Always Wear Joy

From an inside peek at the inner workings of Hollywood to the backstage drama of Broadway from a poignant look at the black upper class to an honest look at the WASP elite this elegantly wrought memoir of an extraordinary family has something for everyone.Growing up with a black Auntie Mame-like mother (who performed with the likes of Lena Horne) and an Anglo sea-faring father Susan Fales-Hill moved seamlessly between many worlds. But it was from her mother -- a woman who was dressed by Givenchy and sculpted by Alexander Calder yet rejected by many a casting agent for her dark unconventional looks -- that Susan drew inspiration particularly when she faced challenges in her own career as a television writer in Hollywood a town that wasn''t always receptive to positive images of people of color. As a result the two developed a bond that mothers and daughters everywhere will find inspiring. Both a universally touching mother-daughter story and a portrait of a dazzling American family Always Wear Joy is a memoir readers won''t soon forget.