When I mentioned to friends and coworkers that I was reading a biography of Anna May Wong, the reaction was always, "Who?" It is discouraging that a woman who was an international star, fashion icon, and philanthropist, someone who made over 60 films - is now unknown to so many. Salisbury's book covers Wong's entire life, up to her tragic death of a heart attack at age 56. Her career is covered in detail from her start as an extra in silent films up to the age of modern motion pictures, radio, and television.
The liberal inclusion of quotes from interviews, letters, and similar sources brings Wong's personality to life, as do the photos from throughout her life. Readers can see her as a slave girl in "The Thief of Baghdad" with Douglas Fairbanks or posing with Marlene Dietrich at the Reimann Art School Ball in 1930. Her time in Hollywood, making films in Europe, performing in England, and back to the U.S. are all recounted in incredible detail.
As we have seen in even recent years with #oscarssowhite, Hollywood has always had trouble with representation and inclusion. One of Wong's many disappointments described in the book was being passed over for the lead role in Pearl Buck's "The Good Earth," just as in so many other movies where she was offered a secondary role so that a white actress could perform in yellow face. It is almost heartbreaking when Salisbury compares her career to that of Michelle Yeoh and how it took "nearly four decades in the industry" before Yeoh finally set "eyes on a script that called on her to demonstrate her full range as an actress." In 2023 Yeoh "became the first Asian woman to win an Oscar for best actress."
Anna May once said, "Some day some one will write a story demanding a real Chinese girl - then perhaps I will have my chance." She never got that chance, but her legacy lives on. To find out all about her and how she helped to pave the way for Michelle Yeoh, Margaret Cho, Awkwafina, Lucy Liu, and so many others...read this amazing biography. And if it sends you on a search for more information, there are pages of bibliography and chapter notes to help you find sources that may hold the answers.
I read an advanced copy - but the book came out March 12, so grab a copy and dive into Hollywood history that not many know.
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