November SDARJ Book & Film Discussion
Founder, Dr. Aimee Wiest. Hosted at the Lewes Public Library
Please register to attend *either* In-Person or Online. You will receive a confirmation email within minutes of registering. If you do not receive an email from LibCal, check your spam filter. Or you call the library (302-645-2733) during business hours (M – Th from 10 AM to 2 PM, F from 10 AM to 5 PM, and Sat from 10 AM to 2 PM) and ask a staff person to check on your registration. DO NOT register again.
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Join us at the last Book & Film Discussion of 2025.
November 25th will feature:
The film:
What Happened, Miss Simone?
We have arranged to show “What Happened, Miss Simone?” at Cinema Art Theater in Lewes on Tuesday, November 25. This will be a FREE event for the first 30 people who arrive. Doors will open at 3:45 and the movie will start at 4:00 pm. Then we will move to Lewes Library for the regular discussion at 6:00 pm.
The documentary chronicles the life of American singer Nina Simone, who became a civil rights activist and moved to Liberia following the turbulence of the 1960s. The documentary combines previously unreleased archival footage and interviews with Simone’s daughter and friends. The title of the film was taken from a Maya Angelou quote. (Wikipedia)
Watch the film on Netflix
Available for purchase on Apple TV and Amazon Video
Supplemental reading:
I Put a Spell on You: The Autobiography of Nina Simone
James Baldwin used to tell Nina Simone, “This is the world you have made for yourself, now you have to live in it.” Simone has created for herself a world of magnificent peaks. Often compared to Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf, Simone is known as one of the greatest singers of her generation. She has recorded forty-three albums, ranging from blues to jazz to folk, and her hits like “I Loves You, Porgy,” “My Baby Just Cares for Me,” “I Put a Spell on You,” and “Mississippi Goddam” have confirmed her as an enduring force in popular music. Her song “Young, Gifted, and Black” became the anthem for the Civil Rights Movement and thrust her beyond international stardom into the center of activism. But such worlds as Simone’s are not without their grim valleys: disastrous marriages, arrest and the threat of imprisonment, mental breakdown, poverty, and attempted suicide. She has survived these trials and continues to perform throughout Europe and the United States. With undiminished passion and in her unconquerable voice, this is Nina Simone’s powerful memoir of her tempestuous life. (Good Reads)
The books & films of the 2025 SDARJ Book & Film Series
View the books and films we’ve discussed in previous meetings.
