Book Synopsis Portrait of Simone is the poignant story of a young soldier stationed in the Deep South, in the recent past, and his romance with a woman nearly twice his age. Simone is mysterious, alluring, charming, complex. The author brings us the story of true love, love that grows deeper with the passage of time, and pays tribute to the woman known as Simone . About the Author Odie Hawkins, a graduate of DuSable High School in Chicago, a protg of Dr. Margaret Burroughs, is considered to be, by many, an African American Master Storyteller.