Mae West: An Icon in Black and White Review

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Mae West: An Icon in Black and White ReviewAmazon customers' reviews of this book are as fascinating as the book itself. I'm amazed at how many people appear unable to understand what they read. Contrary to several reviewers' indignant claims, Jill Watts does *not* argue that Mae West was part black. Her meticulously-researched book carefully separates speculation from fact, and she states early and clearly that there is simply not enough information to settle the question of West's racial background. She then asserts that it doesn't matter whether West did or did not have African-American ancestry. What *does* matter is how West handled issues of racial identity in her writing and in her personal and professional performances. Watts' analysis reveals a woman who was, for her time, a strong champion of African-Americans and who was also deeply ambivalent about racial roles and identities. This book is more than a biography; it is also study of the social constructions of race, class, and gender in general and of the persona of "Mae West" in particular.
I suspect that the readers who are so outraged at the idea that West may have been part-black find issues of race personally disturbing. (As one reviewer asked, why does it matter so intensely to some people that Mae be all-white?) The dismissive readers probably also came to the book expecting a standard Hollywood-style star story rather than an academic analysis. Perhaps because the book took a different approach than they expected, they didn't read very carefully.
In terms of the text itself, it has the strengths I've already noted: it's carefully researched, thoughtful, and does a great deal more than simply detail a star's life. However, in exploring her thesis, Watts is often repetitive and is sometimes guilty of trying far too hard to make her case. Also, because she wants to portray West as a positive force in subverting traditional definitions of gender and class, Watts often downplays or excuses West's sometimes demanding, hurtful, temperamental behavior. It would have been more intellectually honest to acknowledge West's flaws more fully.
Overall, an informative, interesting book.Mae West: An Icon in Black and White Overview

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