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On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker

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Oprah Winfrey is renowned for her media savvy, marketing sense, philanthropic efforts, and accumulated wealth (and the power that accompanies it). She's earned her rep, of course, and her path to stardom and influence couldn't have been easy. Imagine, then, how difficult it must have been a century ago for Madam C. J. Walker, America's first female African-American millionaire. The daughter of slaves, married and divorced by the age of 20, Madam Walker spent nearly two decades as a lowly scrubwoman before concocting (or, as she claimed, being presented in a dream) the formula for a much needed hair care product for African-American women. After making her hair care business a resounding success, Walker devoted much of her time and resources to social causes and philanthropy.

In On Her Own Ground, A'Lelia Bundles, Walker's great-great-grandaughter and a woman of no small accomplishment herself (she's spent many years as a television news producer for NBC and ABC), offers an affectionate but unblinking portrait of Madam Walker. (Bundles' mother urged her daughter from her deathbed not to worry about promoting a particular image of their famous forebear, to simply tell the truth.) Bundles also explores the complicated relationship between Madam Walker and her only slightly less renowned daughter (and the author's namesake), A'Lelia Walker, a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, and the elder Walker's interactions with such other seminal African-American figures as W. E. B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington.

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

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About the author

A'Lelia Perry Bundles

7 books127 followers
A’Lelia Bundles is the author of four books about her entrepreneurial great-great-grandmother, including On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker, the biography that inspired “Self Made,” the four-part Netflix series starring Octavia Spencer. The 2020 edition of this New York Times Notable Book is renamed Self Made. She is at work on The Joy Goddess of Harlem: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance, about her great-grandmother whose parties and arts patronage helped define the era. A former network television news executive and producer at ABC News and NBC News, she is a vice chairman of Columbia University’s Board of Trustees, chair emerita of the National Archives Foundation board and on the advisory boards of the Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute and the March on Washington Film Festival.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
Profile Image for Dana.
403 reviews
July 31, 2015
Written by Madam C.J. Walker's great, great granddaughter, the book was well-researched and thorough. The negative for me was that it read like a textbook and was too dry. Madam C.J.'s accomplishments as one of our country's first African American entrepreneurs were stellar, especially considering it was the very early part of the 20th century. I only wish that the book was more interesting....Madam C.J. deserved it. 2.5/5
Profile Image for Chadi Raheb.
355 reviews383 followers
May 19, 2023


Never run back to what broke you!



Such an inspiration! Gosh! This woman didn’t know the concept of giving up! And not only did she grow her own life out of miseries, betrayals, discrimination, sexism, & loneliness, but helped women like herself to do the same, guiding them through the path of strength and independence.

The world still and probably forever needs more women like her!

Profile Image for Regina Lindsey.
441 reviews23 followers
January 17, 2016
On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by Alelia Perry Bundles
5 Stars and a heart

When I came across this passage in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society book I captured it as a favorite quote because it resonated with me in terms of my reading habits. "That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive-all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment." In a recent read on Theodore Roosevelt I realized I knew very little about Booker T. Washington. I had made some assumptions about him and was shocked to learn of his conciliatory politics. So, I did a little research. In doing so I came across a reference to Madam C.J. Walker, whom I had never heard of before. The reference touted her as the first self-made female millionaire in the U.S. The reason this caught my attention was that she was an African – American woman born in the late 19th century. So, I wanted to know more. The only work I could find on her was a biography written by her great-great granddaughter. I admit, I was a bit skeptical. Even though Bundles is a journalist, I was afraid the work would be idolization than objective. While there are times Bundles makes some assumptions that an historian would not and takes liberty imagining some scenarios rather than reporting, overall the work is well-done highlighting her ancestor’s accomplishments, analyzing her shortcomings, embracing controversies surrounding Madam Walker and her company, and setting the record straight and well-meaning myths. For instance, while Madam Walker was incredibly wealthy and successful it is unlikely she technically attained the status of millionaire.

Sarah Breedlove was the first child born to recently freed parents under the Emancipation Proclamation. Born in 1867, in Delta, MS she was orphaned at age seven and sent to live with her volatile brother in law and sister. Sarah’s life was fraught with challenges. To escape the abusive environment she married early and was widowed by the age of twenty. Going onto a subsequent abusive marriage she winds up on her own with a daughter to raise. With a steely determination, Sarah’s singular objective in life was to provide a better up bring for her daughter than the one she experienced. She knew she couldn’t do that by holding the traditional jobs held by African-American women of the time. Believing that a smartly groomed appearance was key to upward mobility, she used the challenges she faced with hair loss to develop a system that would educate African-American women on the causes of hair loss and products to help grow hair. This was the impetus for the start of a company in 1906 that would start locally, grow nationally, and become an international success. While she may have never technically reached the millionaire status in her lifetime, she was incredibly wealthy earning and successful. She moved into the affluent neighborhood of Irvington-on-the-Hudson constructing a 34-room mansion complete with maids, cooks, and butlers. She counted John D. Rockefeller and John Gould as neighbors as well as the Astor’s, the Tiffany’s, and the Vanderbilt’s. Her earnings in 1918 were equivalent to $3M in today’s currency. Not only did she acquire wealth personally, but she provided an avenue for countless other African – American women to become financially independent. Further, she became active in both political and civil realms. She was the first to organize female entrepreneurs in a manner to assert their political will. She leant her name and money to causes such as anti-lynching campaigns, the formation of the NAACP, the YMCA, Tuskegee Institute, war-time efforts, and education in Africa. She lead by example and expected her sales team to follow suit.

But, the book is more than her business success. There are some fascinating sociology explorations as well. The discussion on the perception of beauty was actually quite interesting. In addition to learning more about Madam Walker, the reader gets a better understanding of the founders of what would become the Civil Rights Movement (both the well-known figures and obscure ones) as well as insight into the vying for power within the movement. There are some intriguing parallels between the Booker T. Washington/ D.E.B Du Bois relationship and the Martin Luther King/Malcom X one. For me personally, because of my line of work, it was fascinating to see an uneducated woman of this time intuitively use the modern day business model to build an empire that would last until 1985.

I would recommend this book to anyone but especially to anyone that enjoys a strong female character or likes to root for the underdog.
107 reviews
December 13, 2011
I appreciated reading about a woman who made such a huge impact on the beauty industry as well as learning more about Madam C.J. Walker's innovative business philosophy, her strong desire to make a charitable impact, and her efforts to support racial equality. There is no question that she was an amazing woman. Where I appreciated learning about her set against the background of the social and cultural times, there was way more information in the book than I could digest.
Profile Image for Crystal.
26 reviews17 followers
August 14, 2021
4.5 stars. I loved it! This book gave lots of details about who Madam Walker was and who she became, which I loved. I didn't want the book to gloss over facts or simply praise her accomplishments, and it did not disappoint.
Many times we have talents that are hidden, and when the opportunity presents itself, or out of necessity, they are unearthed and put to good use. This is the case with Madam Walker. Due to her own hair issues, she looked for solutions to help herself, and when she became pleased with her results she didn't want to keep it to herself. She was inspired! Inspired to help other women with their hair & scalp issues. She had a solution for age old hair concerns Black women dealt with, but at the forefront was the teaching of self-love and an appreciation for the hair they were born with. She was a stickler about ensuring women understood she was not trying to "change" anything about their hair, if anything, heal it (scalp), and make it manageable (hair). And, not to give in to what society deems as "beautiful."

Obviously, life was hard & very brutal back then (early 1900s); just a few decades removed from slavery. But, Madam Walker saw herself far above what white society saw for Black people back then (i.e. field work, etc), even though her parents had been enslaved, and even though she was once poor. She made it her business to pour into other Black women. She worked her vision of uplifting Black women alongside teaching them how to care for their hair and/or training them to work for her business nonstop (until her death, actually). She made it so that they could mentally see their way out of their current situation, until they were actually out of it...feeling good, looking good, and making more money. She was not a selfish woman by no means. She loved her people.

She was also fearless, and constantly bet on herself. If she attempted to take a step forward and was overlooked for being a woman in circles where men ruled, it didn't stop her - she pressed forward. She was not well educated, but she believed in her abilities, her products, and her thriving business....which no doubt boosted her confidence. And because she had a heart of gold and an appetite for empowering Black people (and speaking out against racial injustices) she also became a well-known and well-respected philanthropist. Madam C.J. Walker was truly "for the culture."
I listened to the audiobook.
Profile Image for Dawn Lennon.
Author 1 book34 followers
May 8, 2013
It's startling finally to discover important business and social leaders who have made a big difference long forgotten. That's the case with Madam C.J. Walker, the most financially successful (actually serious wealthy) and notable black woman entrepreneur. On her own, she overcame abject poverty in the south in the late 1800s and years as a laundress after moving to the mid-West. Following, quite literally a dream, she came up with a formula to help black women grow hair routinely lost through a variety of scalp issues. As a hair culturist, Madam Walker built a business empire from coast to coast and even abroad. She set up her business to enable other black women to become commissioned sales agents and make more money than they could as domestics,bringing them out of poverty.

Madam Walker knew what it meant to "lean in" during early 1900's to build her business, just as Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg proffers in her book. Madam Walker was motivated to help her race and as a result was a strong anti-lynching voice. She was a major philanthropist as well. Her example as a leader is remarkable and her faults notable too. Written by her great-grand daughter, the book chronicles a history of three generations of women, the ups and downs, and the ultimate historical changes.
1,074 reviews25 followers
November 22, 2021
I won this book in a Goodreads drawing and I will give my honest opinion. This book is written by Madam Walker's great-great grandaughter. Her mother was the great granddaughter of Madam Walker. I expected a biography of Madam Walker but this is more than that. It is much like a college dissertation. There are pages and pages of endnotes and references to other publications. The book is straight-forward and dull. I certainly learned nothing new about Madam Walker, except that the firm was practically bankrupt when she died. The author gives the lineage of the family from Madam Walker down to the author. There are many husbands and divorces in this lineage. I gave up trying to follow them. It is for certain that the author is a descendent of Madam Walker. The few photographs in the middle made the book worth more. The book is tiring but I read it, always hoping for more info on Madam Walker. Read it for your research paper. It has all the info and references you will need. This is not a quick reading book or a fun book to read.
27 reviews
July 1, 2023
Having enjoyed the Netflix series, I was happy to discover this book in the library.
What a fascinating, driven woman!
However, I found this book bogged me down in so many details and facts, which for me, detracted from the story of Madam herself. Having said that, I learned much about the times in which she lived, progressed, overcame, encouraged and built up women and succeeded in her life.
104 reviews1 follower
January 3, 2021
I was really excited to win this! I first became interested in the Madam Walker company after reading an article about her mansion in New Jersey. I’m not sure if I got mixed up because there was no Jersey connection in this story.
So, aside from being mildly disappointed that we can’t claim Madam Walker as one of our own, I enjoyed the story, but there were SO MANY FACTS and it was hard for me to keep track of all the characters. The part that was most fascinating to me was how Madam Walker was such a pioneer of network marketing and influencing, and how little has changed in a century! It offers kind of a striver’s take on some of the more familiar intellectual and cultural movements (like Booker T Washington and the Harlem Renaissance), which I appreciated, but also sheds light on lesser known (to me) issues like the deadly confrontations over the treatment of black soldiers at home during World War I. As someone who likes spending money and maybe obsesses over material things more than I should, I also enjoyed the way the details about their spending habits and furnishings were presented without making them seem petty or out of touch.
So interested in reading more about this fascinating family. Can’t wait to watch the series.
33 reviews
December 18, 2011
Our group felt that this biography of Madam C.J. Walker, written by her great-great-granddaughter, was well written and extremely well researched. The readers admired Madam for her persistence in keeping her eyes on the goal, even to the detriment of her health. We appreciated learning more about the history of African Americans in politics and the role of African American soldiers in WWI. Many in our group felt bogged down by the wealth of information, some of which seemed to detract from the more important information in the biography. given the author's bacground in news and academia, we felt that she may not have had the tools to "flesh out" the characters and situations for the ease of the reader. At least one reader tried to imagine Madam's personality, and we agreed that she must have been a dynamic, confident, and charismatic character. In addition, we appreciated her desire to encourage charity and her willingness to take a stand on racial and political issues. We would rate this book with 3.5 stars.
Profile Image for Melissa.
603 reviews23 followers
March 4, 2008
I first "met" Madam CJ Walker during my internship at the Women's Museum. We had a few of her cosmetics for display, and she just seemed like an amazing woman. The first African American millionaire, male or female, she created a cosmetics empire long before Mary Kay. This biography is written by her granddaughter, which is both a good and bad thing. She did an excellent job of setting the stage--Walker was definitely a part of the movers and shakers in Jim Crow America. That being said, it took me forever to finish the book. Glad to have it on my shelf, as part of my long standing interest in beauty culture, but I only modestly recommend it. But you should know more about Madam Walker--it's too good of a story!
Profile Image for Julia.
295 reviews8 followers
March 14, 2017
This was an excellent biography of Madam CJ Walker. I was always really interested in her as a child and lately, in caring for my daughter's hair and establishing career goals, I've become even more interested in this inspiring self-starter. This is a great detailed account of her family life and how she became the inspiring individual that she was. Excellent book!
132 reviews
December 16, 2018
long and rambling. Interesting facts, but wanders around a lot.
Profile Image for Maya B.
508 reviews59 followers
March 23, 2020
UPDATE

I really enjoyed the netflix original series.
Profile Image for Elizabeth  Higginbotham .
494 reviews15 followers
April 11, 2020
On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A’Lelia Bundles take a long look at an amazing Black woman. While she was never a millionaire, she was very wealthy and used her money both wisely and the indulge in all she lacked coming of age. Born Sarah Breedlove in 1867, she was born free but in a poor family and soon was orphaned and lived with siblings. Her parents had lived on the property in Louisiana what had once been a plantation. Yet, it was in disarray and her parents’ death mean that family members split up. Yet, violence was also part of the fabric of the land as White southern wanted to restore the old south. You get a picture of what the end of Reconstruction means for the people at the bottom of the social structure.

Family was the only safety net, but Sarah’s was problematic since her brother in law expected her to work. That meant no investment in her education, leaving her to laundry and domestic work. Many family members exited the South since the violence and oppression are significant. Sarah marries to escape her brother in law’s home. The marriage to Moses McWilliams seemed good. She has one daughter, Lelia, but Moses dies in 1888, he could have been lynched, but there is no record. Sarah and daughter make their way to St. Louis. I’m learning that many people were drawn to that city.

The book presents the many migrations of the Black community as people searched for a place to live and earn a living. Sarah did laundry work in St. Louis, since this enabled her to watch her daughter. She also makes sure that Lelia is educated to the best of her abilities, which increases as she has her own business of growing hair and teaching Black women about hygiene and hair care.
The book documents the struggles, the snubs and the network that Sarah built around her. She is fighting not only racism and sexism.

Sarah was not as successful in marriages, as C.J. Walker, who was initially a supporter, but did not really share her vision and taken with other women. In the early days of developing hair care products, it was a tight market, with major producers not thinking about Black people as consumers. Yet, Madam C.J. Walker, as she renamed herself, is a pioneer, not only the production of products, but training people to use them and helping them set up beauty parlors where they used her products. She created employment options in the early 20th century when if Black women were not in agricultural work, they were domestics or laundry workers. She also helped them to gain skills to become financially independent, if not successful. The network of agents trained in Lelia Colleges around the nation and indeed the world is significant.

In establishing her business, Madam C.J. Walker moves around a to different parts of the country. I did not know she started in St. Louis. I knew about Indianapolis and New York, but was surprised that she also spent time in Pittsburgh and Denver. She moved from these places, but left enterprises. Indianapolis is the main site for production. In these days of Jim Crow, she also suffered many injustices in Jim Crow cars and other harassment.

Familiar with the violence and injustice that Black people faced; Madam C.J. Walker is also an advocate for change. As part of organizations of Black women, early civil rights groups, as well as Black business organizations, she advocated for change. She is one of the many in the pushes for justice, but also supporting Black troops in World War I and seeking an anti-lynching bill. Her position in these circles changes as she makes more money and is able to donate to important causes, like a YMCA for Black youth in St. Louis. She also spent money on luxuries for herself and indulged her daughter. However, you see that buying a car meant avoiding the indignities of Jim Crow treatment when she traveled.

The book does situate her historically, but I think knowing the history helps. The author is more committed to identifying all the people she knew and entertained and invited to events. Yet, we see how conventions were very important. These were vehicles for not only teaching the many agents about new development in products, but also inspiring them to get politically involved and to use their money to help Black women who were not doing as well. She modeled that behavior, lowering her prices to make sure that women were able to care for themselves and others. She followed the model of wealthy people who used their money to help others advance, like Julius Rosenwald.

Madam C.J. Walker dies in 1919, but knowing the end was near she left money to educational institutions, organizations, and charity groups as well as to her family and staff. Her daughter, who changed her name to A’Lelia, lacked the business skills, but was also challenged by the Depression. Yet, she was a critical part of the Harlem Renaissance. A’Lelia’s adopted daughter Mae, carries on the family tradition. After a lavish wedding to a prominent but unsuitable husband, Mae marries an attorney Marion Perry, Jr. The author’s mother, A’Lelia Mae Perry was born in 1928. The author had solid support to write this extensive look at the life of Madam C.J. Walker and her daughter A’Lelia. The book readily does paint a picture of the rugged years these crusaders and their comrades faced.
Profile Image for Cynda is healing 2024.
1,339 reviews164 followers
November 27, 2020
Read in honor of the centennial of US Women's Suffrage. In The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote, Elaine F. Weiss points out that women's professional work experience made possible their getting the vote. When the 19th Admendment was signed into law, some black women voted. So I have included in my study professional black women.

Earlier this year I watched the Netflix movie Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madame C J Walker. After watching that show, I knew I would include Madame in this study. I wanted to include a woman of color who sought her and other's beauty. While the idea of the ideal beauty of women of color of many ethnicities has changed, the seeking of one's own beauty has remained important.

But that story would be equivalent to any successful beauty entrepreneur. What makes Madame C J Walker's story beyond the common enough late-19th-century-to-early-20th-century business success story us her service work. Madame--before she was Madame--had already joined evangelical church groups which served the black community of St Louis. By the time Madame was approaching the end of her life, she had found that she could influence policy in the various civil rights and educational organizations she participated in. In following in a general way the practice of other entrepreneur-philanthropists such as Andrew Carnegie who donated and determined policy, Madame C J Walker found herself able to get things done for people of color, things that touched her heart deeply, such as education, business/economic success, and veteran rights.

I am glad to have a read a book that did not just tell of Madame Walker but also her world. That extra information clued me in on things that I had not connected dots between. New Awarenesses:

1. The boll weevil infestation drove the The Great Migration into a fast forward now mode. This infestation remains a perennial problem to today.

2. The East St Louis Race Riot. I got an ethnocentric view of the riot. Liberal hearts are great hearts, but not often knowing ones.

3. The origins of those Communist spurs are not sourced from WWII as I thought but from WWI, seemingly encouraged by Woodrow Wilson. Eyes open.

This book contains Endnotes that do shed further light on topics discussed, not much, but decidedly more than usual.

I wish the Selected Bibliography were more extensive.

So worth rereading and pondering upon again.

Profile Image for Fieke.
364 reviews20 followers
April 1, 2020
I started reading this after watching the Netflix show. Therefore I think the Netflix series did very well on making me interested and making me want to find out more about Madam C.J. Walker. The Netflix show did change a bunch of things, mostly to have more drama in the show. I understand that for almost everything they did.


But I'll be reviewing the book from now on regardless of the show.

The story or Madam C.J Walker is very interesting. Especially because of how unexpected it was for her to become so successful. I liked learning about the ways she used advertisement and how she managed to become more and more successful.

I listened to it as an audiobook (read by the author) and I think that contributed a lot to how much I like it. It was a long story with a lot of information and I am not sure that I would've liked it so much if I were reading the physical book.

That said there were many many things I didn't know before reading this and I am very happy I read it.

“When women saw her photo and heard her life story, they clamored to take her course and sit for her treatments. The twin promises of enhanced beauty and financial gain—not to mention Madam Walker’s own phenomenal personal example—served as a magnet to women who had always believed they would never be more than maids and laundresses.”
Author 3 books28 followers
July 8, 2020
Readers who are expecting a history of black women’s hair or the beauty products business will be disappointed. This book focuses more on Madam Walker’s experiences as a wealthy socialite and a political activist than on the beauty business. It’s a very timely book because of what’s happening in our country now. In fact, it met this historical moment so well that I briefly thought Madam’s death in May, 1919 might be from the so-called Spanish flu, which was mentioned as she was gravely ill with kidney failure and also battling a cold. I enjoyed reading about her interactions with W.E.B. Du Bois, the somewhat obnoxious Booker T. Washington, and one of my favorite writers to teach—James Weldon Johnson, who was one of Madam’s honorary pallbearers. In fact, Johnson’s presence in one scene is what made this book a five-star read for me at this moment. In 1917, he, Madam Walker, and several other prominent activist blacks of the early 20th Century had an appointment to meet with racist President Woodrow Wilson to request that he make lynching a national crime (black Democratic Senators Harris and Booker are still trying to make that happen). Wilson snubbed them, pretending to be too busy. One hundred and three years later, Princeton is disassociating with the most racist President of the 20th Century while Johnson’s song (he wrote the lyrics to the Black National Anthem) will be sung before the NFL games if football is played this year. As that great literary scholar Charlie Sheen might say, “Winning!”
Profile Image for Dianne McMahan.
578 reviews6 followers
May 10, 2020
From Rags to Riches

This is about a woman of color who made and sold hair products in the late 1800's.
She tried to let all woman of color realize a dream,that they could be more.
She died young and left a fortune to her daughter,who.went thru her mother's money ,before she too died at an early age.
I read this book.after watching the movie and found it not nearly as satisfying.
Profile Image for Marcie.
709 reviews6 followers
April 29, 2020
My first introduction to Madame C.J. Walker was through the television show called Mysteries as the Museum. The host held up this small tin of hair product and told an interesting but pared-down story of Walker's rise to fame. Having never heard about Walker before, I was fascinated by her story, but also annoyed by the fact that I had never heard her story before. How can somebody that achieved so much be left out of history?

In recent years, however, more stories of well-deserved women are coming to light. I can only imagine how different life could have been if young girls had more positive role models like Madame Walker to look up to in generations past. Thankfully, things are changing for the better, and now there is a Netflix series about Madame C.J. Walker called Self Made. I haven't watched it yet, because I wanted to experience this book first.

Self Made or On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A'Lelia Perry Bundles is a well-researched, in-depth book written by Walker's great great granddaughter, A'Lelia Perry Bundles. Bundles has written four books about Walker and this latest book is what inspired the Netflix series.

I listened to Self Made on audio. And while I thought it interesting, it was a bit too scholarly to enjoy as an audiobook. It read more like a textbook than a biography. Self Made is an excellent resource for learning more about Walker herself and also a great account of the times Walker lived in. I definitely do recommend this as a physical book, just not the audiobook.

Walker was a pioneer of her day and her story demands to be told. I only wish it didn't take so long for it to come to light. We need more stories like this for our girls. I'm sure if I'd had known about Walker's life when I was a kid, it would have made a difference. We need to do better in bringing these stories to the forefront.
Profile Image for Micah.
80 reviews
August 17, 2020
I wanted to like this book more than I did, but I can only give it a 2.5. The story of Madam CJ Walker is incredibly fascinating given how she was born into slavery and preserved to become one of the wealthiest women in the early 1900s. The determination she had to succeed and how much she hustled to make her dreams come true not only left me admiring her but also in awe because not everyone has that drive in them. I think it was also admirable that she wanted to not only uplift herself and her daughter, but also all African Americans. In a time when women had little rights, and African American women even less rights, what Madam Walker accomplished is truly a testament to her character. Her story is definitely one that should be more widely known than it is.

Where this book lost me is the writing style. It is very dry and reads like a textbook at times. Others may appreciate it, but I was not a fan of how much extraneous information was included. There are paragraphs, pages, and even chapters that go off in-depthly to discuss events that were happening or people who were important at that time, but in the grand scheme of Madam Walker's story did not need to be included or could have had a few sentences written about them. Clearly Ms. Perry Bundles did an obscene amount of research but for me it was research that I was not looking for. I feel like the book probably could have been half as long and more focused on just Madam Walker and been a much better read.

Given that this book was written in 2000, it is a very different reading experience now in 2020 than it would have been 20 years ago. With the current political climate in the United States and wide spread protests about racial issues I definitely perceived parts of the book differently than what I'm sure Ms. Perry Bundles was originally intending. I saw parallels between the current fight to defund the police and Madam Walker's fight to protest lynching as well as their frustration with President Wilson and his lack of taking a stance against lynching and racial issues in general and the current administration.
Profile Image for Kelsey.
91 reviews3 followers
May 18, 2020
I really wanted to like this book because Madame CJ Walker is such a fascinating and inspiring woman and I wanted to know more about her story. I am a historian so I wasn’t deterred by previous reviewers description of boring details, etc. Most of this information served well to contextualize Madame CJ Walker’s life and in the times in which she lived. What I actually did have a problem with was the amount of “analysis” of fairly unimportant details such as whether or not a letter was a ghost written, when the supposed ghost writer and the alleged author had basically the same opinion and differentiating between the two served no purpose. Scare quotes because the author lingered on not-so-important details, without offering much in the way of actual analysis as to why the reader should care about this or that small point or why it truly mattered to our understanding of Madame CJ Walker’s life or legacy. Aside from the lack of critical perspective, this frequent lingering made the book feel very drawn out and ultimately took away from the book’s pacing and impact.
Profile Image for Kami.
159 reviews7 followers
June 22, 2020
Did not finish. If you are looking for a well written STORY about Madam CJ Walker, don't look here. This was written like a textbook. I can appreciate all of the research the author (who is great great granddaughter of the Madam) did and I do believe the story is as accurate as she could have possibly achieved. But, it wasn't written in an easily consumable format. There were way too many details (like actual addresses of where people lived) that could have been omitted or saved for the reference section (which is 1/4 of the book).

If you want the true story of Madam CJ, don't go to the Netflix series either. There was alot of sensationalism created for the story line. It is LOOSELY based on this story and has some bothering racially dividing elements (i.e. colorism) not in the book and what I would render unnecessary.

So in summary, if you want to learn more about the life of Madam CJ Walker, read this book, but be prepared ....
Profile Image for Beverlee.
243 reviews31 followers
July 10, 2016
Awesome read! Mme. Walker's story is an inspiration to all. I especially loved reading how she came to be such a successful businesswoman from such a humble beginning. To know this was possible 100+ years ago...gives me great hope for my own future. I appreciate the author's meticulous attention to details & including the important events of the day, that just makes the story more amazing.
Profile Image for Kathy.
732 reviews4 followers
April 2, 2020
Incredible story of black history and powerful women looking out for each other. Incredible accomplishments to help women grow hair and provide them with a way out of poverty. Now to watch the Netflix series.
Profile Image for She Reads for Jesus.
194 reviews40 followers
February 17, 2009
This was a well written and detailed biography that I read in graduate school at Howard University. I highly recommend this book to all who want to learn more about an African American icon.
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