In her introduction, Sarah Royal (Creative Cursing) forewarns the Queen of Comedy's fans that A.K.A. Lucy: The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball isn't a straight-up biographical treatment. Instead, the book is "a vignette-style exploration of Lucy's life and career"--or, to put it another way, a biographically rich scrapbook-cum-fan journal offering much to mull over.
In the space around the photos, pull quotes, and themed lists, Royal tells the abridged story of Lucille Ball (1911-1989), the product of a rough-and-tumble childhood in Jamestown, N.Y. Ball was no instant sensation--I Love Lucy debuted in 1951, when she was 40--and Royal makes much of the actress's unsinkability during her many career setbacks on the road to the star-making TV smash.
A.K.A. Lucy may hold no fresh revelations, but what's here is expertly chosen. There's loads on Ball's work ethic, her overall menschiness, and the vexing question of whether she was a feminist. Although she rejected the label, Ball sure acted like a feminist: she was a glamour gal willing to look clownish--largely the province of male comedians in her day--and she created an indelible TV character whose defining attribute was her longing to be more than a housewife. A.K.A. Lucy would be a fine introduction for readers curious about TV's pioneering comedienne; those already besotted with Lucy will want to pull up a glass of Vitameatavegamin before tucking into delicious esoterica, like the chapter "Most Famous Episodes and Sketches of I Love Lucy, Dissected." --Nell Beram, author and freelance writer