Born to a stage mother so horrid even Dina Lohan would say Wow, maybe you should back off a little?, Gypsy Rose Lee managed to not only survive her mother (no small feat considering her mom murdered at least three people over the course of her life), but she went from a small support role in her younger sisters vaudeville act to become the most famous burlesque dancer ever. This womans life was insane. INSANE. Her mother was flat evil, right to the very end, and the fact that Gypsy and her younger sister June managed to become even moderately functional adults is nothing short of a miracle. Still, you dont come through that kind of childhood without plenty of Issues, and this biography doesnt shy away from those. It manages not to sensationalize the bad aspects of Gypsys personality or behavior and it doesnt demonize her for them either. Its all told with quite a bit of sympathy, even. She certainly had a fascinating, if rather sad, life.

What I liked best about the book was that it situated Gypsys life in its historical context. There were entire chapters devoted to the workings of the vaudeville circuits, the rise of the Minsky Brothers and their hand in creating burlesque, and the political and cultural currents that led to the fall of vaudeville and the rise of different trends in public performance and burlesque. The author does a good job of clearly demonstrating how these things created the choices available to Gypsy (and/or her mother, as the case may be) and explained how and why Gypsy (or her mother) managed to play the system to her advantage.

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American Rose is a part memoir of Gypsy Rose Lee and part history of burlesque. Chapters jump back and forth into the life of Gypsy and the rise of The Minsky brothers theatres of burlesque.

I have always been a fan of the musical Gypsy which was written about the real-life actress/ burlesque star. I learned so much about her and her family. She not only had acted in movies but wrote 2 mystery books, and had a child. Every time she tried to leave burlesque she would always find herself back. Although the musical based on her life had its bright moments I think the truth is Gypsy went through much more dark times than this book expanded on.

I was less interested in the rise and fall of the Minsky brothers and their theatres. Yes, Gypsy's history does cross with theirs but I just never cared about their struggles. Even though I learned so much about Gypsy's life there were parts of her history that were so strange and shocking but were only glanced over. For instance, it was rumored Gypsy's mother Rose and possibly Gypsy herself killed a homeless man. How can you just nonchalantly mention killing someone and then go back to Gypsy house parties? It was so shocking.

I might read more about Gypsy and maybe the books she wrote. I am still very curious about the fact Rose and Gypsy might have been serial killers.

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Before reading this book, I knew nothing about the subject of Gypsy or exotic dancing. This book introduced me to both and I was hooked from the first page. Great book and fascinating subject.

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