Billie Holiday: The Musician and the Myth by John Szwed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book renewed my intrigue in Lady Day. I loved learning about the descriptions of her personality: "sometimes rough, profane, caustic, and vengeful...witty, kind,and perceptive (107)." Szwed doesn't deny that she had a drug addiction but he doesn't penalize her for her shortcomings. It relieved me. He focused on her legend and her musicianship, for which lovers of Lady Day ought to be grateful.


View all my reviews