This is a biography of artist Nina Simone, who wasn't just a singer, but a classically trained pianist and civil rights activist. Alan Light is a former music journalist, and brings that writing style to this book. Using rare archival footage, audio recordings, interviews and personal diaries, Light puts together a nuanced portrait of a complex and compelling woman.
I had been familiar with Simone's work for a while, but I didn't really know that much about her before reading this book. It was interesting to read about her personally, but admittedly, I found some of the writing about her musicianship to be fascinating. A classically trained pianist, Simone brought that deep understanding of classical music into her performances. At the time she was first performing, this was very unusual, and unexpected. Unfortunately, Ms. Simone's personal life often overshadowed her artistic life. However, reading about her personal struggles and how they influenced her music made me want to pull up more recordings and listen to them. Very interesting reading.
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