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0-89587-188-2
$12.95 paperback
5 1/2" x 8 1/2"
294 pages
bibliography, index
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Born into slavery, joined at
the lower spine, stolen from her parents in infancy, exhibited as a
curiosity in North America and Europe, stripped naked and examined in
every new town, freed from bondage on numerous occasions yet returned to
her former circumstances nonetheless, Millie-Christine McKoy lived one
of the most complex and difficult childhoods imaginable.
Even more remarkable is the
way she turned out. Reunited with her family and brought under caring
management, Millie-Christine became one of the most renowned performers
of her day. While most African-Americans were kept ignorant in slavery
and destitute after the Civil War, she grew fluent in five languages and
was an accomplished pianist, singer, and yes, dancer who toured the
world and entertained kings and queens.
Loved by most yet ridiculed
as a monster by some, Millie-Christine was one of the most amazing
people you've never heard of. Her story, told here in full for the first
time, has the flavor of the side-show world in which she traveled--a
world of giants, midgets, human skeletons, and bearded ladies, freaks
with very human souls.
about the author
Joanne Martell discovered Millie-Christine upon finding a booklet
about her in a library in Whiteville, North Carolina. She has since
written an essay, articles, and a short story on Millie-Christine and
presented programs on her life. Martell is a graduate of Stanford
University. She and her husband live in the North Carolina Sandhills.
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