So While You're Imitating Al Capone

"Her reputation as mercurial, moody and combative was well established, and she did little to dispel this image in her memoir, 'I Put a Spell on You.' She was nothing if not paradoxical. She promoted black militancy and spoke of her love for 'my people,' but often treated black audiences with contempt and condescension. She beat up white audiences, too, sometimes declaring her disdain for white people, and yet sustained a substantial crossover following with covers of songs associated with their youth culture. She might show up an hour or two late, ramble incoherently onstage and suddenly give a performance that could bring a weary crowd to tears."

In The New York Times, Robin D. G. Kelley reviews Nadine Cohodas's Princess Noire: The Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone.