RICHARD KURIN is the Under Secretary for History, Art, and Culture at the Smithsonian Institution. A former Fulbright fellow with a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, he is the author of Hope Diamond- The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem and Reflections of a Culture Broker- A View from the Smithsonian. Kurin has been awarded the Smithsonian Secretary's Gold Medal for Exceptional Service and the American Folklore Society's Botkin Prize for lifetime achievement.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kurin (Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem), the
under secretary for history, art, and culture at the Smithsonian
Institution, offers an engaging portrait of a forgotten icon: the
once famous “Madcap” May Yohe (1866–1938). Born to innkeepers in
Bethlehem, Pa., May grew up to be a world-renowned stage actress of
the early 20th century, as famous for her roles as for her love
life. The tallest tales can be found in the truest stories, and
Yohe lived a life full of such exoticism—her collection of pets
just a minor example of her flamboyance—that today’s celebrity
antics seem quaint by comparison. After multiple scandalous
dalliances and engagements, she married Lord Hope—of the Hope
Diamond—and later divorced him for the dashing son of New York
political royalty. Both men were disappointments, but the trials of
love could not stop this stage goddess from her calling. Kurin’s
breezy biography transports the reader to the pomp of a lost era
and shows us a diva who entertained, enraged, and surprised a
nation through the end of one century and the beginning of the
next. Kurin rediscovered Yohe in his research around the Hope
Diamond and its legend; his portrait of this madam of the stage is
a credit to her one-time notoriety and lingering ghost. Photos.
(Sept.)
LIBRARY JOURNAL
New York City in the 1890s—it was the Gilded Age, and sumptuous
gluttony was the norm. Every night the theater district overflowed
with lobster parties, diamond-studded bachelors, and scandalous
women. Singer and musical theater actress May Yohe was one of the
most notorious women of the era, whose life was seemingly
tailor-made for the gossip columns. In this first biography of
Yohe, Kurin (undersecretary for history, art, & culture,
Smithsonian Inst.; Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed
Gem) explores her trajectory from poverty to worldwide acclaim (and
to wearing the Hope Diamond) to scrubbing floors during the Great
Depression. Yet behind the drama and the headlines was an
individual with that rare mix of intelligence, naïveté, spunk, and
optimism, who saw life as a great adventure even amid tragedy.
VERDICT While not as well known today as Lillian Russell or Anna
Held, Yohe was a true Gay Nineties superstar, and Kurin wonderfully
reveals the woman behind all of the brilliant facets. This
biography will appeal to social and theater historians, those
interested in women in theater, and anyone looking for a delicious
story of a decadent age.—Teri Shiel, Westfield State Univ. Lib.,
MA
BOOKLIST
Temptress, singer, farmer, nurse. Gold digger, feminist, innkeeper,
cook. May Yohe played many roles during the course of her
tumultuous life, and though she achieved international fame as an
actress, her most controversial scenes most often took place
offstage rather than on. Born in 1866 in the little town of
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Yohe grew up within its tight-knit
Moravian religious community, and was instilled with a strong sense
of individualism and self-worth that translated into a devious vein
of ambition and self-preservation. A precocious child turned
alluring young woman, Yohe embraced the theater, quickly capturing
the attention of English nobleman Lord Francis Hope, owner of the
eponymous diamond so often associated with misfortune. Indeed,
adversity plagued Yohe throughout her life, in the form of multiple
marriages, scandalous affairs, an unpredictable career, and
unspeakable poverty. Her reckless behavior, dissipated lifestyle,
acerbic wit, and wanton pursuit of the limelight made Yohe the
Lindsay Lohan/Elizabeth Taylor/Dorothy Parker of her day.
Smithsonian scholar Kurin vividly brings to life and light a
wrongfully overlooked American femme fatale.— Carol Haggas
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