This book was just ok in my opinion. I think I let my expectations get the best of me. It wasn't as good as a Fiona Davis or Marie Benedict historical fiction novel in my opinion. Still, it was a decent read and semi-entertaining. I might pick it up again later on and give it a second chance though!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book in exchange for my honest review!

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Bessie is a historical novel about Bess Myerson, the first (and only) Jewish Miss America. Bess was crowned Miss America in 1945, as World War II concluded. She was born to a working class family in the Bronx, New York and grew up, a bright girl with a gift for music (piano and later flute as well). She went to a high school for the performing arts and then studied music in college. She joined the Miss America pageant solely for a graduate school scholarship to advance her dreams to be a composer or classical pianist.

I was familiar with Bess Myerson from the old game show I've Got a Secret. I knew she was a former Miss America, but knew nothing else about her story until I read this book. The Miss America storyline and the 1940's setting (my favorite historical fiction time period) prompted me to read this novel.

Bessie is very high on my list of favorite reads this year. I enjoyed learning about Bess Myerson's life, and especially her passion for the piano. Miss America takes up a lot of the book and the pageant details are fascinating.

Bess faced some terrible anti-semitism and made the conscious choice to use her newfound celebrity to speak out about anti-semitism, racism, and other forms of discrimination. She was a courageous person and her story was inspiring (and timely as well).

I cannot recommend Bessie highly enough for fans of historical fiction, This is a lovely, quiet novel - well written, engaging, and ultimately inspiring.

Bess is an interesting interpretation of the early life of Bess Meyerson, the first Jewish Miss America. using facts and historical perspective of the times this novel is well written and holds the readers attention. We learn about the Miss America pageant and we see the conflict Bess feels about entering and then about being a role model for other Jewish girls, women and the Jewish immigrants coming to this country following on the heels of the Holocaust.

Having grown up with family connections to Atlantic City, NJ and swimming this book was interesting. The descriptions are so well written that it brings back many memories of the boardwalk, the Steel Pier and the beach.

The Miss America pageant has been under scrutiny for many years now and it is interesting to read that the questions about the swim suit contest and importance of beauty have been controversial since its inception. The talent and congeniality parts of the requirements were more emphasized in earlier years.

Bess is at first reluctant to get involved but the need for the cash prize was enticing enough to overcome her reservations. Then when she became involved the people who looked up to her and were supporting her as the first Jewish Miss America became very important to her.

This was a fun, entertaining but also important book to read.

Bessie is a telling of Bess Myerson's life. I remember Myerson and so that added some additional interest to learning more about her life in this historical fiction novel.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Bessie is available now.

Welcome to the c world of pagentry particularly the Miss America Contest. Shortly after WWII ended in 1945 one of the most memorable Miss Americas, Bessie (shortened to Bess Myerson, who was representing NYC as a contestant was crowned Miss America. She stood out with her height, her dark skin, beauty and talent and had been one of the audiences favorite throughout the nights of competition in the swim suit and talent categories. Her talent: piano and flute which has been her total focus for years. It wasn’t an easy year for this Miss America because she was a Jew and sponsorships were leary of this fact. A story of hardship, of growing up poor in a development, of having a mother who tended to neglect her except to force practicing for hours at the piano. This young lady who went tanning on “Tar Beach” in her youth and while feeling discriminated as a Jew during her tenure of Miss America joins forces with the Anti-Defamation League and later becomes one of the most recognized women in America. Biography genre lovers will devour this book of beauty and discrimination during post war time and her ambition to succeed in life. Thanks to #NetGalley and #She Writes Press for an ARC; this review is my honest opinion.

A compelling histfic novel about Bess Myerson, first Jewish Miss America in 1945. We learn about her remarkable life during rampant antisemitism and what it took for Bess to succeed. Histfic fans will love it.

Bessie by Linda Kass is the story of Bess Myerson, the first Jewish Miss America. The novel takes us on a trip through Bessie’s early life. We learn of her love of music and her extraordinary talent, which was nurtured and encouraged by her music teacher, Miss La Follette. Bess sought to continue educating herself and to always rely on her talent. In her early life, Bess learned about antisemitism. Throughout her life she maintained her Jewish identify and helped to point out the evils of antisemitism. We go through her first foray into the beauty pageant world (Miss New York City). We are given a backstage look at the trial and tribulations of the Miss America pageant. Although she experiences many hurtful occasions of antisemitism while traveling as Miss America, Bess Myerson is revealed as a woman who had great integrity and who never lost sight of who she was and where she came from. The essence of Bess Myerson really comes to light in this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This book about Bess Myerson, Miss America. 1945 ( the first winner to receive an academic scholarship and the first , and only Jewish winner), focuses on her early life in New York, and ends with her experiences as Miss America. I thought that this book was very interesting, her parents encouraging her education and musical abilities, always pushing her do more. Miss Myerson succeeded in her endeavors but she experienced her share of discrimination and difficulties.. I thought that this book was very interesting , informative, and very insightful

Interesting to read about her life during the 1940's and later. Bess Myerson was very well known, but her story and how she got to the Miss America pageant was not as well known. The struggles she came up against because of her religion were huge. Her philanthropy was inspiring. The challenges that got in her way and affected her life were interesting to read about.

When I was very young, I would watch shows like I’ve Got a Secret with my family. Bess Myerson was a panelist and I loved her. I remember my father telling me that she had been Miss America. To me at that age, Miss America was the pinnacle of achievement that a woman could reach. When I had the opportunity to read an Advance Reader Copy of this book, I grabbed it. The book is historical fiction, so I’m not entirely sure what exactly is true and what isn’t in spite of the author's notes. We know that Bess Myerson faced prejudice because she was Jewish, but I'm not sure if some specific incidents addressed in the book were factual or if they were created to move the story forward. What I do know, and what comes through in the book, is that Bess was an extremely talented musician who played the piano and flute. She was the first Jewish Miss America. She didn’t want to be known as just a pretty face and worked tirelessly for the Anti-Defamation League, was involved in politics, and even ran for the Senate. All in all, an enjoyable book which will be available in Sept 2023. I wish there were photos in the book!

"Bessie" dove into the interesting life of Bess Myerson, who was the first Jewish woman to win the Miss America pageant. Especially notable about her victory is that it took place in 1945, just 6 days after World War II ended. The novel explores the antisemitism she faced and how her experiences inspired her later life.

I enjoyed learning about Bess, but the writing wasn't excellent. It was stiff, and the author told a lot of information rather than showing. Bess's thoughts were clear, but the setting and other characters weren't fleshed out. The story also abruptly moved forward and skipped seemingly important events. One example is her time with Miss New York City; we got a lot of buildup and her choosing outfits, and then abruptly the text just says she won.

I'd recommend this book for those wishing to read a novel about a unique historical figure.

HEEEERE SHE IIIIISSSS!! MIIISSS AMEEEEERICAAAA!!!! If you belong to the Boomers or Gen X you have crooned that refrain (Usually ironically.)

It is auspicious that I completed Bessie this week, as Miss America will crown a new winner on Saturday, in the pageant's 103rd year. Started as a publicity stunt to extend Atlantic City's summer tourist season, Miss America became a scholarship pageant giving young women a chance for education, personal growth and travel. From 1954 on the Miss America Pageant was a televised event, held every year, to crown a young woman who best represented the poise, talent, and intelligence American young womanhood had to offer. But beyond the pageant, Miss America really didn't do much. An occasional TV appearance, an ad for a product whose company sponsored the pageant, but not much else.

Miss Americas never became famous beyond the crown - save Lee Meriwether (one of Batman's many cat women), Marianne Mobley and Phyllis George. Arguably the most famous Miss America is Vanessa Williams, the first black woman to wear the crown. But before Vanessa, in 1945, there was Bess Meyerson, the first Jewish woman to win. Bess faced anti-Semitism in the first post World War II competition but held firm to the idea that she represented ALL of America. Bess Meyerson spoke out in favor of integrating the pageant 25 years before the first black contestant competed in 1970. Bess Meyerson faced discrimination and backlash for winning a contest she never actually entered, but represented the dream than in America everyone has an equal chance of success.

Bess Meyerson was the middle daughter of a Russian Jewish father who survived a progrom and fled to America. The Meyersons lived a safe, comfortable existence in a Jewish enclave in the Bronx. Bess' only real dream was to study piano. She attended tuition free Hunter College and graduated with no concrete idea of what her future would be. A tall, beautiful raven-haired girl Bess began modeling. Her older sister entered her in the Miss New York City Pageant. With a borrowed bathing suit Bess won the title and a slot in the Miss America Pageant. Scholarship available, Bess could live her dream of entering a Music Conservatory to study piano full-time. When the pageant coordinator warns Bess that as a Jew, she will face anti-Semitism and tells her to change her last name to increase her chance of winning Bess holds firm and refuses to change. After winning the pageant, Bess realizes she has a platform that allows her to be heard. She joins the Anti-Defamation League and does not hesitate to let her views be known, much to the pageant's consternation.

In Bessie, author Linda Kass gives readers a peek under the crown, into the insecurities and shyness of a real young woman. Bess Meyerson constantly felt the lack of her mother's affection, felt awkward and gawky at her full 5 ft 10 in height, felt more comfortable at a piano than speaking to crowds. But forced to find her voice she stayed firm to her identity and her beliefs. Bess Meyerson was a trailblazer, her success lost to history. But Bess Meyerson's inner beauty, her commitment to equality makes her crown shine brighter and should make any young woman stand taller, be braver, and always speak her truth.

Bessie is the imagined life of Bess Myerson through the time just beyond her crowning as Miss America in 1945. I am not old enough to remember that event, but I am old enough to remember hearing about her throughout my childhood and then later knowing of her accomplishments in television and in New York City government. The general Jewish population on the East Coast, of which I am a part by origin, followed her career closely and proudly. I was excited to see a book of fiction that focused on her life and picked up Bessie with much anticipation. I am sorry to say that Bessie disappointed me. The general context of life for lower income Jews in the New York area is well done, although the occasional use of Yiddish words, such as purim, without definition, could be confusing to readers not familiar with the language. As to the story itself, perhaps my expectations were too high, but I did not find that the third person narration was the best choice for telling Bessie's story. The narrative about so many years of her early life became tedious and I looked forward more than the story to the epilogue, which filled in the years subsequent to the end of the story told here. Readers who remember the tall, talented, and beautiful Bess Myerson will be drawn to book. I hope they appreciate more than I - just one reader - did.

I received an advance copy from Net Galley. This book will be published in September 2023.

I went into this book not knowing anything about Bess Myerson. I don’t know what I expected, but the only way to describe it is dull. Granted this is a dramatized biography, but I still expected some sort of climactic event in the book. The author portrayed Bess as a weak personality, looking for love and approval, never really satisfied with her life. I enjoyed learning about the early days of the high school for the performing arts in NYC and also about the Miss America pageants of the 1940s. This book would most likely appeal to someone interested in learning more about pageants or life in the Bronx in the 1930-1940 era.

This is a quick and satisfying read based on the real life of Bessie Myerson who won a Miss America contest in 1945 against all odds since she came from an immigrant Jewish family. It's a strange place for a studious and musical Jewish girl to end up, but it really happened and then she had the experience of traveling all over America and facing the anti-semitism that was raging (still raging....).
Anyone who is Jewish will probably smile at the names of the family members. Who amongst us doesn't have an Aunt Lena or Uncle Harry? If you're Jewish you'll identify and really feel the story. I'm not sure how it reads if you're not Jewish.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I enjoyed being taken back to this era and I think many readers will also be charmed.

Writing: 3.5/5 Plot: 4/5 Characters: 4/5

This is the fictionalized story of Bess Myerson — the first Jewish Miss America, winning the prize in 1945. The author chose to focus the book on her early life — her upbringing, experiences in the Bronx (where the family had moved from the Lower East side for the trees, parks, and fresh air!), and her moral development. The book follows her story in a primarily linear fashion, culminating in an appearance at Carnegie Hall at the end of her year as Miss America. The epilogue goes on to summarize the rest of her professional life on TV and in public government and her personal life (I’ll let you read that in the epilogue so I don’t spoil the story).

What I loved in the book was the description of the Jewish community life in the Sholom Aleichem Housing complex (open to Jews when most were not). Her entire extended family lived in the 200 apartments across 15 buildings. The community was full of musicians and artists and though her family was by no means well-off, she was given piano lessons from an early age and as pushed to excel. That is the Jewish culture in which I was raised — not one of religion but of art, music, and study! — and I love reading biographies and stories that percolated out of Jewish New York City in that time period (check out any Marx Brother biography for an even wilder, but somewhat similar, ride).

What I didn’t love about the book was the level of fictionalization. I’m not a fan of fictionalizing real people when dialog and thoughts are created when none actually occur. The author does a good job of summarizing what she made up vs what was real at the end of the book, but for my taste she made up too much — she added in scenes that she felt could have happened based on her deep understanding of the character and that is her prerogative, but I really like to keep my fact and fiction separated. I can honestly say that I doubt this will bother anybody else — I seem to be the only person who likes to keep the line between fact and fiction solid and thick!

Linda Kass' wonderful story of a Bess Myerson who most only know as Miss America. In Bessie we learn about a brave and bold young woman. This is a story that I think young women should read. It's more than just beauty.

Bess Myerson was the first college educated, Jewish Miss America. She was bright, beautiful and talented. She studied music at the High School for Music and Art in New York, a school for artistically gifted students. She was an accomplished pianist and also learned to play the flute while at the prestigious school.

Her parents were Jewish immigrants from Russia. Her mother was strict, always making sure Bess practiced her music and studied hard. But when Bess’ sister, Sylvia, sent in an application for Bess to enter the Miss America contest, Bess decided the $5000 prize could help her family and decided to do it. She despised showing off her body and never thought she was beautiful, though she embraced this venture knowing the money was needed. She was crowned Miss America and her duties entailed public appearances where she was gawked at, encountered much bigotry and was paraded around like an animal. She despised it. She eventually joined the Anti-Defamation League and became an activist for equality and inclusion.

This book was well researched and very informative. I became interested enough in Bess Myerson to look her up on Google. She was an impressive woman and this book does her justice.

I give this very well written book 4 stars. Thank you, NetGalley and She Writes Press for the advanced copy.

I did not know what to expect starting this book that is written about a real woman - but I was not disappointed. This book is a diamond about a diamond - a fascinating look at what it meant to be a beautiful woman who tries to become her true self while competing in the Miss America Pageant. This was a fascinating portrayal of a fierce, determined woman who became something more than she was 'supposed' to be. Flawless and riveting, I enjoyed every page and will continue reading this author.

Linda Kass does everything that I was looking for in a historical fiction book. It does everything that I was hoping for from the description. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and thought they worked well with the story. This book made me a fan of Linda Kass and glad I was able to read this.

"Bessie leans back into the leather couch and takes in a deep breath. She’s thrilled that these capable women will be joining the war effort. So what if she and other Hunter students are displaced? It’s for a noble cause. She notices the bright sun is no longer splaying across her legs and looks up at the shadow of the person blocking it."