Seattle Repertory Theatre presents NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN by Christina Ham from April 26 to June 2, 2019. Librarians at Seattle Public Library created this list of books, music and films to enhance your experience of the show.
Four Women
Hear the song that inspired NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN and other classic tunes featured in the show with this 4-CD set of Simone’s recordings on the Philips label.
Format: Music CD
Availability: All copies in use
View Four Women4 Little Girls
NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN begins with the horrific 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963, when 4 young black girls lost their lives. Spike Lee’s acclaimed documentary explores this tragedy and its impact on the civil rights movement.
Format: DVD
Availability: Available
View 4 Little GirlsPrincess Noire
Drawing on newly discovered material, Cohodas paints an intimate and nuanced portrait of Simone as an artist, activist and human being and examines how racism, mental illness and other challenges impacted her career.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
View Princess NoireHow It Feels to Be Free
Like playwright Ham does in NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN, historian Feldstein places Simone and her contemporaries such as Miriam Makeba and Cicely Tyson within the context of the political struggles of the 1960s.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
View How It Feels to Be FreeSister Citizen
Through its archetypal characters, NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN confronts stereotypes that have harmed African American women for centuries. Harris-Perry analyzes how such stereotypes have negatively impacted black women’s political engagement.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
View Sister CitizenAin't I A Woman
In this classic work of black feminist scholarship, hooks explores how negative stereotypes of black women developed during slavery and examines their continuing impact within both the civil rights and feminist movements.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
View Ain't I A WomanWhat Happened, Miss Simone?
This eye-opening biography of Simone by music journalist Light was inspired by the critically well-received Netflix documentary of the same name.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
View What Happened, Miss Simone?While the World Watched
At age 14, McKinstry’s life was forever altered when she narrowly escaped death at the 16th Street Church bombing. Her compelling story brings home the personal cost of racist violence.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
View While the World WatchedThe Essential Nina Simone
If you’re not familiar with Simone’s oeuvre, this collection is an excellent introduction. Includes “Four Women,” “Mississippi Goddam” and other songs featured in the show.
Format: Music CD
Availability: Available
View The Essential Nina SimoneI Put A Spell on You
First published in 1992, Simone’s autobiography recounts her journey from her childhood as the precociously talented pianist Eunice Waymon to nightclub entertainer to international star who helped create the soundtrack of the civil rights era.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
View I Put A Spell on You