After the wild success of “The Life of a Showgirl,” Taylor Swift’s 12th album (and after playing it relentlessly these past couple of weeks!), I started thinking about books that feature showgirls of all kinds.
As it turns out, there are some fantastic books featuring a few of my favorite things to read about in fiction (and nonfiction): complex characters who don’t always say and do the right thing, flashy and beautiful clothing, the rise of fame and how the showgirl grapples with the challenges of perpetually being in the spotlight, and a peek behind the curtain of the day-to-day. Falling in love, falling out of love, stoking the fires of their creative passions, and most of all, defying conventions!
I wrote a book like this myself, in fact, about Ava Gardner and her tumultuous love affair with Frank Sinatra called Strangers in the Night.
Ava was one of the earliest stars who was stalked by paparazzi while filming in Brazil and was chased through the streets to avoid being trampled!
Here are some other wonderful books featuring showgirls that you won’t want to miss.
Feuding Fan Dancers by Leslie Zemeckis
Leslie Zemeckis’s book, Feuding Fan Dancers, makes for fascinating non-fiction and explores the stories of forgotten showgirl icons, Sally Rand and Faith Bacon, who each claimed to be the inventor of the notorious fan dance. Library Journal says, Zemeckis “brilliantly captures an era long vanished, filled with stage mothers, slimy producers, devious cons, and classic mobsters that will fascinate fans of the showgirl era, theater history, and early– to mid–20th Century showbiz.”
When We Were Brilliant by Lynn Cullen
Lynn Cullen’s, When We Were Brilliant, is a lavish and transporting novel that captures the halcyon days of an icon and the grit of women determining their own futures as it explores the exceptional and complicated friendship between Marilyn Monroe and Eve Arnold. Cullen’s novel will be published in January 2026.
Sonora by Jenni L. Walsh
Sonora by Jenni Walsh is inspired by the true story of one of the first female horse divers. A brave woman who defied societal norms to follow her dreams, Sonora performs daring feats and extraordinary adventures set in the heyday of the American carnival scene.
Far From the A-List by Stephanie Burns
In this fresh, propulsive take on fame in the tabloid era of the ’00s, a former child star struggles to figure out who she is beyond the characters she’s played — on television and in relationships. Burns’ debut publishes in December 2025.
The Show Girl by Nicola Harris
The Show Girl by Nicola Harris offers a glimpse of the glamorous world of the Ziegfeld Follies, through the eyes of a young midwestern woman who comes to New York City to find her destiny as a Ziegfeld Follies star.
