Shenwei - Chapter 19

1. Identify and briefly define important words, terms, concepts, or characters.

Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, it is one of the most famous venues in the United States for classical music and popular music. In the early chapters, Billie mentions she felt exciting and happy to be there.

Fishman and Glaser are the two agents that were fighting over Billie Holiday , at the end, Billie sign contract with Glaser.

Bobby Tucker is Billie Holiday’s accompanist also her close friend.

Sarah Vaughan was an American jazz singer, very famous at that time.

Lena Horne was a legend singer and actress, “people like Lena took the sting out of other little people.”

Helen Hironimus worked for the federal government, Helen Hironimus tried to buy something for Billie, and such movement make Billie sick and angry.





2. Summarize the main idea, theme, action, or event of the reading. Be sure to include quotation that best captures the overall feeling or mood of the reading.

Chapter 19 of Billie Holidays autobiography Lady Sings the Blues, Billie first described the excitement of performing a show at Carnegie Hall at the night before Easter. Usually, the night before Easter is the worst night in show business, but there were thirty-five hundred people went to Billie’s show. Before the show she was excited but also unconfident, but after seeing so many audience, she realize Americas could accept her after she got out the jail. The public acceptance is always a anonymous thing to her. She went to Sarah Vaughan’s concert, and Sarah did not even look at her, it makes Billie very sad. “ I broke down and cried, Sarah made me wish I’d never left jail or, worse, like I was still in or carried the bars around me.”

And in the end of the chapter, Billie also mentioned the people that really cares about her, people like Lena and John, they made Billie felt happy and at least Billie not felt been discriminated, she gained some confidence from that relationship, she felt she was really existing, and there were people who cares about her. It was a hard time for Billie after got out of jail, as a black female and a jailbird, she could not get a cabaret card, and without the card, no one would hire her.

After Billie got back to Philadelphia, she met Helen Hironumus, they went shopping and Helen tried to buy everything for Billie, Billie hates that, “ if I’d gone to jail I’d have killed you and they could have had me for murder.”

I think this chapter is talk about the relationship and the people around Billie Holiday, after Billie got out of jail, she had a hard time, and she also found out who was really friends of her, and who was not. The quotes best summarize this chapter is “ Being around New York those first few days as a jailbird sure separated the sheep from the goats as far as my friends and colleagues were concerned, I’ll Never forget their reactions, and nothing can change or make me forget the way they treated me.”


3. Formulate a question for discussion. The question should be relatively substantial, based upon a specified passage or scene from the text, and capable of sustaining a thoughtful discussion.

Who are Billie’s best friends, are they going to be with Billie Holiday at the end?