Josephine Baker's Last Dance

This fictionalized biography of Josephine Baker (1906–75), told in the first person, adds plausible private reflections, inside motivations, and secret reactions to the well-known facts of her life. Always believing in herself despite the odds, Josephine rose above her heartbreaking childhood in St. Louis to find not only acceptance but adulation in Paris. She used her prominence, intelligence, and survival skills during World War II as an agent of the French Resistance and later to influence integration in the United States. A courageous woman always, Baker chose optimism over despair and action over passivity. Adenrele Ojo portrays via adroit modulation and pacing the pathos of the youthful woman as well as her determination to succeed. As Josephine matures, Ojo's pitch deepens to depict the self-confidence and sophistication of a woman in her prime.