We may have been given a complimentary copy of any books and/or other products and/or complimentary access to any shows and/or movies mentioned below for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.
Books: Invisible Girl
Today we are recommending Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell. Owen Pick is a man who has trouble communicating with others particularly women. Saffyre Maddox is a girl who has never gotten over a trauma she suffered when she was a young girl. After a chance encounter with someone who may or not have been Saffyre, Owen is accused when she suddenly disappears. However, there is much more to this story that that. Throw in a somewhat unscrupulous therapist and his long-suffering wife and more. This book is full of a rich array of characters and a plot that keeps twisting and turning. Much of it is about characters who are disenfranchised and don't fit into the norms of society whether by choice or not. It will make you angry on behalf of these people, and they way we treat them but it will also give you hope that there is a better way.
Movies: The Black Emperor of Broadway
While most people have heard of performers like Fanny Brice, George M. Cohen and Al Jolson not as many are familiar with the name of Charles S. Gilpin. However, Gilpin's contribution to theater was just as significant to theater as any of theirs if not more. At a time when most black performers were starring in minstrel shows or shows strictly for or appealing to black audiences and most black characters were played by white actors in black face, Charles Gilpin was starring in a Broadway show in the lead role of Eugene O'Neil's, The Emperor Jones. The Black Emperor of Broadway is a fictional telling of his story. It tells of his struggle to make it as an actor and reveals that even when he did make it to Broadway that didn't mean his struggles were over. Unhappiness with some aspects of his role, uncomfortableness with being a role model, and clashes with O'Neill were just a few of the things that he had to deal with. Gilpin's career was marked by the highest of highs including awards from the Drama League and the NAACP and the lowest of lows like the controversy because of the color of his skin over his being invited to the Drama League dinner to receive his award and being fired from his role and replaced by Paul Robeson. Overall, The Black Emperor of Broadway is a fascinating movie about a little known historical figure whose story deserves to be told.
And that's our view.
Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.
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