Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“‘A Strange and Bitter Cry’: Blackness and Colorism in the Music of Billie Holiday, Etta James, and Ella Fitzgerald”

In this activity students will watch and analyze original performances by 3 of Genesis’s most beloved Black artists to more deeply explore how Genesis’s character was influenced by these iconic musicians.

At the climax of the novel, Genesis finally performs in the talent show. Her performance marks a pivotal step in Genesis’s journey to self-acceptance. Just before she steps onstage, she thinks to herself:

I recall every bad memory, every negative word, because when I sing, I’m gonna conjure the loneliness of Billie Holiday, the joy of Ella Fitzgerald, the soul and longing of Etta James. I’ll sing for every girl who feels like…feels like me (Chapter 31).

In this exercise, you will explore the work of these legendary musical artists, starting with a few of their most iconic performances.

First, watch and listen to or research renditions of the following musical numbers: Etta James singing “Something’s Got a Hold on Me,” Billie Holiday singing “Strange Fruit,” and Ella Fitzgerald singing “Summertime.