Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne (PB) (2010)

Drawing on a wealth of unmined material and hundreds of interviews-- one of them with Lena Horne herself--critically acclaimed author James Gavin gives us a "deftly researched" (The Boston Globe) and authoritative portrait of the American icon. Horne broke down racial barriers in the entertainment industry in the 1940s and '50s even as she was limited mostly to guest singing appearances in splashy Hollywood musicals. Incorporating insights from the likes of Ruby Dee, Tony Bennett, Diahann Carroll, and Bobby Short, Stormy Weather reveals the many faces of this luminous, complex, strong-willed, passionate, even tragic woman--a stunning talent who inspired such giants as Barbra Streisand, Eartha Kitt, and Aretha Franklin.