What they're saying ...
“Langston Hughes is the secret ingredient that makes Nina Simone so delicious. Jason Miller, a brilliant researcher and compelling writer, has not only solved the mystery of the recipe, he’s written a book that helps us better understand both of these vital American artists. I’m wildly excited.”
Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer-Prize winner, author of KING: A Life
“Miller has crafted a nuanced and compelling biography of Hughes and Simone, telling the story of their meeting and friendship, making it feel as if it were destined. Every page explores the power of Simone’s and Hughes’s impact on the arts, civil rights, politics, and Black and queer identities throughout the twentieth century and beyond. A must-read for scholars, fans, and anyone who wants to understand the role of the artist in society and the burdens they carry, 'bound by chords that still resonate.'”
Akeia De Barros Gomes, director of the Edward W. Kane and Martha J. Wallace Center for Black History
“Unique in both form and content, W. Jason Miller’s book offers an insightful view of both Langston Hughes and Nina Simone while showing that their friendship—born from each other’s talents and affection—proved to have a lasting influence on race, music, and literature in America.”
Tony Bolden, author of Groove Theory: The Blues Foundation of Funk
On March 24, 1965, Nina Simone performed at a rally for twenty-five thousand people on the last night of the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march. Though luminaries like Martin Luther King Jr., Mahalia Jackson, and Dick Gregory were in attendance, it was Langston Hughes, celebrated poet and leader of the Harlem Renaissance, who was the singer’s closest confidant and supporter. They had one of the most important—yet unheralded—friendships of the Black Power era.
Simone’s performance on that Montgomery night catapulted her into a lead role in the civil rights movement, with Hughes as her guide. In Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, W. Jason Miller offers a riveting history of how their relationship helped spark the birth of Black Power—indeed, the phrase itself, made famous by Stokely Carmichael, was a quote from collaborative lyrics by the two. Hughes gave Simone the fuel to be one of the most politically charged artists of the era, while Simone offered Hughes a way to carry his influence into pop music and shape a national movement. Drawing on new firsthand accounts, Miller takes readers inside one of the most powerful friendships in music and civil rights history.
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