The Queen of Sugar Hill: A Novel of Hattie McDaniel
ReShonda Tate
Bestselling author ReShonda Tate presents a fascinating fictional portrait of Hattie McDaniel, one of Hollywood’s most prolific but woefully underappreciated stars—and the first Black person ever to win an Oscar for her role as Mammy in the critically acclaimed film classic Gone With the Wind. It was supposed to be the highlight of her career, the pinnacle for which she’d worked all her life. And as Hattie McDaniel took the stage in 1940 to claim an honor that would make her the first African-American woman to win an Academy Award, she tearfully took her place in history. Between personal triumphs and tragedies, heartbreaking losses, and severe setbacks, this historic night of winning best supporting actress for her role as the sassy Mammy in the controversial movie Gone With the Wind was going to be life-changing. Or so she thought. Months after winning the award, not only did the Oscar curse set in where Hattie couldn’t find work, but she found herself thrust in the middle of two worlds—Black and White—and not being welcomed in either. Whites only saw her as Mammy and Blacks detested the demeaning portrayal. As the NAACP waged an all-out war against Hattie and actors like her, the emotionally conflicted actor found herself struggling daily. Through it all, Hattie continued her fight to pave a path for other Negro actors, while focusing on war efforts, fighting housing discrimination, and navigating four failed marriages. Luckily, she had a core group of friends to help her out—from Clark Gable to Louise Beavers to Ruby Berkley Goodwin and Dorothy Dandridge. The Queen of Sugar Hill brings to life the powerful story of one woman who was driven by many passions—ambition, love, sex, family, friendship, and equality. In re-creating Hattie’s story, ReShonda Tate delivers an unforgettable novel of resilience, dedication, and determination—about what it takes to achieve your dreams—even when everything—and everyone—is against you.
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The story swiftly starts with Hattie McDaniel's historic supporting actress win at the Academy Awards for her portrayal of Mammy in Gone With the Wind. This role remains a controversial performance even today, but to discredit Hattie's performance also erases her hard work and the Hollywood limitations placed upon a Black woman in the industry.
Hattie thought this award would propel her into being a coveted actress for future projects, dreaming of theatrical roles that would stretch her. Unfortunately, she was forever typecast into the role of housekeeper, but that's not to say that Hattie didn't fight every day for Hollywood to give her something better.
Whether she was butting heads with the NAACP, fighting racial segregation in her neighborhood, falling madly in love with four different men (at least), or finding an unusually steadfast friendship with Clark Gable- this juicy tell-all reads like a Ryan Murphy flick in a book.
In her author's note, Tate reluctantly shared that Hattie persistently appeared to her in dreams and that she had been thinking about this writing project for many years. You can tell that Tate lived and breathed this project for years as she takes the reader through the historical details and author’s note at the tail end of her book.
It was a treat to look up the images of these places mentioned and to have a new reverence for McDaniel's work on the show—the author did her homework, and it showed on every page. To say more will rob you of a lot of incredible trivia missions. You will never watch the film the same way again.
TAG: Old Hollywood, Books About Nurses, Books Set At Hospitals, BIPOC Authors
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