The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir

Even if you don’t know who Jenifer Lewis is, you know who Jenifer Lewis is. You may remember Lewis as Tina Turner’s mom in What’s Love Got to Do With It or more recently as the grandmother in black-ish, which is why she titled her autobiography, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir. Lewis’ memoir should only be read by mature audiences, but it is a must read for fans, people interested in mental illness, survivors of abuse or with show biz ambitions.
The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir is as dynamic as its author. Lewis mixes a linear narrative of her life with thematic tangents to later time periods. Lewis drops hints about her difficult childhood, but she waits until she reaches the point in the story of her life when she finally was ready to tackle the issue with a therapist and only then permits us to glimpse a summary of her childhood. Written by a less magnetic figure, I may have grumbled that this technique was repetitive and confusing, but it works. Because she gradually adjusts her reflection of her sexual escapades from joyous celebration to sinister addiction, she prepares us for the mood shift to reflect the evolution of her attitudes about different aspects of her life. Lewis’ memoir may not be literature, but for this reader, I could imagine her in the room with me talking about her life so it works.
The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir manages to remain fun while addressing racism, sex addiction, the AIDS crisis and the difficulties of trying to make it big in showbiz while not fitting any specific category. Lewis is liberal with apologies for her inconsiderate behavior while being able to move forward and do better instead of torturing herself. If you are just looking to vicariously live like a superstar through Lewis, she will take you from Broadway to Hollywood and around the world. If you are not much of a reader, it may behoove you to just check out the audio version of the book, which is read by Lewis, but get the book anyway to look at the photographs.
Because Lewis has devoted her life to entertaining, The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir features many encounters with famous figures, but even when critical, Lewis is gracious in her accounts of others. I will confess that when her tale turned to lesser-known figures in her life, I could not keep everyone straight, but that did not prevent me from getting the gist of her story. Lewis is also frank about her inspirations and imitations of the black women whom she idolized.
The Mother of Black Hollywood: A Memoir is a quick, raucous read, which I highly recommend if you are at the beginning of your show biz career or are just a fan. Because a symptom of Lewis’ mental illness is sex addiction, you should probably run if you are sensitive to profanity or sexual scenarios.