I Put A Spell On You: The Autobiography Of Nina Simone

James Baldwin once told Nina Simone, "This is the world you have made for yourself, now you have to live in it."

Simone has indeed created a world of magnificent peaks for herself. Often compared to Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf, she is celebrated as one of the greatest singers of her generation. She has recorded forty-three albums, spanning blues, jazz, and folk, with hits like 'I Loves You, Porgy', 'My Baby Just Cares for Me', 'I Put a Spell on You', and 'Mississippi Goddam' cementing her status as an enduring force in popular music. Her song 'Young, Gifted, and Black' became an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement, propelling her beyond international stardom into the heart of activism.

However, such worlds as Simone's are not without their grim valleys: disastrous marriages, arrest and the threat of imprisonment, mental breakdown, poverty, and attempted suicide. She has survived these trials and continues to perform across Europe and the United States. With undiminished passion and in her unconquerable voice, this is Nina Simone's powerful memoir of her tempestuous life.