{"product_id":"dont-let-me-be-misunderstood-nina-simone-langston-hughes-and-the-birth-of-black-power","title":"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood Nina Simone, Langston Hughes, and the Birth of Black Power","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-tagline\"\u003eThe story behind the Priestess and the Poet\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSimone’s performance on that Montgomery night catapulted her into a lead role in the civil rights movement, with Hughes as her guide. In \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003eDon’t Let Me Be Misunderstood\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, 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.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eW. Jason Miller is a Distinguished Professor of English at North Carolina State University. He is the author of several books, including a biography of Langston Hughes, and has been featured on CNN, the BBC, NPR, and \u003ci\u003eThe Rachel Maddow Show\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eISBN 9781469698212 | Hardcover, 248 Pages, 6.12 × 9.25 in, 30 halftones; Publication date: September 29, 2026\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“In something like a biography of a friendship, Miller takes a deep, historical look at the relationship between two heavyweights of American culture, Langston Hughes and Nina Simone, and how their virtuosic moral and artistic talents were foundational to the mass-cultural power of the Civil Rights movement.”—\u003cem\u003eLiterary Hub\u003c\/em\u003e, Most Anticipated Books of 2026\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“The fascinating lives, enduring influence, and deep friendship of two of America’s most prominent artists, Langston Hughes and Nina Simone, are given long-overdue attention. . . . Miller’s writing is vivid and transporting. . . . A must-read for American history, music, and literature buffs.”—\u003cem\u003eBooklist\u003c\/em\u003e, STARRED review\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“This insightful book is one of the few books to connect the resistance of the Harlem Renaissance with the 1960s fight for civil rights.”—\u003cem\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/em\u003e, STARRED review\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“[Miller] scrupulously details how Hughes’s political poetry influenced Simone to speak out on social justice issues with songs like ‘Mississippi Goddam,’ and the narrative is bolstered by ample photographs, handwritten notes, album covers, and promotional materials. It adds up to an eye-opening portrait of two civil rights crusaders.”—\u003cem\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e“In Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, we discover why the little-known story of [Langston Hughes and Nina Simone’s] impactful connection was destined to finally be told.”—\u003cem\u003eMountain Xpress\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e","brand":"UNC Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53257396551962,"sku":"54079","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1785\/3978\/files\/dontletmebemisunderstood.avif?v=1793311342","url":"https:\/\/ncmuseumofhistoryshop.com\/products\/dont-let-me-be-misunderstood-nina-simone-langston-hughes-and-the-birth-of-black-power","provider":"NC History Museum Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}