All About Madam C.J. Walker

Written by A'Lelia Bundles

Narrated by Karen Chilton

Madam C. J. Walker was beloved within her community for her philanthropy and expanding the local black YMCA, but she couldn't have done that if she weren't the first female self-made millionaire and one of the most successful African American business owners ever. Born Sarah Breedlove, she was the first person born free in her family. She married Charles Joseph Walker and became known as Madam C. J. Walker, the name she would later use on her haircare products. After talking with her brothers, who were barbers, and experiencing problems with hair loss, she developed a formula that healed scalp infections. This inspired her to start her own line of hair care products to do things like reduce dandruff, grow longer hair, smooth hair, or prevent baldness. Her company employed thousands of door-to-door saleswomen from all over the United States and the Caribbean. She supported the African American community by making a $1000 contribution for a new YMCA building in Indianapolis, funding scholarships for Tuskegee Institute and Daytona Normal Institute for Girls, and becoming a patron of the arts in the early years of the Harlem Renaissance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9781980039266

A'Lelia Bundles

A’Lelia Bundles is the author of New York Times Notable Book and bestseller On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker. A former ABC News Washington, DC, deputy bureau chief and an Emmy Award–winning producer, she participated in residencies at Yaddo and MacDowell while writing Joy Goddess. Visit her website at ALeliaBundles.com or on Instagram at @ALeliaBundles.

Reviews for All About Madam C.J. Walker

[jennybeast · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Things I liked: written by a descendant of Madam CJ Walker. That is amazing. The story of Madam CJ Walker's life, in general, and the emphasis on her commitment to giving back to the community. She is a tremendous figure, and an astonishing woman.

Things I wasn't so sure about -- there's a lot of assumed emotion that is written into the book, and a lot of things that are glossed over. Example of the first -- the book talks about how joyfully her family celebrated her birth. Entirely possible! But how do we know that? It's followed shortly thereafter by the deaths of parents, with no death certificate, so the author goes out of the way to mention that we can't be sure how they died, but is perfectly comfortable attributing emotions to the family. This is a small weird thing, but it adds up throughout the book and begins to strike a false note.

On the whole, a fine book, but I didn't feel very engaged by it.