Fearless and Free
A Memoir
$25.14
- Paperback
288 pages
- Release Date
16 June 2026
Summary
The autobiography of the fabulous, rule-breaking, one-of-a-kind Josephine Baker, published in English for the first time.
This is the iconic Josephine Baker in her own words.
Funny, candid and unconventional: the wildly famous but elusive Josephine Baker tells her own story in this enchanting memoir.
Baker took Paris by storm in the 1920s, dazzling audiences with her humour, beauty and effervescence on stage. She became an icon. Later, as one of the most recognisable w…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781784878351 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1784878359 |
| Author: | Josephine Baker, Anam Zafar, Sophie Lewis |
| Publisher: | Vintage Publishing |
| Imprint: | Vintage Classics |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 288 |
| Release Date: | 16 June 2026 |
| Weight: | 200g |
| Dimensions: | 20mm x 127mm x 197mm |
Critics Review
Translated gorgeously into English… [Baker’s] storytelling is writerly and precise, with satisfying arcs in a single sentence or a page… a delightful, nourishing read * Guardian *
[Baker] skips across her life, never dwelling on hardship, with an imaginative joie de vivre that offers a real glimpse of her presence…. She was a beacon of joy and fellowship and her smile…reaches out to us across the years * Financial Times *
As with Bob Dylan’s Chronicles, its joy lies in its distinctive voice… it feels like the closest you are going to come with an audio with the woman… Baker was no saint, but this book leaves you with no doubt about her unique power * The Times *
Josephine Baker certainly shook things up. This memoir demonstrates - vividly - the pleasure she took in doing it * Washington Post *
A vivid impression of her ebullient personality, extravagant love for animals, and overflowing generosity * Kirkus *
This gorgeous, captivating gem of a memoir will both introduce Baker to a new generation of readers, and cement her legacy as an enduring international icon – Abbott Kahler
[Fearless and Free] is lively and humorous, at once candid and reticent… [it] paint[s] an engaging picture of the early world of light entertainment and of the movements against racism that swept the world in the 1950s and 1960s * Times Literary Supplement *
Josephine Baker
Josephine Baker was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1906. After performing in New York during the Harlem Renaissance as a teenager, she moved to Paris in 1925. She became a star there in the 1920s, achieving international celebrity and becoming the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture in 1927.
During World War II, Baker joined the French intelligence agency and was awarded for her bravery. In the 1950s and 1960s, she became involved in the civil rights movement, speaking at the March on Washington alongside Martin Luther King Jr. in 1963. In her later life, she adopted twelve children. Baker died in 1975.
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