Bricktop’s Paris: African American Women in Paris Between the Two World Wars

When people think about Americans in Paris between the two world wars, they generally think of the “Lost Generation,” such as Hemingway and other authors and artists, all wanting to find a new life in Paris. What has generally gone unnoticed are the roles that African American women played during this era. They came to Paris as well, and became singers, club owners, authors, and artists. In this book, we get to go into that world, a world where they were honored and treated not by the color of their skin, but by their talents. We get to meet many different women along the way. Some stayed for a long time, while others could only stay several months before returning back to the United States. By the end of the 1930s, there time was over.

This book is a decent attempt at bringing this to life. It is not perfect, and honestly, it feels a little rushed. The author tries to bring a lot of women to life in a very short span, so much that you feel overwhelmed with names, places, and events, and it is hard to keep track. It is a decent attempt, but not the best effort.