Rating: 
Summary: A Tribute to the Black Divas Who Lived Their Fantasies
Review: A mother who dances and sings in a house filled with mirrors; glamorous stars from the screen and stage as part of everyday life; summers spent in Europe and on a family owned, lavish estate with servants; Italian, French and Shakespeare English spoken at the dinner table. Does this sound like Fantasyland? Well, it was the real life of Susan Fales-Hill as she reminisces in the memoir of her mother and her own life in Always Wear Joy. Susan's mother, the late Josephine Premice, singer, actress and dancer, probably most known for her tenure on Broadway in Bubbling Brown Sugar. Josephine was born in New York, daughter of Haitian immigrants who descended from the landowner Free People of Color when Haiti was Santo Domingo. Susan's father is Timothy Fales, a blue-blood family of generations of wealth and prestige.Susan was a product of a bi-racial marriage and had some angst surrounding that issue, but the tragic mulatto, she was not. Her private schooling and world travels provided an atmosphere in a global arena where she and her family felt as if they were citizens of the world. At the Lycee France school in New York were children of families from the Middle East, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Both her parents were multilingual and she and her older brother, Enrico, also became fluent in other languages. She was especially close to her mother who lavished attention on her only daughter. Her parents had what appeared an idyllic marriage despite Josephine's frustration with sparse roles and Timothy's indulgent wanderlust that kept him carousing the high seas with long periods away from the family. Regular guests at their home included Diahann Carroll, Eartha Kitt, Richard Burton, and Roscoe Lee Brown, her godfather. It was nothing for Josephine to cook in full make-up and designer clothes. But as some fairy tales do, this one was bound to end. As Susan became an adult, she was faced with young love and all the trials and tribulations of heartbreak, flunking out of her first year at Harvard and watching her castle begin to crumble. But she was the daughter of Josephine, the grand dame of divas and therefore persevered. Nepotism may have gained her entrance to the doors of Hollywood studios, but it was exceptional talent and a strong work ethic that kept her there for several years writing scripts for The Cosby Show, A Different World and other shows eventually becoming an executive producer and creator. Like other women though who were successful in their careers, she wondered if she would ever find her prince. Fales-Hill wrote this book to honor the Black Divas such as her mother and her best friend, Diahann Carroll. These were the women who lived through the institutional racism of Hollywood and the civil rights movement, yet held to their strong values, holding their heads up, refusing to take roles they considered as demeaning. She cites Lena Horne, Eartha Kitt, Cicely Tyson, Diana Sands and others who wore their armor of pride and strong will in public, though they suffered from being told they were too dark, too ethnic and just not good enough. Her mother refused to let the public see her pain even as her personal life and health failed her, always wearing joy. Fales-Hill has written a worthy tribute to her mother, a book to remember and savor. Dera Williams
APOOO BookClub
Rating: 
Summary: Only problem - too short
Review: Her Name is Josephine Premice . Mother, wife, sister ,friend, singer, actress , dancer, WOMAN. This book is both impowering and beautiful . A true testiment to the MOTHER-Daughter relationship . This book is written with love and it shows .A life a a true legend and a woman well beyond this or any time . And im only up to page 181 of 280
Rating:
Summary: It Amazes Me How White Americans Have No Idea !
Review: I loved the book ! I grew up in the same era as did Susan Fales-Hill and could relate to a lot of the world events and entertainment standards that she mentioned.
People used to always say that the Cosby show was too unrealistic and that NO Blacks lived like that. Well I grew up very similar to them and could totally relate, as did Ms. Fales-Hill. It amazes me that a lot of White Americans have no idea that there was a Black upper and middle class (and still is). They seem to think that ALL Blacks are on welfare and live in the ghetto ! In fact, one of the reviews I just read on this site, by a White reader of Ms. Fales-Hill's book said 'she never knew such people existed'. How sad.
My father exposed the entire family to all types of culture, art, the theatre, museums and many things mentioned in her book.
I grew up watching Diahann Carroll, Roscoe Lee Browne, Diana Sands, Sidney Poitier and others on stage in the 1960's.
I remember Josephine Premice as a classy, talented diva who deserved much more recognition than she received. I'm glad her daughter paid her this 'tribute'.
The only thing I would change about the book is I would add more
photo's. I would love to have seen more of Josephine's side of the family !
Rating:
Summary: It Amazes Me How White Americans Have No Idea !
Review: I loved the book ! I grew up in the same era as did Susan Fales-Hill and could relate to a lot of the world events and entertainment standards that she mentioned.
People used to always say that the Cosby show was too unrealistic and that NO Blacks lived like that. Well I grew up very similar to them and could totally relate, as did Ms. Fales-Hill. It amazes me that a lot of White Americans have no idea that there was a Black upper and middle class (and still is). They seem to think that ALL Blacks are on welfare and live in the ghetto ! In fact, one of the reviews I just read on this site, by a White reader of Ms. Fales-Hill's book said 'she never knew such people existed'. How sad.
My father exposed the entire family to all types of culture, art, the theatre, museums and many things mentioned in her book.
I grew up watching Diahann Carroll, Roscoe Lee Browne, Diana Sands, Sidney Poitier and others on stage in the 1960's.
I remember Josephine Premice as a classy, talented diva who deserved much more recognition than she received. I'm glad her daughter paid her this 'tribute'.
The only thing I would change about the book is I would add more
photo's. I would love to have seen more of Josephine's side of the family !
Rating:
Summary: VERY MOVING
Review: I saw Josephine Premice in Bubbling Brown Sugar when I was a child. She was awesome and this book is a nice tribute to a fine artist. Alas, the parts about Susan Fales Hill aren't so good. I didn't care about her college years or about her first love. That could've been reduced to two well chosen paragraphs. Luckily this was a small part of the book. Buy the book, it's a joy.
Rating: 
Summary: a loving ode to motherhood
Review: Susan Fales Hill, a writer and producer of such shows as A Different World and Linc's, learned her life lessons from her mother Josephine Premice, a singer and stage actress who never received the acclaim or attention that she deserved. Fales-Hill tries to rectify this situation by writing a loving memoir of her mother. Premice, who made sporadic television appearances here and there during the last decade of her life, always maintained her dignity whatever the situation be it a philandering husband or Hollywood executives full of arrogant ignorance who believed that she wasn't representative of Black women. Fales interweaves her own struggles as a writer in Hollywood and finds that her experiences parallel her mother's. Along the way, we are introduced to writers and producers who lecture Fales-Hill that characters such as Denise Huxtable are "not Black enough." We also learn of the struggles of Premice's friends including Diahann Carroll who although more successful in her career than Premice also had her share of frustation. To the Connecticut reviewer, a slight clarification...there is nothing "new" about this Black society which is the point that Fales-Hill continuously makes in her book. The Black middle/upper class has long been in existence but dismissed by those in the media who could help display that side of the African American community. All the more reason a book like this is just as valuable as works about the underclass. More than anything, this book is celebration of a special woman by her loving daughter.
Rating:
Summary: Loving tribute to a mother
Review: Susan Fales-Hill has done it again! Ever talented, gracious, and brilliant, she has created a masterpiece that is both humorous and moving. Her love for her mother is woven into each word on each page. The class and elegance her mother instilled in her is ever present. In response to the review written by the white woman from Connecticut, I have to ask: are you kidding me? You wondered HOW those black people got to those events? Women like Fales-Hill are a bigger part of the black community than I suppose you fail to realize. There is nothing NEW about this facet, something your friends should have told you after reading Our Kind Of People. To everyone else, I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Diva
Review: Susan Fales-Hill quotes in her book ALWAYS WEAR JOY, "Here stands
Josephine, magnificent, unique, and undeniable" a humble
description of a great performer. An award winning producer and writer, Ms. Fales-Hill exquisitely
recounts her mother's love of dance, the stage, music, and
family. Josephine Premice was indeed a diva and she wore that title
with exquisite grandeur among her family, friends, peers, and before
her audience. Ms. Fales-Hill presents the journey of her mother's upbringing
and shares her triumphs, disappointments, strengths and weaknesses.
She allows readers to appreciate her mother's love of life and her
eye for finer things. She writes about Josephine's energy and
enthusiasm to perform on stage before a live audience. She reveals
the obstacles that stood in the way of Josephine's dreams and
goals during the Jim Crow era when Black actors and actresses were
not seriously accepted and were faced with competing for limited,
degrading, and stereotypical roles. Epitomizing the true strength of black women, Josephine Premice
never gave up; she persevered and performed in such plays
as "Bubbling Brown Sugar" and "Jamaica" along with
guest appearances on TV shows. The Diva may not have achieved the
dream she worked so hard to obtain, but she achieved much more than
anyone could ever desire. Josephine gained the respect of family,
friends, and theatrical colleagues even after death. Susan further depicts her own personal journey with a moving account
of being raised by interracial parents and how her father's
family over time eventually accepted her mother into the family.
She gives an overview of her coming of age in an environment that
boasted of privilege and glamour, and how that environment was
instrumental in helping to establish her career. Susan Fales-Hill deserves an award for sharing with readers, the
depth and sincerity of her mother's life. The family photographs
displayed throughout the book add an elegant touch to the story and
increases the reader's awareness of the love that a mother and
daughter established over the years. This legacy is truly remarkable
and will bring tears to reader's eyes. ALWAYS WEAR JOY by Susan
Fales-Hill is a wonderful tribute to a Black Diva. Reviewed by Kalaani
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
Rating:
Summary: Some good, some bad, overall middling
Review: That's how I felt after reading this book. I didn't want it to end. It made me laugh, cry and remain hopeful. It also made me look at my own relationship with men and women--my mother included. It's one of the best books I've read all summer and certainly one of my all time favorites. I'd love to see it made into a movie.
Rating:
Summary: Packed with Love and Emotion
Review: This is an extraordinary tribute to the GREAT Josephine Premice. Susan Fales-Hills does a strikingly beautiful job portraying a mother and daughter relationship. I enjoyed reading about both Susan and her mother. This is a must have for any reader's collection. It would also be nice to see this book in schools, as well as colleges ... GREAT HISTORY being told.
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