by Traci N. Todd
Published by Scribble
Nina Simone was born in North Carolina and showed musical promise from babyhood, encouraged by both parents although her preacher mother did not approve of secular music.
This account – which is evocatively illustrated by Christian Robinson – traces her life through classical piano lessons and the Juilliard and constant segregational oppression which eventually developed her into a raw, angry, singer of inspirational protest songs. The account of her parents being removed from the front row, so that a white couple could sit down at one of Nina’s concerts, is chilling.
The prose is warmly poetic: “a voice that was rich, sweet and like soft thunder” and “the steady roar of unrest”, the book is also very informative, although the story omits things that the reader would like to know. There’s one mention of a child and I’d have liked to know more about that and her two marriages which don’t feature at all. And I think her death should have been included – as it is, this otherwise fine book tails off and you’re left turning the page in search of an ending which is not there.
I really liked, though, the way the author places Simone firmly in the context of the Civil Rights Movement – as relevant in 2022 as ever. Suitable particularly for Key Stages 2 and 3, this is definitely one for the school library, alongside access to some of Simone’s music.
Review by Susan Elkin