Women in the Performing Arts: A Selected Bibliography

Quicklinks: Adult Nonfiction | Young Adult | Kids Fiction | Kids Nonfiction

Adult Nonfiction

Attitude! Eight Young Dancers Come of Age at the Ailey School
By Katharine Davis Fishman
J.P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2004
A fascinating exploration of how artistic talent emerges and endures in the life of teenagers.

The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption and Pee
By Sarah Silverman
HarperCollins, 2010
Comedian Sarah Silverman’s memoir mixes showbiz moments with the more serious subject of her teenage bout with depression.
Also available in audiobook, ebook and eaudiobook

Beverly: An Autobiography
By Beverly Sills
Bantam Books, 1987
The story of the famed opera singer told in her own words.

Brown Sugar: Over One Hundred Years of America’s Black Female Superstars
By Donald Bogle
Continuum, 2007
An unparalleled examination of the lives, careers and sometimes contradictory images (those public poses and private anxieties!) of African American goddesses of pop culture: the movies, television, music and theater.

Foxy: My Life in Three Acts
By Pam Grier
Springboard Press, 2010
The actress known for such films as Foxy Brown and Jackie Brown tells her personal stories for the first time.
Also available in large print

My Life, As I See It: An Autobiography
By Dionne Warwick
Atria Books, 2010
Dionne Warwick tells stories of her life, from her childhood in East Orange, N.J., to now, as she celebrates her 50th year in show business.

Something in the Way She Moves: Dancing Women from Salome to Madonna
By Wendy Buonaventura
Da Capo Press, 2004
Rich with both fascinating and astonishing facts, this book shows the world of dance and sex through women’s eyes.

The Oberon Book of Modern Monologues for Women
Chosen and edited by Catherine Weate.
Oberon Books, 2008
A useful collection for auditioning actresses.

Young Adult

Creative Careers: Paths for Aspiring Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers
By Elaina Loveland
SuperCollege, 2007
More than 75 creative professions are featured from across the arts spectrum.

The Girls’ Guide to Rocking: How to Start a Band, Book Gigs and Get Rolling to Rock Stardom
By Jessica Hopper
Workman Publishers, 2009
Everything teens need to know to turn a love of music—and desire to play it—into something real.

Indie Girl: From Starting a Band to Launching a Fashion Company, Nine Ways to Turn Your Creative Talent into Reality
By Arne Johnson and Karen Macklin; illustrations by Michael Wertz
Zest Books, 2008
A fun and comprehensive guide for young women containing information needed to start independent, creative ventures.

Psyche in a Dress
By Francesca Lia Block
Joanna Cotler Books, 2008
A young woman, Psyche, searches for her lost love and questions her true self in a modern retelling of Greek myths.
Also available in ebook

Sophisticated Ladies: The Great Women of Jazz
By Leslie Gourse; illustrated by Martin French
Dutton Juvenile, 2007
Biographies of 14 singers from the 1920s to present day.

Kids Fiction

Angelina Ballerina
By Katherine Holabird; illustrations by Helen Craig
C.N. Potter Publishers, 1983 (Ages 4-8)
A pretty little mouse wants to become a ballerina more than anything else in the world.

Chasing Degas
By Eva Montanari
Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2009 (Ages 4-8)
At the time of the Impressionists, a young ballet dancer races around Paris searching for Monsieur Degas, who accidentally took her bag, and the tutu she needs for the recital in which she is to perform that night.

Dancing Feet!
By Lindsey Craig
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2010 (Ages 1-5)
An easy-to-read, rhyming text that depicts different animals dancing.

Dancing in the Wings
By Debbie Allen; illustrations by Kadir Nelson
Dial Books for Young Readers, 2000 (Ages 4-8)
Sassy tries out for a summer dance festival in Washington, D.C., despite the other girls’ taunts that she is much too tall.

Tanya and the Magic Wardrobe
By Patricia Lee Gauch; illustrated by Satomi Ichikawa
Philomel Books, 1997 (Ages 4-7)
When Tanya and her mother arrive early to see a performance of “Coppelia,” Tanya wanders off and meets an old woman who loves dance as much as she does.
Also available in Spanish

Kids Nonfiction

Celia Cruz: Queen of Salsa
By Veronica Chambers; illustrated by Julie Maren
Dial Books for Young Readers, 2005 (Ages 7-10)
Biography of the Cuban salsa singer.

Martha Graham: A Dancer’s Life
By Russell Freedman
Clarion Books, 1998 (Ages 10 and up)
A photo-biography of the American dancer, teacher and choreographer who was born in Pittsburgh in 1895 and who became a leading figure in the world of modern dance.

My Ballet Book
By Kate Castle
DK Publishers, 1998 (Ages 9-12)
Introduces the world of ballet and presents its notable stories, dancers, techniques and routines.
Also available in Spanish

Selena Gomez: Actress and Singer
By Zella Williams
PowerKids Press, 2011 (Ages 9-12)
Meet Selena Gomez, an actress on the rise, and learn about her singing, charity and more.
Also available in Spanish

Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story
By Paula Yoo; illustrated by Lin Wang
Lee & Low books, 2009 (Ages 7-10)
A biography of Chinese American film star Anna May Wong who, in spite of limited opportunities, achieved her dream of becoming an actress and worked to represent her race on screen in a truthful, positive manner.

Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald
By Roxane Orgill; illustrated by Sean Qualls
Candlewick Press, 2010 (Age 5 and up)
A biography of jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald.

Tallchief: America’s Prima Ballerina
By Maria Tallchief with Rosemary Wells; illustrations by Gary Kelley
Viking Press, 1999 (Ages 4-9)
Ballerina Maria Tallchief describes her childhood on an Osage reservation, the development of her love of dance and her rise to success in that field.

To Dance: A Memoir
By Siena Cherson Siegel
Albert A. Knopf, 2006 (Ages 8-14)
A ballerina’s graphic novel.

When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson
By Pam Muñoz Ryan; illustrations by Brian Selznick
Scholastic Press, 2002 (Ages 4-8)
An introduction to the life of Marian Anderson, extraordinary singer and civil rights activist.