The Life Fantastic: A Novel in Three Acts

In a historical novel that opens in 1913 Vermont, Ketchum (Out of Left Field) weaves a gripping story of racial discrimination in the performing arts. Money is always tight for Teresa LeClair’s white family; although they have left their vaudeville life behind, 15-year-old Teresa dreams of a career as a singer. When Teresa’s father wants her to risk her voice and health to work in the tuning rooms of an organ manufacturer, she runs away, and her younger brother, Pascal, follows. After Teresa meets a tap dancer named Pietro, who is black, the two begin traveling and performing together, but as they travel to New York City and then Colorado, Teresa’s opportunities on the stage far outnumber those of the equally talented Pietro, which outrages her. Ketchum paints a vivid portrait of the difficult life of a performer and the indignities and prejudice endured by artists of color like Pietro, including being forced to perform in blackface. Lovers of theater and history will find a great deal to sink their teeth into. Ages 14–up. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. (Jan.)