Neneh Cherry

"Some books just fizzle out; this burns to an end. The best last page of any book I've ever read."

"It’s almost like these three sisters are a part of my family... I grew up in Sweden (New York, too, and by the time I read this book, was making my own life in London in my late teens). The world around me was not exactly celebrating cultural diversity... this book, and books like “The Color Purple,” “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” and “Beloved,” took me by the hand, held me, beckoned me into womanhood, aroused a love of my heritage, and love for myself. I ate this book in one serving. It was passed down my by mother... again, I’ve given it to my daughters and waited, impatiently, to talk to them about it as they’ve read."

"Four stories that join forces, set around the day that Phillippe Petit walked between the Twin Towers on a tightrope... Again, the sweltering heat of New York in the ‘70s drew me in with a deep, familiar impression. I gave this book to my brother, who reminded me of it when I was trying to choose books for this project."

"New York is where I go in my head a lot when I’m writing. I have deep imprints of the city in my backbone: sounds, smells, music, pizza parlors, Chelsea Hotel, TV, fire hydrants oozing, the Lower East Side, people everywhere living their lives inside-out, on top, and through each other… maybe there is something even more in the memories old New York in the ‘70s—unpolished, unclean, lived in. It’s all there in this coming of age story of a young Puerto Rican boy/man. I feel this story all around in my memory bank."

"This true story left a hole in my head and in my heart. A woman on death row in Egypt decides that she wants to tell her story before her execution. She is in prison because she's killed her pimp, but even looking death in the eye she feels it’s the best thing she ever did, for in a weird way it sets her free. Painful, complicated, sad, and triumphant—all at once."

"My daughter Tyson and I went to hear Allende talk in Stockholm at Kulturhuset, which was great. I love her so much, and often think about her telling us how in the first days of January every year she starts a new book. I adore the picture of her always dressed up to the nines in heels and makeup, walking out to her shed in back of her garden... like a warrior going into battle... and then giving like people me a chance to fly with those tales... “Daughter of Fortune” is a fantastic adventure."

"I met James Baldwin with my family in Istanbul (I think my dad was doing the music for a play he was directing). I remember his eyes—just loving those eyes. When I was old enough to read his books, I fell in love with his mind."

"A true diva and genius, of course. This is one the best autobiographies I've ever read, recounting Simone’s upbringing in North Carolina in a non-segregated community; her schooling as a child prodigy by a Russian grand dame piano teacher; playing rough bars in evening dress and telling the winos to shut up or she wouldn't play (and they did!); to the absolute shock when she didn't get into Juilliard because of her color. By the time she's describing writing “Mississippi Goddam,” all my hairs were standing on end! A powerful woman, powerful activist, and amazing musician."