A review by bbethcasas
Bessie by Linda Kass

reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

This book is a historical fiction of a portion of the life of Bess Myerson, particularly her childhood and young adult life leading up to being crowned the first Jewish Miss America. Set in the WWII years and after, the mindset of America is faulty. I felt really sorry for Bess as I read this book. Her life seemed hard all the time. I feel like she pushed herself so hard, feeling she needed to achieve perfection to please her mother, while at the same time really just wanting to be a normal kid. Nothing she ever did pleased her mother. 
Although every goal she set for herself, she essentially achieved, Bess never seemed to make her mother proud. I just wonder if she ever truly felt like she did.