Drawing on a wealth of unmined material and hundreds of interviews - one of them with Lena Horne herself - James Gavin gives us a portrait of the American icon. Horne broke down racial barriers in the entertainment industry in the 1940s and '50s even as she was limited mostly to guest singing appearances in splashy Hollywood musicals. Stormy Weather reveals the many faces of this luminous, complex, strong-willed, passionate, even tragic woman - a stunning talent who inspired such giants as Barbra Streisand, Eartha Kitt, and Aretha Franklin.