What Happened, Miss Simone?

A Biography

By: Alan Light

Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo

Inspired by the Academy Award-nominated Netflix documentary What Happened, Miss Simone?, an intimate and vivid look at the legendary life of Nina Simone, the classically trained pianist who evolved into a chart-topping chanteuse and committed civil rights activist.

From music journalist and former Spin and Vibe editor-in-chief Alan Light comes a biography of incandescent soul singer and Black Power icon Nina Simone, one of the most influential, provocative, and least understood artists of our time. Drawn from a trove of rare archival footage, audio recordings and interviews (including Simone's remarkable private diaries), this nuanced examination of Nina Simone’s life highlights her musical inventiveness and unwavering quest for equality, while laying bare the personal demons that plagued her from the time of her Jim Crow childhood in North Carolina to her self-imposed exile in Liberia and Paris later in life.

Harnessing the singular voice of Miss Simone herself and incorporating candid reflections from those who knew her best, including her only daughter, Light brings us face to face with a legend, examining the very public persona and very private struggles of one of our greatest artists.

Critic reviews

Praise for What Happened, Miss Simone? and Nina Simone

“Alan Light has written an electrifying, humane, and dimensional biography of one of my favorite artists in the entire world. I learned so much about a woman I admire, the woman whose fiery piano and voice is a powerful reminder of what artists are meant to do! What Happened, Miss Simone? captures how unique and real she was on every page.”
–Alicia Keys

“A spellbinding portrait of a musical genius, a woman both ahead of her time and of it. In What Happened Miss Simone?, Alan Light resurrects the High Priestess of Soul with profound sympathy and masterful storytelling.”
–Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, author of Mo’ Meta Blues and Something to Food About

“Nina Simone was an overwhelming artist, piano player, and singer—the kind of artist that I loved and admired.”
–Bob Dylan

“Nina Simone’s music helped us to navigate the contradictions that propelled the black struggle forward… Her phenomenal voice beckoned us toward the battle to come.”
–Angela Davis

“What Happened, Miss Simone? is the engaging biography of the troubled soul heroine... As Light shows, her intensity fueled music that reflected and transformed the volatile America of her times.”
–Rolling Stone

“[Nina Simone's] willingness to speak her mind shines out of every page of Alan Light's biography.”
–The Times (UK)

“A probing account of Simone’s inner struggles...Far from detracting from her civil rights heroism, it makes that achievement all the more astonishing.”
–The New York Review of Books

“Simone was a genius. Her triumphs and troubles share the stage in Light's pitch-perfect biography, What Happened, Miss Simone?.”
–Elle

“Cleareyed and well-balanced, respectful rather than worshipful.”
–Columbus Dispatch

all things about this book were fabulous

The honesty is jolting. The beautiful, talented, and gifted woman portrayed here is flawed and stunning. The author gives you a real look at a complex life lived. I loved Ms. Simone before this book . I absolutely adore her after experiencing this book.

I love the story an Adenrele Ojo is the best !!!!!

I love the story of nina simone well written, Adenrele Ojo is a excellent narrator..

Extreme Genius

A look into the life of a musical genius. Simone was two people; a racial activist and a racist, a sexual prude and a sex addict, bisexual claiming to be straight, a sweetheart and a physical bully.....it continues on and on. As she got older the severity of her mental illness could no longer be ignored by family and friends. This is a look behind the curtain of a tortured soul that was Nina Simone.

oh, Miss Simone!

I fell in love with your song "Feelin' Good." Never knew the torment you went through. This book is well written & performed to perfection. If you want to know more about the artist, her life, her motivations, & her music, this is for YOU!!!

This is the one.

I was looking for an in-depth bio on Miss Simone for a class project, but what I was reading only scratched the surface - this is the one! I came out of this book a fan, and, hopefully, a better person. I found this to be a balanced biography that covered Miss Simone's ups and downs while respecting her and always presenting her as a complex individual. Understanding more about her absolute brilliance, how she struggled with racism and mental illness (and how they were connected), and how deeply and achingly rooted she was in classical music and the Civil Rights movement has been moving and profound.