DNF. As you can see this has been sitting in my to be reviewed section of netgalley since 2020. Based on the synopsis I thought I would really enjoy this book. I love musical fiction. I tried several times to read this but the flow is not for me and it reads too much like non-fiction, which is not my preference. I'm trying to clean up my netgalley title feedback and ongoing tasks that are giving me anxiety. I believe if a book isn't for you on to the next one. I also believe just because something wasn't for me doesn't mean it won't be for you; so give it a shot!

Imaginative historical fiction that pulls the heartstrings and sharpens the mind. Randall's Black Bottom Saints is a tour de force to be reckoned with.

Read this for Black History Month. Enough said.

What a fantastic, inventive, well-researched book. I can honestly say I've never read anything like this - a blend of fiction and nonfiction, told through the format of a Catholic Book of Saints. This book is about Black culture, Black history, and Black joy. It's about respecting your ancestors who came before you, paving the way for future Black stars, celebrating life, and passing down stories that are so often forgotten. I highly recommend this <a href="https://wamu.org/story/20/08/19/black-bottom-saints-is-a-gorgeous-swirl-of-fiction-history-and-detroit-motor-oil/">NPR review</a> of Black Bottom Saints, which perfectly captures its imagination, construction, and depth.

In 1968, Joseph "Ziggy" Johnson is laying in his deathbed at a hospital, reflecting on his life in Black Bottom, Detroit. Black Bottom, or as Ziggy calls it, "caramel Camelot," was a hotspot for Black culture in the heyday of Detroit (from the 1920s to the 1950s). The many Black auto workers employed at the city's plants worked hard, long hours, but earned good money, giving them and their families the economic opportunity to not just survive, but thrive. Black Bottom showcased the country's best up-and-coming Black talent, from musicians to comedians to playwrights to downright Black stars sitting in the audience.

Ziggy Johnson was a real-life gossip columnist for a Black newspaper, an emcee for two swanky clubs/music lounges, and the founder of a theatre school for children (aptly named "Ziggy Johnson's School of Theatre"). In his many roles wearing many hats, he had the great fortune of meeting all the names of Black culture at the time, from legendary football player Night Train Lane to Black trans performer Valda Gray to the white-passing writer Elsie Roxborough who died tragically young to the iconic Sammy Davis Jr. He reveres these folks, both for their impact on his life and their impact on the Black world as a whole - and he shows that reverence by creating a devotional guide, of sorts. I should stress that each of these people are real life figures, some well-known and some relatively obscure. I can't imagine the time and effort it took to not only research these people, but after learning about the bare bones of their life, create a magical, real, human portrait of them.

Ziggy doesn't give you the Wikipedia summary of his saints. In some ways, the details of when they were born, what their accomplishments were, and when they died are trivial. He gives you the eulogy. The stories you would want to hear to celebrate their life, their wisdom, their humor, and their spirit. And speaking of spirit, each chapter ends with a libation to celebrate each saint's feast day, with a recipe, recommended glassware, and all. My favorite is the libation for the feast day of Artis Lane, legendary Black Canadian sculptor whose bust of Sojourner Truth now sits in Emancipation Hall.

My Favorite Canadian
A bottle of Canadian Club and a bottle of water
A clean glass
Pour as much of either as you think you should have. Drink. Get back to the art of life!

If I can give one criticism about this book, particularly the audiobook, it would be the "interlude" chapters between the saint profiles - the story of a character named "Colored Girl." I have to say that I didn't enjoy these parts nearly as much as I enjoyed Ziggy's wonderfully rich portraits (and Prentice Onayemi's narration).

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley - I'm so glad I picked this one up, and I recommend you do too.

Before Motown there was the Block Bottom neighborhood in Detroit which, in its heyday, was a center for American Black culture. Black Bottom Saints by Alice Randall introduces the reader to a who’s who of its notable residents and visitors inthe form of a wonderfully inventive book of saints--complete with suggested libations. This had me looking up many of the obscure but real characters in Detroit's history.

Alice Randall gives us a history lesson through a fictional ‘memoir’ of real life figure Joseph “Ziggy” Johnson, a choreographer, nightclub emcee and gossip columnist. As Ziggy scrolls out his story from his hospital bed in the Black owned and operated Kirkwood Hospital, he gives the younger generation a lesson in Black culture and the more experienced generation a reminder of what and who they knew. He uses a Catholic Saints Day Book to give personal memoirs for 52 Saints. It is wonderful to remember the Pine Street YMCA and Gaslight Square in St. Louis, the “segregated south,” to be reintroduced to August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, “ and artists who performed in Detroit’s Black Bottom and Paradise Valley from the 1930’s to the beginning of the Motown era of the 1960s, such as comedians like Dick Gregory and Moms Mabley, musicians and singers Billy Eckstine, Nat King Cole, The Mills Brothers, Sarah Vaughn and Billie Holiday. Leaders, such as Martin Luther King, and Bayard Rustin are presented honestly and in a very human way.

I devoured this book in less than 12 hours. I loved it! Different and beautiful. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alice Randall has introduced me to a world I knew nothing about, the Black community of Detroit from the Great Depression to the early 1960’s. In choosing a real person, Joseph “Ziggy” Johnson to introduce the residents of Black Bottom, she provides a great link to the stories. They can be ready as a collection of short stories as Ziggy presents Tallulah Bankhead, boxer Joe Louis, a UAW negotiator and NFL Hall of Famer are among the profiles. Sammy Davis Junior even makes an appearance. Take the book slowly if you want to experience it all. Each chapter ends with a cocktail in honor of the profile.

Hard to describe. but impossible to put down, this is Ziggy Johnson's deathbed reflection on Detroit and 52 Black "Saints." Ziggy's life story is wound through the portraits of the men and women who visited the Black Bottom. Each chapter includes a cocktail (I wish I had the ingredients for all of them)- a unique tribute to the person. You might wonder about his goddaughter Mari and her role in this but all will be clear-no spoiler from me. Ziggy was a real person, as were the individual Saints- I found myself googling for more information about them- what a wonderful thing when a novel propels you to do that. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Terrific writing and a strong narrative voice make this an excellent read.

This book is simply stunning. It's the story of Joseph "Ziggy" Johnson a backbone of Detroit's Black Bottom district. Written from his deathbed Ziggy reflects on his life from the depression through WWII, when Detroit was the epicenter for Black music, entertainment, sports, and fashion. Interweaved through the novel are the tales of his goddaughter and her life with her difficult mother. The writing is phenomenal, the format so creative, and the characters are brilliant. I couldn't put it down, although I kept having to stop to do more research on the people in the novel.. It's historical fiction at it's finest. Oh, and the cocktail recipes alone are worth reading the book. Thank you so much @AmistadBooks for inviting me to read this wonderful book.

I found this a really fascinating read and a lovely mix of fiction and history. I think it would be a great gift to high school or college graduates along with instructions to read it as a book of saints - one a week. It inspired me to do some research on many of the featured individuals because Randall's storytelling gave me just enough information to hook me on their lives. Highly recommended!

Black Bottom Saints is a most interesting and fascinating new novel from Alice Randall. This author and teacher is new to me, but I am a believer in her work, and I highly recommend reading Black Bottom Saints in the year 2020. Add this book to the stack of timely literature as it stands up with recent additions speaking about Black culture in the 20th century. What struck me most after finishing and reflecting on this book is that it is all at once a history lesson, eulogy, celebration, and obituary of the cultural epicenter, the eponymous Black Bottom, of Detroit in the mid-20th century. Told over the course of a year, each chapter representing one week’s passage of time, this book unfolds to reveal the most interesting and fascinating characters, as well as stories within stories. There are so many layers to this book, you will be engrossed throughout as you peel back the onion. This book is definitely a treat for those interested in contemporary history, but it also features a tender story about the relationship between the protagonist, Josephy “Ziggy” Johnson, a former dance-school instructor and Black Bottom historian, and a prized pupil, Mari, referred affectionately or instructively throughout as “Colored Girl”, which unfolds throughout each chapter. Ultimately, this book is a love song to a bygone era and long forgotten characters of the Black Bottom.

The language and the tone that Randall employs is utterly beautiful. She creates an wholly unique voice and cadence in the narrator of Ziggy. Each chapter unfurls a beautiful tapestry of interesting turns of phrase and vocabulary, forcing me to the dictionary multiple times. This is really a novel about people and characters, and Randall allows the poetry of her language to give these characters narratives color and depth that is breathtakingly memorable. Learning about these cultural icons is fascinating, but is only aided by the carefully chosen words and common descriptors that Randall employs throughout. It is reminiscent of sitting with a loved family member or neighbor while they regale you with stories from the past, some of which you might have heard, but are all too willing to hear again.

Ziggy becomes the caretaker of these narratives, the “unofficial” and self-proclaimed historian of the Black Bottom, canonizing his friends, family, and loved ones for all time. Ziggy himself is quite a character and he is the perfect docent to take the reader through this world because of his pure, genuine love and care for the people of the Black Bottom. His story parallels that of Mari, or Colored Girl, whom we get to see grow throughout the book. Additionally, each chapter features a cocktail pairing, which is such a fun summer treat and adds an additional layer of intrigue about the history of the era and the area, as these are actual cocktails devised by a Black Bottom mixologist. I am not a drinker, but I imagine making these drinks would be a fun summer, quarantine project.

**Spoiler Alert**: Stop reading here if you want to be surprised reading the book on your own.

Mari’s story parallels that of Ziggy so beautifully. There is a slight plot twist as we learn towards the end of the book that Mari is actually rewriting these chapters because Ziggy’s original manuscript has perished, along with Ziggy. Her rewriting of these tales highlights the importance and significance of local lore and the tradition of passing down stories about the traditions of a time and place between generations. Randall reminds us that story is a binding agent that holds societies, communities, and cultures together, and can be a uniting force. Books like Black Bottom Saints are important because they capture and preserve oral histories and memories of a place for future generations to have and cherish. I hope this is a book that preserves itself and has a long shelf life.

This book was a fascinating look at the lives of many black men and women. I really fully enjoyed reading the different chapters and stories about these people.

Black Bottom Saints by Alice Randall explores the shadow lives of fifty-one prominent Black American figures (not including Tallulah Bankhead) told through the recollection of one influential community ambassador, Ziggy Johnson. The novel acts as Ziggy’s version of a Catholic “Saint of the Day” book, where each saint receives his/her Sunday following Father’s Day. Although a novel, the book could conveniently act as compendium in any American liberal arts course in that the reader encounters interesting tidbits (maybe fictional, maybe not) on the likes of Robert Hayden, Ethel Waters, MLK, and Della Reese. The Sunday devoted to Elsie Roxborough is so intriguing, I needed to conduct further research on her. Randall’s novel reads like a creative non-fiction in that it’s not a page-turner in the conventional sense. The reader is curious to know each Black Bottom Saint, but like a Catholic Saints Day book, the novel gives the impression one can read about a character then come back to the next character the following day. This makes it difficult to read in a short time period. In the introduction, Ziggy does explain the libation recipes following each saint’s section. However, it doesn’t keep the recipes from appearing out-of-place during the read. Ziggy is dedicating his final days to ensuring the lives of the people he knew, admired, and loved aren’t forgotten, to include his own. That alone is a reason to maintain Black Bottom Saints on my bookshelf.

Black Bottom Saints by Alice Randall is an excellent collection of fascinating men and women that created a one-of-a-kind, memorable, and unique area of Detroit what it was during the particular period of 20th century. Here Ms. Randall creates a list of nationally well-known African Americans and locally “famous” individuals that helped shape this neighborhood into the timeless essence that it will always be.

I loved peaking into the lives of people that made a difference. Their lives are fascinating, intriguing, and awe-inspiring. I loved the picture that was painted of this section of Detroit and all the ways that ushered in change. I also loved the matching and thought-provoking cocktail recipes added in. This is a unique and interesting book that had a nice flow and kept me interested from beginning to end.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Amistad/HarperCollins for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.