Lena Horne

Goddess Reclaimed

By: Donald Bogle

Narrated by: Donald Bogle

From Donald Bogle, the award-winning author of Hollywood Black and leading authority on Black cinema history, this is a first-of-its-kind comprehensive and lavish biography of Hollywood’s first African American movie goddess.

Lena Horne’s life and career are truly remarkable in American film history. She was the first Black performer to become a true star—to receive the kind of glamour treatment at the fabled MGM that the studio had previously given to the likes of Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, Lana Turner, and Ava Gardner. At the same time, Horne dealt with endless indignities, not the least of which was the fact that her roles in films was often as a musical performer, which allowed her numbers to be easily stripped out of films without affecting the narrative when played to audiences that would find her presence undesirable.
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At long last, Lena Horne: Goddess Reclaimed gives the star her due. Through a highly informed and insightful narrative based on interviews, press accounts, studio archives, and decades of research, the book sheds new light on the star's compelling life and complicated career: her activism; her accomplishments and heady triumphs in movies, television, and nightclubs as she broke down long-standing barriers for Black individuals—especially Black women—and her solemn, sometimes bitter disappointments, both professional and personal. Illustrated by stunning photos (some published for the first time), this is the ultimate book on the icon.

Absolutely beautiful’

This audiobook tells me things I never knew. Needless to say, Ms. Horne is lovely legend as important to the Black community as Malcolm X, Martin Luthier King and Medgar Evers. I love this audiobook.❤️ May Ms. Horne rest in heaven 🙏🏿

Lovely Lena

Authentically written loved how it starred out with her early life through her adulthood. She is fantastic

Wonderful book about a legend

This is a wonderful tribute to Lena Horne. It gives readers insight into her life and a deeper understanding of what she went through and how much of a pioneering entertainer she was.