Nina Simone and the World She Made

‘I can't think of anyone on earth who could bring us this unique woman except Salamishah Tillet – and right now, we need Nina Simone more than ever’ GLORIA STEINEM

'Nina Simone was a transformative figure in American culture, and this is a story of how she transformed it' QUESTLOVE

A powerful exploration of Nina Simone’s life and unique legacy by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Salamishah Tillet.

How did Eunice Waymon, child prodigy of the segregated South, become Nina Simone, musical icon and civil rights activist? In a piercing blend of biography, criticism and memoir, Salamishah Tillet traces one of the most extraordinary transformations in music history.

When racism thwarted her career as a classical pianist, Simone reinvented herself and began blending her classical training with jazz, blues, and gospel to create a sound wholly her own – one that would catapult her to stardom, and into the heart of the Black Power movement.

Decades later, Simone’s music inspired the hip-hop generation and Tillet’s own political awakening. Exploring Simone through the women who shaped her and those whom she shaped, from Billie Holiday to Lauryn Hill, Tillet considers Simone in a community of black female geniuses, and reveals the struggles and sacrifices involved in making art and activism.

This intimate portrait brings us close to Simone, while showing us how the singer’s voice, in all its pain and promise, resonates in the fight for equality around the world today. Nina Simone and the World She Made urges us to listen to Simone’s music — not just as a reflection of the past, but as a guide for the future.