In the late 1940s, Hazel Scott was a jazz phenom, pulling classical themes into popular music, and beginning a career as a film star. All the while, she was using her fame to challenge social norms and fight for civil rights. So it seems inevitable that her path would cross with Harlem's newest electrifying politician, Adam Clayton Powell. They instantly form a connection (despite the fact that he's married) and embark on a long, and often tumultuous, relationship that takes them through Hollywood, political activism, and a cultural revolution.
This novel follows Hazel's life with Powell, though it also focuses on her professional highs and lows, as well as the relationships she has with other artists of the day. While some of the relationships feel genuine (the long relationship with Billie Holliday), there are times where it feels like the author is trying to drop as many names as possible (the Nina Simone bits were particularly irksome, as the author admits in the afterword that neither of these two meetings ever happened). Still, it's an interesting book, and worth a read as a jumping-off point for learning more about Hazel Scott, who certainly had a fascinating life.
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