"Bastava che le note si mischiassero,
che nell'aria insieme poi danzassero,
perché la verità saltasse fuori:
nella musica non esistono colori.

Non c'è che un ritmo,
non c'è che un cuore.

Un battito al secondo
uguale in tutto il mondo."

Nina est un album qui aborde l’histoire des inégalités entre les noirs et les blancs. Il y a de beaux parallèles avec des éléments importants de l’histoire.

Le texte est poétique et tellement puissant. Et que dire des illustrations! Chacune d’elle est teintée d’une signification subtile, mais frappante à la fois.

I love Nina Simone and was excited to read this with my (12 yo) daughter. But the story felt disjointed, and I couldn’t find a rhythm with the text. We were even confused about whose point of view the story was being told from at first. A high point was the keeping alive the moment of Nina’s refusing to sing when her mother was asked to give up her seat. Even the illustrations there were captivating.

I wish there was an author's note explaining more about Nina Simone's life. Hard for kids to walk away with a richer understanding of who she was and her contributions.

The art is transcendent, but the "story" was a meander, unfocused, glib, and unworthy of the images it accompanied.

The illustrations are wonderful, but the story is lacking and undeveloped if you are looking for information on Nina Simone's life.

Illustrations are powerful and beautiful. The text was lacking. In an effort to be poetic, the author has created a patchy metaphor and incomplete narrative. We enjoyed the illustrations and talked in great length about civil rights, but we learned little, if anything, about Nina Simone.

Just read this beauty of a book - the storytelling is like jazz, and the black and white illustrations go perfectly with the words. Will be purchasing this for our own collection.

"Ese sueño fue mi sinfonía:
Negros y Blancos juntos
en la gran danza de la vida."

Beautiful illustrations about a beautiful and extremely talented woman. I wish it had been longer but it is a children’s book. I’ll have to read a biography about Nina one day. I’ve seen the documentary about her life and was blown Way by her talent and presence and all she had been through. Great book.