The Queen of Sugar Hill

The Queen of Sugar Hill is a rich and reverent fictionalized portrait of Hattie McDaniel, the first Black woman to win an Academy Award. With lyrical first-person narration and vivid historical detail, ReShonda Tate immerses the reader in the glamour and injustice of 1940s Hollywood. 

The book honors Hattie’s triumphs and pain—from red carpet highs to segregation-era heartbreak—with emotional weight and historical nuance. While the pacing drags slightly due to the density of detail and narrative scope, the novel remains a powerful tribute to an overlooked icon.  

I loved Tate’s transparency about which events were fictionalized or enhanced, which helps give an understanding of where truth stops and fiction begins.