one grand books

Questlove’s 10 Favorite Books

Bookseller One Grand Books has asked celebrities to name the ten titles they’d take to a desert island, and they’ve shared the results with Vulture. Below is DJ and producer Questlove’s list. His new book Creative Quest is out now.

$38
$38

Prince and the Purple Rain Era Studio Sessions: 1983 and 1984, by Duane Tudahl
A book I loved so much, I begged to do the forward when I received the manuscript.

$22
$22

Dreams of Africa in Alabama: The Slave Ship Clotilda and the Story of the Last Africans Brought to America, by Sylviane A. Diouf
This book represents my chapter in American history — my great-great-great-grandfather was on this ship. I’m his dream manifested.

$20
$20

The Hungry Ear, by Kevin Young
I like reading poetry, and I like eating and drinking. This book combines all of that with poetry about food and drink.

$17
$17

They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, by Hanif Abdurraqib
His ode to “Trap Queen” as the new “I Will Always Love You” first caught my attention. I was instantly hooked.

$18
$18

Last Night a DJ Saved My Life, by Bill Brewster & Frank Broughton
The chapter on Larry Levan alone transformed me into wanting to be your favorite DJ.

$17
$17

The Potlikker Papers, by John T. Edge
Although his 2004 book on chicken is the usual go-to, it’s his ode to soul food and race that grabbed me.

Rakim Told Me: Wax Facts Straight From the Original Artists, by Brian Coleman
My two favorite things in one setting: liner notes and hip-hop classics!

$15
$15

Silver Screen Fiend, by Patton Oswalt
Similar to my envy of Outkast’s “SpottieOttieDopaliscious,” this is the memoir I wish I could’ve written. This film is damn near my personal cinema bible.

$17
$17

Beneath the Underdog, by Charles Mingus
Lots of musicians have written memoirs. I did. This one, by the great jazz bassist and composer, is one of the funniest, smartest, and rawest.

Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
A clear and powerful thinker writing about how we got to where we got, and where we’re going next. The voice of the times I live in.

Questlove’s 10 Favorite Books