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Beem Weeks

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Jazz Baby Paperback – April 17, 2012

by Beem Weeks (Author)

4.5 114 ratings

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While all Mississippi bakes in the scorching summer of 1925, a sudden orphanhood casts its icy shadow across Emily Ann Teegarten, a pretty young teen. Taken in by an aunt bent on ridding herself of this unexpected burden, "Baby" Teegarten plots her escape using the only means at her disposal: a voice that makes church ladies cry and angels take notice. "I'm gonna sing jazz up to New York City," she brags to anybody who'll listen. 'Cept that Big Apple-well, it's an awful long way from that dry patch of earth she used to call home. So when the smoky stages of New Orleans speakeasies give a whistle, offering all kinda shortcuts, Emily soon learns it's the whorehouses and drug joints promising to tickle more than just a young girl's fancy that can dim a spotlight . . . and knowing the wrong people can snuff it out. Jazz Baby just wants to sing-not fight to stay alive.

Print length

224 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Fresh Ink Group
Publication date

April 17, 2012
Dimensions

6 x 0.51 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1936442108
ISBN-13

978-1936442102
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Editorial Reviews

From the Author

The term jazz baby, to me, represents the 1920's. A decade that may be overly glamorized--as any glance at the past often is. But that particular era produced many firsts that soon became staples of the American way of life. Our very culture. Easily availability of the automobile. Radio. Phonograph records. Movie theaters with their larger-than-life stars. These pastimes we now take for granted were brand new to the roaring twenties. As were speakeasies, flapper girls, and a common popular music.

History saw fit to label it the Jazz Age, a carefree time of newfound freedoms and youthful exuberance. Everything changed in that decade. And if you weren't young, one of those fearless babies, you got left behind, forgotten, like the shrugged-off Victorian ideals of previous generations. Emily Ann is the living embodiment of that change. All things are new to her.

In the opening chapter of Jazz Baby, we see a battle beginning to play. Eunice Spatch and her male companion represent the old guard, the ones who have followed a well-worn path through the familiar. Things are done a certain way--we don't deviate. But Emily Ann, she's the jazz baby in the back seat, telling those two upfront that things have changed, women have the vote now. There's a new rule book that needs to be studied.

About the Author

After spending time in Florida and Georgia, Beem Weeks has settled in Michigan for a spell. A pop-culture trivia buff, he counts among his passions very loud music, indie films, and a well-told story. He has written several short fiction pieces, but Jazz Baby is his first novel.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fresh Ink Group (April 17, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1936442108
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1936442102
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.9 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.51 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #9,573,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #320,233 in Historical Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 114 ratings

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Beem Weeks

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Beem Weeks is the author of short stories, essays, and novels.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

114 global ratings

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Shelley Young

I couldn't have picked a better book to read!

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2014

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Imagine running through 1925 Storyville, Nawlins with gasoline drawers on and the devil running fast behind your tail. Sound dangerous? It isn't only because it's good fiction.

This is what I love (not like-love) about this book. It's original. Tired of reading the same storyline told the same way with different character names? This book will cure you of that. Another aspect I loved about this book is, you don't see what's coming. This along with the dialect used and the female character's point of view made this book close to flawless. Yes, I said flawless. As an avid reader and published author, I have read tons of books. What makes this book special to me? The characters were written well enough so that you CARED about what was going on and you hoped beyond hoped that all would end right for Emily Ann Teegarten. I have to admit that after the first chapter I thought, 'Uh-oh! What is the writer doing?' It takes skill to weave a believable thread of intrigue, mystery and suspense. And guess what? Weeks did it with Jazz Baby.

I'm sure the others who consider themselves great reviewers for Amazon will disagree, but keep in mind, these reviewers, in my opinion, nitpick over such trivial matters and lower stars just to satisfy that throne of superiority they feel they're sitting on. I'm a READER, and most people who buy books are READERS. As a reader, I found no loose threads, no questions that I thought unanswered. In its place, I found a loveable book that made me laugh on several occasions, tear up on one scene, made me frightened on another, and flat out hooked me from page one. What more can you ask for one book?

I read this book in two sittings. My intentions on the second sitting was to read a chunk more, then go to bed, but I couldn't stop reading. The rollercoaster ride of the plot was just too strong. Even now I should be sleeping, but I was too anxious to leave my review. I don't know Beem Weeks from Adam. I bought this book, because it was a story about New Orleans where my family is from, and I'm glad I did. Nonstop action, interesting characters (that even now are fresh in my mind), it's a book that I wouldn't mind reading again.

As usual, I will tell you what I don't like about a book. If I had to choose anything at all, it will be the cover. The picture of Emily Ann doesn't strike me as serious enough for a character so well written. It just goes to show you to never judge a book by it's cover. I gave this book 5 stars, because it deserves it! I dare you to read it, too, and not agree.

4 people found this helpful

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Mae Clair

Step into the past...

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2022

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Beem Weeks will take you back in time with this story of a young girl who dreams of becoming a jazz singer. Emily Ann “Baby” Teegarten is gifted with an amazing voice, but her life falls apart when her mother murders her father, and she is left orphaned at thirteen. Taken in by an aunt, she struggles to navigate her own way, singing in speak easies, getting caught up in a life of gangsters, drugs, and sex.

The setting is gritty and raw, perfectly rendered. This is a dark book—the character endures a lot at the hands of those who would use her for their own gain—but it also presents a realistic slice of life that brings the seedier side of the 1920s to vivid clarity. The writing is a mesmerizing combination of “plain-speak” and crude beauty. I don’t think I’ve ever read dialogue that felt so authentic or flowed so effortlessly. Characters are exquisitely drawn. Some, like Nessie, will steal your heart. Others, like Pig and Rydekker, will make your skin crawl. There is a side plot related to stolen money, and others involving infatuations and the first flush of love.

Emily Ann is feisty¬—daring but also naïve. There were many times I wanted to shake sense into her, and others where I cringed over the danger she found herself in—time and time again. This is a coming-of-age tale that doesn’t pull punches. I felt like I stepped back in time to an era when “speaks” and cathouses ruled the night and dreams of overcoming circumstance resulted in reckless choices. Bravo to the author for painting such a stark reality of hardscrabble living.

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April Adams

For the Language and Skill of the Author it's Top Notch.

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2014

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I couldn't finish the book, it made me too sad. I got 57% of the way through, so I don't know how it ends. It's not a plot-driven novel anyway. I'm not rating it by how much I liked it. I'm rating by the skill of the author in the crafting of the story and the beauty of the author's voice in telling this story.

A poor girl in the roaring 20's, with aspirations of fame and a singing voice that might get her there, finds herself all alone - a sheep in the midst of wolves - when her father dies. She sets her sights on fame and is willing to do whatever it takes to get there, and I do mean whatever it takes. Up to the point I stopped it was just one misuse and abuse after another. My heart just can't take it anymore. I want to swoop in and give her a loving family.

That being said, the 5 star rating I gave it is for the sheer beauty of the language. It's written in a Mississippi drawl that flows like the black water of the river through the pages. It's authentic and raw. Even in the most jarring of scenes the language's eloquent beauty softens the blow just a little.

I think you're meant to dislike all the characters. No one has any redeeming qualities, at least not to the point I stopped reading. The girl, Emily Ann, is as naive as they come, promiscuous, self-centered... just a teen left to fend for herself. Everyone else wants to use her. Even those professing to love her. It's heartbreaking. Truth be told I hated the story because it darkened the days I spent reading it. It is beautifully told, though. If the author tries his hand at something less traumatic to the soul I would absolutely buy and read it.

If you don't mind having your heart broken, you will like this book. I wish it were a brighter story because I love the way the author writes. Again, I don't know how it ends. It may brighten up toward the end. I just can't drag my heart through anymore of Emily Ann's life. If you like drama and a sad story-line, buy this book. It gives me the same overall feeling as The Green Mile and is just as well told. The book really is beautifully written. It deserves a chance for that alone. I'm just exceptionally tenderhearted, especially when it comes to children.

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SusiQ

Wow

Reviewed in Germany on May 6, 2018

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Wow. I really enjoyed this book. I may not have liked the circumstances but the way this story was told really grabbed a hold of me. The care to detail, the images, the language all got under my skin. This was a story that I thought about for days after I finished the book. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a gutsy, at times raunchy (in a good way), real, emotional coming-of-age story. Five Stars.

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B Rivers

A Shot of Realism into Your Veins

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 10, 2013

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I will start off this review by saying that I am in two minds about this book. There are parts of this story that I take issue with and made me feel very uncomfortable... and I believe that is exactly how it should be.

This is a story of a girl just entering her teens who ends up being used by almost every man she meets, and is betrayed by the society around her. It is a sad story in that respect, and we follow Emily-Ann from an innocence into a world of degradation. The worst part about that? She doesn't seem that bothered by it all, almost as if she expects all the bad in the world to happen to her at some point or another.

There is hope in the story, talk of dreams, wishes to be a famous Jazz singer, but relating it to the film Winter's Bone (Jennifer Lawrence, 2010), these hopes and dreams are almost a symptom of a life long struggle with drugs, poverty and sexual deviance.

Jazz Baby contains a lot of the latter, no two ways about it. Emily-Ann spend a lot of time being pawed and mauled, which I wasn't expecting in this story, and it is a common theme from beginning to end that does not relent, and it was very uncomfortable...

...so why the five stars? Well, because some people less fortunate than myself ARE in situations like that, even today, and have been for years even past when this story is set. Poverty comes hand in hand with the acceptance of drugs and prostitution, and the giving up on innocence. The world is this harsh in some areas of the world, and not just 'third world', but still right there in every city and town in the 'western world'.

Beem Weeks gives us a few chapters to peek into the life of this girl and he does it with expert precision. I read this book up in a matter of days because it is so well written, really transports you to those seedy dives, with those characters you hope you'd never really meet. The atmosphere is tangible and the VERY FACT that it is so uncomfortable and strikes at the heart of situations endured by others less fortunate, is a credit to the author who has plunged into this world, daring to rip it open for you to see the truth of it.

In short, I actually really enjoyed reading this book. It was more than engaging and I think is actually a very important work. It highlights without preaching, it tells the truth without taking sides; it lets you follow the lives of individuals who you love, hate, want to slap, want to hug, and then lets you watch their struggles from the sidelines without being able to help them at all.

Lives like Emily-Ann's happen every day, and to be aware of it, if only for a few chapters in a work of fiction, I think is important, and an impressive accomplishment for the author to have created.

Amazon fan

A powerful tale

Reviewed in Australia on October 11, 2014

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Jazz Baby by Beem Weeks is a gritty and mature tale.

It follows the life of Emily Ann Teegarten, a beautiful and gifted jazz singer, after she is orphaned at the age of 13.
It’s set in New Orleans in the 1920s. Emily or Baby, as she is nicknamed is abused, manipulated and thrust into an adult world brimming with jazz clubs, brothels and seedy characters.

Characters spring from the pages of the novel fully formed and their interactions and dialogue are believable and authentic.
The most appealing aspect of the novel for me was Weeks’ writing style, which is powerful as it evokes striking imagery that is poetic and convincing. I read the book slowly to give each sentence and paragraph full attention and to appreciate the writing quality. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author.

Jenny Lloyd author of Leap the Wild Water

This book is up there with the best of them. Highly recommend.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 11, 2013

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Lord a-mercy! Shove my head in an ice-box and pour me a cool co-cola because Jazz Baby is hotter and steamier than a Mississippi swamp.
I could SMELL the sweat, the booze, the smoke and heat in the sleazy New Orleans speakeasies. I could FEEL those crumbling sidewalks beneath my feet. And the all pervading sense of danger this girl was in sneaked off the page and under my skin.
Lock up your sons (and your daughters, too) because Emily Ann Teegarten is running loose and wild with no Mama or Papa to set her straight.
How I felt for this naïve, orphan girl, cut loose and cast adrift in a world she was way to young for. I wanted to take her by the hand and take her home, rescue her from the inevitable she hadn't the wisdom to imagine for herself.
Emily Ann has a talent for singing jazz and that talent leads her into a dangerous world of speakeasies, gangsters, bootleggers, and sexual predators. Those not out to exploit her singing talent are more than ready to exploit her body.
This is a world where the price of a life is cheap. Out of her depth and out of control, her search for fame and a good time leads her astray into murky waters where people die at the end of a needle and getting on the wrong side of those who are in control of things gets you a bullet in the head. And even those who she should be able to trust don't care what happens to her.
If you like a cosy, comfy read go somewhere else. This girl's voice is raw, authentic and she may tell more than is comfortable to hear but there's nothing gratuitous.
It takes more than courage to write a story like this. Beem Weeks didn't just get to know his history and characters very well. He lived and breathed these people and places. And he dug deep, as deep as it takes to give Jazz Baby a voice like this. I'm so grateful he did. He has earned Emily Ann Teegarten, Jazz Baby, a place in the accolades of great fictional characters.
I'd never heard of Beem Weeks until a couple of weeks ago. I bought this on Kindle but I'm going to buy the paperback too; because I want it there on my bookshelves alongside my all time favourites; and because I'm proud to own it.
I don't take this much time to write a review unless I think a book merits it. If people aren't talking ABOUT this book, talking UP this book then they darned well should be. This kind of talent is rare and deserves to be recognised. Buy it. Read it. Tell your friends about it. Beem Weeks is the one EVERYONE should be talking about.
And I'll be madder than one of them swamp 'gators if his book don't sell faster than bootlegged gin in a low-down, sleazy speakeasy. Go buy!

Jan Hawke

Raunchy, Bluesy Baby

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2014

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This book really deserves the 5 stars even though 'coming of age' stories rarely come up with anything too new in the scheme of things. I'll come clean and say right off that I used to work in the courts that deal with the aftermath of 'saving' abused children, so there's little in here that actually shocked me too much, but few writers who tackle this subject 'authentically' rarely avoid piling on the social conscience reactions and simply concentrate on what makes their teenage hero tick. And boy does this Baby tick!

Other reviewers have mentioned the content and how Baby/Emily Ann seems to shrug off all the terrible things that happen around, and to her, so I won't go in that direction. What really convinced me to give 5 stars was that all the characters in Jazz Baby were so well drawn, because Mr Weeks never let the pathos factor get the better of him and got the balance between gaining our sympathy and having his characters EARN our respect and affection, just right. Baby is carried through her various ordeals by her sheer drive and charisma for chasing her jazz dreams, despite the odds, or maybe because of them. The dysfunctional relationship with her parents, particularly her cold, resentful mother, cheated out of her own ambitions as a ballet dancer by falling pregnant, actually spurs Baby on and, as we find out more about the past sins of the daddy and mommy, and the slog of poverty and prejudice she's trying to leave behind, we find out WHY she loves to sing and pour all the agony and passion into the blues, as the 'men done those gals wrong' lyrics soar away and loses her in the fantasy of a white trash girl who can belt out the notes as good as a black one.

So I can believe in her focus on the New York jazz dreams and why she ignores or blanks out the rest, with the music becoming her true lover and consolation. The rest of the writing is simply sublime in taking you back in time to sultry, sleazy N'Orleans, with the mud, murk and mayhem of the riverlands forming a mesmerising backdrop and the twangy, tangy language of the Big Easy and environs working the final magic of a writer at the peak of his powers, by putting you right there in the bayou with the cavalcade of memorable characters.

I rarely give 5 stars unless I really love the book - there's nothing you can't love in this one.

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