Patricia Fischer asked Sherry Jones:

Sherry, This is such a powerful book. At times, I'm having trouble reading it because of what she went through as a child, but I keep reading because you've written it so beautifully. We also went to Paris this last summer and I couldn't help but think about Ms. Baker when we were there. How long did it take you to collect all this information?

Sherry Jones Thank you for asking, Patricia, and for reading JOSEPHINE BAKER'S LAST DANCE. I researched and wrote--often concurrently--for more than four years. I read many books but also her letters, and visited many of the places where she lived and worked in St. Louis, Paris, and the French Dordogne, where her castle is now a museum.

I agree that Ms. Baker's early life is challenging to read about, but also fascinating as she joins the TOBA black-vaudeville circuit and hobnobs with great performers of the early 1900s such as Clara Smith and Bessie Smith. Learning about her difficult childhood makes one respect her many accomplishments that much more, do you agree?

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