Hattie McDaniel was an accomplished Golden Age actress who became the first African American woman to win the Academy Award. Her successes and challenges, both personal and professional, have been well documented, in addition to her groundbreaking win.

However, McDaniel soon found herself struggling to find work again and dealing with a new array of professional conflicts. Nonetheless, her journey continued and she dedicated herself to war efforts and fought against housing discrimination.

ReShonda Tate’s The Queen of Sugar Hill offers a heartfelt and fascinating novelization of McDaniels’ life and career. The author stages numerous moments from McDaniels’ life in addition to providing interesting contextual information through a variety of additional perspectives. McDaniel is given an intriguing voice throughout this novel, which is a worthy tribute to the star.

The Queen of Sugar Hill is available for purchase via William Morrow.