Millie-Christine: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Recounted simply as a historical narrative, the story of Millie-Christine McKoy's life is arresting. Born in slavery in North Carolina in 1851, the Siamese twins jointly known as Millie-Christine became world famous, first as a side-show attraction in the U.S. and then throughout Europe, where they conversed in five languages, sang, recited their own poems and appeared before royalty, including two command performances for Queen Victoria. Returning to the U.S. in 1882, they traveled for several years with a prestigious circus (receiving $25,000 a season) before settling down in 1884 in a large house they built in North Carolina on land they had bought for their father after he was freed from slavery 20 years earlier. Until their death in 1912, they did charity work and toured intermittently. Drawing on promotional material from Millie-Christine's shows, various legal records, newspaper reports and a memoir written by the twins, Martell presents a succinct and moving biography of a little-known subject in American history and popular culture that offers an intriguing, if very rudimentary, portrait of late 19th-century side-show and circus life in the U.S. and Europe. Although it's not Martell's intention to probe the ancillary cultural questions that her story raises--what was the twins' legal standing before and after slavery? How did race affect their career? What impact did American popular culture have in Europe?--some readers may find themselves wanting more from this fascinating biography. (Feb.)