A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR: The TODAY Show, Vanity Fair, Financial Times , W Magazine, Oprah Daily, LibraryReads Praised as “funny and witty” by Kwame Alexander on the TODAY show, now published in the US for the first time, Fearless and Free is the memoir of the “trailblazing” ( People ), rule-breaking, one-of-a-kind Josephine Baker, the iconic dancer, singer, spy, and Civil Rights activist . “A gorgeous, captivating gem of a memoir… Josephine Baker’s as enthralling on the page as she was on the stage.” —Abbott Kahler, New York Times bestselling author of Eden Undone and Sin in the Second City After stealing the spotlight as a teenaged Broadway performer during the height of the Harlem Renaissance, Josephine then took Paris by storm, dazzling audiences across the Roaring Twenties. In her famous banana skirt, she enraptured royalty and countless fans—Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso among them. She strolled the streets of Paris with her pet cheetah wearing a diamond collar. With her signature flapper bob and enthralling dance moves, she was one of the most recognizable women in the world. When World War II broke out, Josephine became a decorated spy for the French Résistance. Her celebrity worked as her cover, as she hid spies in her entourage and secret messages in her costumes as she traveled. She later joined the Civil Rights movement in the US, boycotting segregated concert venues, and speaking at the March on Washington alongside Martin Luther King Jr. First published in France in 1949, her memoir will now finally be published in English. At last we can hear Josephine in her own voice: charming, passionate, and brave. Her words are thrilling and intimate, like she’s talking with her friends over after-show drinks in her dressing room. Through her own telling, we come to know a woman who danced to the top of the world and left her unforgettable mark on it. “Josephine Baker certainly shook things up. This memoir demonstrates — vividly — the pleasure she took in doing it.” — The Washington Post “[A] trailblazing performer and activist’s book… Much of her work still resonates today.” — People “This is Josephine Baker's story in her own words… Her voice is very strong in this story, and she is the best kind of person to read about. She is very funny and witty, humble and kind, and extremely eccentric.” —Kwame Alexander, TODAY “A rare, intimate picture of Baker emerges in her memoir, Fearless and Free . . . The book peels back the myth to bring readers the high-spirited child who grew up poor on Bernard Street in St. Louis, brought home lost animals and made faces in school.” — Smithsonian “Baker’s matchless character propels the reader. She exudes love and life on the page. And that voice! Her younger one, bright, witty, effervescent, and her older one, wiser, angrier, and still so funny. Her storytelling is writerly and precise, with satisfying arcs in a single sentence or a page… A delightful, nourishing read.” — The Guardian “Both a close look at one woman’s prolific life and a walk through some of the most pivotal moments of 20th-century history.” — W Magazine “Josephine Baker—the nazi-spying, pet-cheetah-owning, banana-skirt-dancing global icon—has written a memoir, and somehow, we are just getting it now... Finally, we English speakers are hearing how she did all that firsthand. It’s about time.” —Oprah Daily “[Baker] skips across her life, never dwelling on hardship, with an imaginative joie de vivre that offers a real glimpse of her presence…. She was a beacon of joy and fellowship and her smile…reaches out to us across the years.” — Financial Times “As with Bob Dylan’s Chronicles , its joy lies in its distinctive voice… it feels like the closest you are going to come with an audience with the woman… [Baker’s] book leaves you with no doubt about her unique power.” — The Times “This is the kind of book that’ll make you search online for videos of its author onstage, and it’ll send you in search for other books about Josephine Baker. Though it doesn’t include enough years, if you love biographies, ‘Fearless and Free’ can’t be beat.” — The Philadelphia Tribune “A riveting account of Baker’s life… the reader will come away with a sense that they have just read a diary of a dear friend who is modeling the path to being unapologetically themselves, leading a life of adventure and fulfillment. The reader is sure to be encouraged to follow Baker’s lead and dive headfirst into their own one-of-a-kind future, fearless and free.” — The New York Journal of Books “In Fearless and Free , Josephine Baker—groundbreaking performer, audacious spy, and unflinching Civil Rights activist—shares intimate details of her life and times, proving she’s as enthralling on the page as she was on the stage. This gorgeous, captivating gem of a memoir will both introduce Baker to a new generation of readers, and cement her legacy as an enduring international icon