Becoming Billie Holiday

Written by Carole Boston Weatherford · Illustrated by Floyd Cooper

A young singer's voice rises above poverty and hardship to become legendary.

4.1 Goodreads · 479 ratings

120 pages· 11,397 words· Est. 1.5 hour read· 970L

$19.95Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

Born into poverty, Eleanora's voice was her beacon. By fifteen, she was Billie Holiday, destined for greatness despite life's harsh trials. Her journey through pain and the law's shadow led her to the spotlight with the era's top big bands. Discover her fight for survival and the dream she pursued with unwavering passion through evocative poetry.

From the publisher

The stunning voice and hard life of legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday is revealed through evocative, accessible poetry. In 1915, Sadie Fagan gave birth to a daughter she named Eleanora. The world, however, would know her as Billie Holiday, possibly the greatest jazz singer of all time. Eleanora’s journey to become a legend took her through pain, poverty, and run-ins with the law. By the time she was fifteen, she knew she possessed something that could possibly change her life–a voice. Eleanora could sing. Her remarkable voice led her to a place in the spotlight with some of the era’s hottest big bands. Through a sequence of raw and poignant poems, New York Times best-selling and award-winning poet Carole Boston Weatherford chronicles the singer’s young life, her fight for survival, and the dream she pursued with passion.