A Dangerous Woman: The Life, Loves, and Scandals of Adah Isaacs Menken, 1835-1868, America's Original Superstar
by Michael Foster (9781599216027)

Adah Menken was America's original superstar. In the 1800s, her modern flair for action, scandal, and unpopular causes revolutionized show business. On stage, she was the first actress to apparently bare all. Off stage, she originated the front-page scandal and became the most famous, highly paid actress in the world--the darling of NYC, San Francisco, London, and Paris. At just 33, this femme fatale died. Longfellow, at her bedside, composed a farewell poem. Born in New Orleans to a "kept woman of color" and to a father whose identity is debated, Adah became a true daughter of Texas in her teens, learning to shoot and ride. In her 20s in the Midwest, she became a protege of Rabbi Wise, founder of Reform Judaism. Adah wrote heartfelt verse and essays in defense of the Jewish people. Later, in New York's Bohemian scene, she became the disciple of Walt Whitman and a revolutionary figure in her own right.

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