Book cover of Bitter Crop: The Heartache and Triumph of Billie Holiday's Last Year

Book description

A revelatory look at the tumultuous life of a jazz legend and American cultural icon

“A book written as only one artist could view another, with insight and sincere compassion.” —Sandra Cisneros, best-selling author of Woman Without Shame

In the first biography of Billie Holiday in more than two decades,…


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Why read it?

1 author picked Bitter Crop as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is an excellent biography of Billie Holiday; her ups and downs, and her dedication to music. I no longer see her as a tragic figure.

If you love Bitter Crop...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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The authoritative but accessible history of the birth of modern American intelligence in World War II that treats not just one but all of the various disciplines: spies, codebreakers, saboteurs.

Told in a relatable style that focuses on actual people, it was a New Yorker "Best of 2022" selection and…

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On the morning of December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The resulting tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people across fourteen countries, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka to Thailand to the Maldives to India and all the way to East Africa.…

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