Fic­tion

Bessie: A Novel

Lin­da Kass
September 1, 2021

Just days after the close of World War II, Bess Myer­son, the col­lege-edu­cat­ed daugh­ter of poor Russ­ian Jew­ish immi­grants liv­ing in the Bronx, is com­pet­ing in the Miss Amer­i­ca pageant. At stake: a $5,000 schol­ar­ship. The ten­sion and excite­ment in Atlantic City’s Warn­er The­atre is pal­pa­ble, espe­cial­ly for trau­ma­tized Jews root­ing for one of their own. So begins Bessie. Draw­ing on bio­graph­i­cal and his­tor­i­cal sources, Bessie reimag­ines the ear­ly life of Bess Myer­son, who, in the big­ot­ed milieu of 1945, remark­ably ris­es to become Miss Amer­i­ca and one of the most famous women in Amer­i­ca. This inti­mate fic­tion­al por­trait reveals Myer­son­’s inner strug­gles to escape her roots and ful­fill her fierce desire to make her mark on the world. Bessie is a ten­der study of a bold young woman liv­ing at a pre­car­i­ous moment in our cul­tur­al history.

new york
immi­gra­tion
jbc net­work

Discussion Questions

Cour­tesy of Lin­da Kass

  1. Why do you think Bessie was so inse­cure, always seek­ing approval and acceptance?
  2. How do you think Bessie’s fam­i­ly life affect­ed who she became?
  3. What was the impact of the com­mu­ni­ty of Sholem Ale­ichem on form­ing Bessie’s character?
  4. What did the role of music play in Bessie’s life? What did Bessie love so much about performing?
  5. What role did Dorothy LaFol­lette play in Bessie’s life?
  6. What do you think was the impact of attend­ing the High School of Music & Art on Bessie’s growth and development?
  7. How do you think the war itself impact­ed Bessie’s col­lege life?
  8. Do you think Bessie would have com­pet­ed in Miss Amer­i­ca had there not been a $5,000 scholarship?
  9. What friend­ships do you think had the strongest impact on Bessie?
  10. What role did Sylvia play in Bessie’s life?
  11. Talk about the rela­tion­ship Bess had with Leno­ra Slaughter.
  12. How do you think a Jew­ish girl like Bess Myer­son over­came the big­otry of her time to rise above it and be held in such esteem?
  13. Why do you think it was hard for Bess to accept her own beauty?
  14. Do you think accom­plished and beau­ti­ful women today have dif­fi­cul­ty being seen for, and giv­en cred­it for, their accomplishments?
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