DECEMBER 2015 - AudioFile
Myers's posthumously published novel, set in the 1840s, tells the story of William Henry Lane, a free black dancer known as Master Juba. Incorporating the Irish step dancing he saw around him as a child in Brooklyn with African and minstrel styles, Juba developed what came to be known as tap dancing and was celebrated in London, as well as New York, until his early death at 27. Sadly, the ambiance of the times and the exuberance of Juba's dancing don’t translate well to audio, despite the efforts of narrator Brandon Gill. Listeners unfamiliar with old minstrel shows will miss the historical pictures in the print edition, and, though Juba and his friends are mostly well realized by Gill, the challenge of the Irish accents makes it sometimes problematic to determine which character is speaking. S.G. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
07/20/2015
Published posthumously, Myers’s final novel is based on the life of Master Juba, born William Henry Lane in Providence, R.I., around 1825, who became a highly successful performer. Peopled by both historical and fictional characters, the book tells the unusual story of a free black man in the 19th century with a gift and passion for dance. So noteworthy that Charles Dickens interviewed and wrote about him, Juba is presented as a thoughtful, proud young man who means well and works hard; Myers gives him a direct and sympathetic voice, depicting the struggles and successes of his short life in the Five Points neighborhood of New York City, and later in London, with warmth and convincing detail. Relationships between blacks and whites are sensitively portrayed, and issues of race are treated frankly, both in dialogue and in Juba’s reflections. Photographs, reproductions of advertisements and reviews of Juba’s performances, and documents such as Juba’s death certificate add atmosphere and authenticity to this rich story; a closing note by Myers’s wife provides background on the author’s research process and distinguishes the historical characters from the fictional. Ages 13–up. Agent: Miriam Altshuler, Miriam Altshuler Literary Agency. (Oct.)
Booklist
An intriguing glimpse into America’s past.
Kirkus Reviews
2015-06-23
Juba, a freeborn young black man, dreams of making it big as a dancer in antebellum New York City. The late, acclaimed Myers chose the real-life story of William Henry Lane, arguably the most celebrated black performer of the prewar era, as the basis for this historical exploration. Combining extensive research and deft storytelling, Myers chronicles Juba's struggle to perform with superb skill and dignity instead of the degrading "cooning" and blackface that minstrel shows demanded. When the novel opens in 1842, 17-year-old narrator Juba lives "more or less" on his own. Longing for a chance to make a living as a dancer on his own terms, he's adopted a stage name, Master Juba. In the meantime, he works as an assistant to a smoked seafood seller. Through the authentic voices of his characters, Myers re-creates the New York City of the era, where free blacks like Juba coexisted with their equally impoverished white immigrant neighbors, and they faced the ever present threat of being captured and sold into slavery down South. Readers may be impatient with the slow pace of the first half of the novel, but that will give way as Myers' moving prose captures the dizzying speed with which the immensely talented Juba's star eventually rises. Poignant, revealing period fiction about race and art in pre-Civil War America. (Historical fiction. 14 & up)
