Joy Goddess: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance

Description

“Raucously immersive…An intimate portrait of Black opulence in the early 20th century.” –Oprah Daily

A “scintillating, vibrant” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) and deeply researched biography of A’Lelia Walker–daughter of Madam C.J. Walker and herself a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance–written by her great-granddaughter.

Dubbed the “joy goddess of Harlem’s 1920s” by poet Langston Hughes, A’Lelia Walker was a dazzling cultural icon whose legendary parties and Dark Tower salon helped define the Harlem cultural scene.

After inheriting her mother’s pioneering hair care business, A’Lelia became America’s first high-profile Black heiress and a patron of the arts. Joy Goddess takes readers inside her New York homes, where she hosted luminaries including Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Paul Robeson, Florence Mills, James Weldon Johnson, Carl Van Vechten, and W.E.B. Du Bois–figures who shaped African American history and culture during the Roaring Twenties.

Drawing on extensive research and personal correspondence, A’Lelia Bundles presents a nuanced biography of a woman navigating life as a wife, mother, businesswoman, and patron outside the shadow of her famous mother’s legacy.

With vivid detail, Joy Goddess brings to life A’Lelia’s radiant personality, fashion-forward influence, and role as one of the most important cultural icons of Harlem, offering a fresh and unforgettable portrait of the woman who embodied the spirit of a new Black cultural era.
Binding Type: Hardcover
Author: A’Lelia Bundles
Published: 06/10/2025
Publisher: Scribner Book Company
ISBN: 9781416544425
Pages: 384
Weight: 1.40lbs
Size: 1.50″ H x 9.10″ L x 6.10″ W

About the Author
A’Lelia Bundles is the author of New York Times Notable Book and bestseller On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker. A former ABC News Washington, DC, deputy bureau chief and an Emmy Award-winning producer, she participated in residencies at Yaddo and MacDowell while writing Joy Goddess. Visit her website at ALeliaBundles.com or on Instagram at @ALeliaBundles.