Miss World 1970 : how I entered a pageant and wound up making history /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

1970 was the last year of the Beatles and the first year of the supersonic Concorde?a time of new possibilities and social upheaval, and Jennifer Hosten, a young airline hostess from the Caribbean island of Grenada, was as surprised as anyone to find herself in the midst of it.After winning a Miss Grenada contest, she travelled to London for the 1970 Miss World pageant and arrived at Royal Albert Hall determined to make her mark. So, too, did members of the fledgling Women?s Liberation movement who chose that globally-televised moment to protest the sexual exploitation of women. They planted bombs, stormed the hall, and chased comedian Bob Hope from the stage. By the end of the night, the world had been introduced to both radical feminism and a new ideal of feminine beauty. Ms. Hosten was the first woman of color crowned Miss World.Miss World 1970 is the story of the craziest and most meaningful pageant ever, an inspiring account of Ms. Hosten?s barrier-breaking win and her subsequent globe-trotting career as a development worker and diplomat.With historic photographs, movie stills, and a foreword by acclaimed actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Kirkus Book Review

A debut memoir recounts how a black woman's unprecedented win in the Miss World competition resulted in stardom. Hosten went into the 1970 Miss World contest feeling unexpectedly confident. A flight attendant who had recently been named Miss Grenada--a competition she had only entered after being scouted by the Grenada Tourist Board--the author saw the whole affair as an adventure. She was proud to represent her tiny island nation alongside the 57 other contestants at London's Royal Albert Hall vying for the Miss World title--though she knew that a woman of color had never been chosen. Hosten and the others were not expecting the feminist protesters who greeted their bus with banners and placards: " 'We Are Not Ugly, We're Angry,' 'You Poor Cows,' 'Miss World, Man's World.' Some of them pounded with clenched fists on the sides of the bus. Others were pushing hard, trying to shake the coach. At one point, they all started singing, 'We Shall Overcome.' " Halfway through the show, protesters in the crowd began shouting down the jokes of the host, comedian Bob Hope, blowing whistles and pelting the stage with flour bombs, among other items. Despite the uproar, the moment that really made history was the judges' decision to crown Hosten as Miss World. It turned out that the night was just the beginning of a decade that would include USO tours of Vietnam, a revolution in her homeland, and the author's meteoric rise, as she became an icon of black womanhood around the world. Hosten tells her story in simple and lucid prose, recalling the weirdness of her immediate fame: "I was very suddenly a celebrity….A freelance photographer who was a friend of mine obtained from my parents a photograph of me as a small baby. He asked to borrow it and promptly sold the photograph to the newspapers without my permission or knowledge." The book is not quite riveting, though there are delightful moments sprinkled throughout. The author largely resists analyzing the conflicting movements of the period, but her tale is an intriguing look at the intersection of race, gender, business, and politics from a unique perspective. A candid and engaging account of the 1970s from the first black Miss World. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Jennifer Hosten===============

A native of Grenada, JENNIFER HOSTEN trained with the BBC and worked as a broadcaster and airline hostess before winning the 1970 Miss World competition. After, she enjoyed a career in diplomacy, trade negotiation, and international development. She also founded and ran a succesful inn in Grenada, and now practices as a registered psychotherapist. A mother of two children, she lives in Oakville, Ontario.