Daniel Keast quoted Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holiday
Lady Sings the Blues (1956) is an autobiography by jazz singer Billie Holiday, which was …
Content warning More of a content warning, a description of a young girl experiencing the death of a loved family member.
Finally I spread a blanket on the floor and helped her stretch out. Then she asked me to lie down with her because she wanted to tell me another story. I was tired too. I’d been up early that morning to scrub steps. So I laid down with her. I don’t remember the story she told me because I fell asleep right away.
I woke up four or five hours later. Grandma’s arm was still tight around my neck and couldn’t move it. I tried and tried and then I got scared. She was dead, and I began to scream. The neighbors came running. They had to break Grandma’s arm to get me loose. Then they took me to a hospital. I was there for a month. Suffering from what they said was shock.
— Lady Sings the Blues by Billie Holiday, William Dufty, Billie Holiday (4%)