of IDA, A Sword Among Lions *
"Interest in the life and works of Dorothy West, now generally recognized as the last surviving artist of the Harlem Renaissance, has surged in the 21st century. In this new biography, Sherrard-Johnson emphasizes West's childhood as the dark-skinned daughter of a light-skinned African American Boston beauty, and her explorations, through her writing, or intra-racial color and class divisions. Recommended."
* Choice *
"An illuminating analysis of the ways black women writers negotiated race, class, and gender. Sherrard-Johnson’s book offers an intimate and valuable look at the complex relationships between some of the most heralded artists, writers, and intellectuals of the Harlem Renaissance."
* American Studies *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. A "Legend of Oak Bluffs"
2. Childhood Sketches
3. Dorothy West's "Typewriter"
4. To Russia with Love
5. New Challenges
6.
The Living is Easy7. Cottager's Corner
8. Two Weddings
Coda: "Winter on Martha's Vineyard"
Notes
Bibliography
Index
