Princess Noire
Author: Nadine Cohodas
Publisher: Pantheon
Price: $37 (Hardcover)
Nadine Cohodas continues her exploration of 1950s blues and R&B culture, following books on Chess Records and Dinah Washington, with Princess Noire: The Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone. Cohodas compiles a detailed biography of the Queen of the Blues, tracing her early life and musical rejection, through her eventual breakthrough and the internal trials she struggled with along the way. More than just a passionate vibrato, Simone’s voice was also active in the civil rights movement, which Cohodas examines in contrast to her upbringing. Princess Noire commemorates both the public and private spheres of the musical legend’s life.
