Bricktop

From Brea Baker, the award-winning author of The Rooted, comes an inspiring and rich exploration of the life of Ada “Bricktop” Smith, unearthing the political and social context of her rise to fame as a self-made businesswoman, entertainer and socialite in pre-WWII Paris.

What do Duke Ellington, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Josephine Baker have in common? They all owe a piece of their success to one extraordinary woman: Ada “Bricktop” Smith.

From Depression-era Chicago to the glittering cabarets of Jazz Age Paris, Bricktop’s life was a testament to resilience, ambition, and reinvention. She was a self-made businesswoman, entertainer, and socialite who defied the odds stacked against her as a Black woman in the early 20th century. Bricktop’s Parisian nightclub became the beating heart of the Negro Renaissance in Europe, drawing luminaries like Langston Hughes, Cole Porter, Pablo Picasso, and even royalty like Edward VIII.

This biography unearths the untold story of a woman who lived life on her own terms, navigating a world dominated by white supremacy and patriarchy with grace, wit, and determination. From mentoring a young Duke Ellington and inspiring F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, to guiding Josephine Baker through her meteoric rise, Bricktop’s influence shaped the cultural landscape of her time.

But how did a Black woman born in West Virginia and raised in Chicago achieve such global success? And why has her name been relegated to the margins of history? Through rich storytelling and historical context, Bricktop retraces her steps, exploring her legacy and what it reveals about race, gender, and power in the 20th century.

A century after her peak, Bricktop’s story challenges us to imagine how we, too, might reimagine our place in the world.