Always Wear Joy

April 15, 2003
The late, Haitian-born Josephine Premice lived an extraordinary life, performing as a dancer, singer, and actress in nightclubs, theaters, and TV shows. Her daughter, Fales-Hill, a successful TV writer and producer, still draws inspiration from her memory and here chronicles those colorful experiences. Josephine's early passion for dance led her to study with Martha Graham and Katherine Dunham, and in 1943 she launched her career at Carnegie Hall, with Eleanor Roosevelt as a patron. Over the course of 50 years, Josephine performed with fellow stars and friends, including Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll, Eartha Kitt, and Alvin Ailey and starred on Broadway. Her unconventional marriage to the heir of an aristocratic WASP family took her to Paris and Rome, as she balanced her stage career with her role as devoted wife and mother. A painful separation from her husband and serious health problems in her later years did not diminish Josephine's glamour and love of life. Fales-Hill brings to life her mother's joyful personality on the pages of this warm and charming book. Recommended for theater arts and black history collections.-Howard Miller, St. Louis, MO

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.