"In the book Mr Evans lays out practical ways to avoid genocide and the slaughter of innocents. Military intervention is only the very last resort and only if the benefits outweigh the likely negative effects of such an intervention. Rather, he focuses on the ‘toolboxes’ respected emissaries might bring to the table in dialogue with warring parties. A brilliant example is Kenya. When the church and homes were burnt in the Rift Valley and Kenya appeared to be moving towards uncontrollable violence, Kofi Annan and other respected leaders went to Kenya and were able to bring about the fragile peace that has held thus far. The ‘toolbox’ or sticks and carrots a dignitary might be authorised to bring to the table would depend on the country and its needs, whether it be loans or trade agreements or whatever. It is an excellent, practical and scholarly book which should be essential reading for all world leaders."

"I loved Primal Fear. It was my first introduction, I think, to Edward Norton. I don’t know what he was in prior to that. I love these complex storylines of scandals of the church and the greed of Richard Gere and then, of course, obviously that they fooled us for so long. I really fell down the rabbit hole and it turned on a dime and blew my mind. Frickin’ Edward Norton is such a genius. I hate to say this but I get jealous very easily [laughing]. If it’s a fantastic movie, or fantastic director or fantastic actor. Like, doing this play [Spring Awakening on Broadway] I remember [when seeing the original Los Angeles production] saying, “I’m jealous I’m not in it,” and that’s the biggest praise I can give. Honestly, I think Edward Norton is one of the best of our generation. I’d like to call myself in his generation."

"A thriller wrapped inside an enigma, this is my desert island disc, the one I’ve watched
 more than any other on this list. The psychology of the characters is revealed
 slowly and ambiguously. Each time I see the wheelchair (the husband’s fantasy) and hear the sound of the horse-and-carriage bells (the wife’s), and the way
 the two achieve harmony in the final scene, I’m reminded of Luis Buñuel’s ability to
 fuse reality and illusion in his characters and for the viewer. He performs this
 magic in plain view, like the best magicians. This is the film that illustrates that
 Catherine Deneuve is not only one of the world’s most beautiful women but a
 fine actress. Belle de jour is truly subversive in its satiric depiction of middle-
class society, the church, and our social mores. If a ratings board ever understood
 this film, it would receive an NC-17, though there is no sex and little violence."

"It’s astonishing; one of those soundscape albums where the songs barely hold together, but somehow they do, so beautifully and so delicately. They’re like hymns, all of them. There’s a very spiritual quality to the chord sequences, straight from the church. It’s worshipful and soulful. In some ways it relates to Talk Talk’s last works. But they have that dark, dubstep feel to them as well. I just love the way he deconstructs songs. After I’d bought the album, it was on in a people carrier when we were being driven to a festival somewhere, and everybody was saying, "this is really dreary", but I had to pipe up and say, "actually it’s one of my favourite albums at the moment so can we leave it on?" I felt connected to it. I thought, "this isn’t dreary; it’s making me feel uplifted." I like what he does. I like anyone who takes songs and challenges the notion of song structures."

"I read about Sudan every day, and I didn’t understand what was going on there until this book. Dave Eggers tells the story of Valentino Achak Deng, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, who walked across the country, the largest in Africa. And then Deng spent 13 years in refugee camps before being resettled in Atlanta. It’s a powerful story of what he survived. There are lighter moments in the book: He and his roommates buy a tampon box because they think it’s so pretty. And there are less-kind instances of American behavior in the book—Deng was held hostage in his home and robbed. I didn’t know that church groups had sponsored these men. There’s so much anti-immigration stuff going on in the States right now, it’s heartening to see that people worked to reach out to others who are in need of what our country has to offer."