Publication Date: January 30, 2024
Bestselling author ReShonda Tate presents a fascinating fictional portrait of Hattie McDaniel, one of Hollywood’s most prolific but woefully underappreciated stars—and the first Black person ever to win an Oscar for her role as Mammy in the critically acclaimed film classic Gone With the Wind.
It was supposed to be the highlight of her career, the pinnacle for which she’d worked all her life. And as Hattie McDaniel took the stage in 1940 to claim an honor that would make her the first African-American woman to win an Academy Award, she tearfully took her place in history. Between personal triumphs and tragedies, heartbreaking losses, and severe setbacks, this historic night of winning best supporting actress for her role as the sassy Mammy in the controversial movie Gone With the Wind was going to be life-changing. Or so she thought.
Months after winning the award, not only did the Oscar curse set in where Hattie couldn’t find work, but she found herself thrust in the middle of two worlds—Black and White—and not being welcomed in either. Whites only saw her as Mammy and Blacks detested the demeaning portrayal. As the NAACP waged an all-out war against Hattie and actors like her, the emotionally conflicted actor found herself struggling daily.
Through it all, Hattie continued her fight to pave a path for other Negro actors, while focusing on war efforts, fighting housing discrimination, and navigating four failed marriages. Luckily, she had a core group of friends to help her out—from Clark Gable to Louise Beavers to Ruby Berkley Goodwin and Dorothy Dandridge.
The Queen of Sugar Hill brings to life the powerful story of one woman who was driven by many passions—ambition, love, sex, family, friendship, and equality. In re-creating Hattie’s story, ReShonda Tate delivers an unforgettable novel of resilience, dedication, and determination—about what it takes to achieve your dreams—even when everything—and everyone—is against you.
Most of us know her as “Mammy” in Gone With the Wind, but Academy Award-winning actress Hattie McDaniel was far more than the character she is most remembered for playing. In this richly penned historical fiction biography, The Queen of Sugar Hill, Author ReShonda Tate masterfully weaves a narrative of Ms. McDaniel’s life, loves, losses, heartaches, and triumphs.
Born the daughter of formerly enslaved parents whose father was an injured Civil War veteran, she was the youngest of 13 children. Ms. Tate relates Hattie’s life in flashbacks, starting the night she receives her Academy Award—the first for a black actor.
Hattie is both loved and reviled by the black community as some saw her as taking roles as a maid as deeming and reinforcing the stereotypes they were fighting against. The NAACP, in particular, was very opposed to Hattie. The head of the NAACP directed relentless personal attacks against her. But Hattie refused to allow her close friend, Clark Gable, to set the record straight regarding what Hattie had done to fight for black actors behind the scenes, as she was worried how that may impact his career.
While Ms. McDaniel reached what many would consider the pinnacle of one’s career, for a black actor in Hollywood in the 1930s, that didn’t mean instant success. Ms. Tate brilliantly threads a tapestry of Hattie’s life depicting the good, the bad, and the very, very ugly.
The racism illustrated is front and center, and for me, it was gut-wrenching. From the treatment of the actors and the roles they were allowed to portray, to the covenant laws, which Hattie fought against. It was all starkly written, yet I imagined living it was so much worse.
The Queen of Sugar Hill is an illuminating look at a complicated, resilient, loving, generous, and talented woman who was so much more than the characters she played. 
As a national bestselling author and award-winning journalist, ReShonda Tate has the credentials, and the passion, to bring stories to life. A highly sought-after motivational speaker/poet, ReShonda is a three-time nominee and previous winner of the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literature. She has received a plethora of distinguished awards and honors for her journalism, fiction, and poetry writing skills, including an induction into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame and the Texas Literary Hall of Fame. Two of her novels have been made into television movies.
