Stompin' at the Savoy: The Story of Norma Miller

by Alan Govenar

Book Overview

Through extensive interviews with jazz dancer Norma Miller, acclaimed author and filmmaker Alan Govenar captures the vitality, wry humor, and indomitable spirit of an American treasure.

When she was just five years old, in 1924, Norma Miller knew just what she wanted to do for the rest of her life: she wanted to dance. It was the Jazz Age, the Harlem Renaissance, and Norma lived behind New York's Savoy Ballroom, the only dance hall in...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763622443
• ISBN13: 9780763622442
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.8" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 10 to 13 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 8

Customer Reviews

Norma's Regret?

One interesting part of the book is the question whether Norma still had one big regret in life which was not getting married when she had the chance. The decisions one makes in life??

Short, and very sweet

I was surprised at how much this book touched me, and grateful for the little bits of history and "filling in the blank" that it provided. Norma has been a major force in a dance form that many of us around the world have come to cherish. This is a well-written, simple but elegant document of part of her contribution - definitely worth a read.

Syncopation in her blood

I'm sitting here at my desk staring at two different children's books. Both books were published in 2006. Both books are named "Stompin' At the Savoy". But only one book is the title that has been getting raves, starred reviews, and generally healthy applause from he masses. Yes, when it all comes down to it, give me the "Stompin' At the Savoy" written by Alan Govenar over the one written by Bebe Moore Campbell anyday. In Govenar's case, we have a wholly original and interesting little biography. Ever heard of Norma Miller? You will. As one of the great Lindy Hoppers of the 20th century (to say nothing of the other dances she fit into her repertoire) this is the story of swing, of jazz, and of the Roaring 20s and pre-WWII America. It also manages to convey the rhythm and pure athleticism of dancing at that time. A wonderful tribute to a true New York original. She was born on December 2, 1919 in New York City, a mere month after her father died. Her mother had two small children to support and was only twenty years old. Sometimes to pay the rent she'd throw rent parties, and it was there that Norma first started learning to dance. As she got older, she and the other kids would dance outside the great Savoy Ballroom until the bouncer frightened them off. When she got older she started dancing with a partner and she got so good that Herbert White (or Whitey) took her in as a dancer. Throughout the years Norma would tour Europe, find herself in Hollywood, work with the great Ethel Waters, and finally do what she loved doing for the rest of her life. Dancing up a storm. Hats off to illustrator Martin French, by the way. Illustrations can sometimes make or break a biography, especially one as slim (54 pages) as this puppy. As you can see by the cover, however, French was a perfect complement to Govenar's tale. The first image we have of Norma is as a small child performing a fine Charleston at her mother's rent party. Later, you see her thrown over the back of the handsome Twist Mouth George (love the name), and performing in a chorus line at fifteen. But French is just as good at the calm quiet moments in Miller's life. There's a picture of her walking in Europe with a strong, sure, steady step. A shot of her father walking alone just as we hear how he died. A shot of Ethel Waters keeping it cool and looking like a million dollars (though slimmed down a great deal, if I do say so myself). Each picture perfectly illustrates what French is trying to say, and the result is a great glamorous and energetic look at early Miller's life. I've noticed recently that when authors want to write biographies of great African-American women, they sometimes use the medium of children's literature to best tell their story. For example, the book "Maritcha: A Nineteenth Century American Girl", by Tonya Bolden told a fascinating story with what little facts the author was able to dredge up. In the case of "Stompin'", Govenar didn't la