A Thousand Threads - by Neneh Cherry

Book Synopsis

Shortlisted for the Women's Prize

"Neneh is cool, Neneh is wise, Neneh is a legend. Her memoir is a treasure. I loved it." --Zadie Smith

This vibrant memoir from Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry offers an inside look at her fascinating career and is "a living testament to artistic invention and the people who are driven by it" (The Guardian).

Born in Sweden in 1964, Neneh Cherry's father Ahmadu was a musician from Sierra Leone. Her mother, Moki, was a twenty-one-year-old Swedish textile artist. Her parents split up just after Neneh was born, and not long afterwards Moki met and fell in love with acclaimed jazz musician Don Cherry. Eventually, the strong pull New York City in the 1970s drew him them there, but they made a home wherever they traveled. Neneh and her brother Eagle-Eye experienced a life of creativity, freedom, and, of course, music.

In A Thousand Threads, Neneh takes readers from the charming old schoolhouse in the woods of Sweden where she grew up, to the village in Sierra Leone that was birthplace of her biological father, to the early punk scene in London and New York, to finding her identity with her stepfather's family in Watts, California. Neneh has lived an extraordinary life of connectivity and creativity and she recounts in intimate detail how she burst onto the scene as a teenager in the punk band The Slits, and went on to release her first album in 1989 with a worldwide hit single "Buffalo Stance."

Neneh's inspiring and deeply compelling memoir both celebrates female empowerment and shines a light on the global music scene--and is perfect for anyone interested in the artistic life in all its forms.

Review Quotes

"Lots of people write memoirs. Neneh Cherry has actually lived a life that merits one. A Thousand Threads stitches together a wildly creative and itinerant life, told with bravery and tenderness." --The Washington Post

"Thrums with life... A Thousand Threads searches for feelings transient and timeless, keeps keeping on, never says maybe." --The Guardian

"Neneh is cool, Neneh is wise, Neneh is a legend. Her memoir is a treasure. I loved it." --Zadie Smith, author of The Fraud

"Cherry writes about her singular life with clarity and humor, and brings readers into a world of creative passion that will prove inspiring to anyone who's ever searched for a way to express themselves. Songs, it seems, won't be the only great works for which Cherry is celebrated." --Town and Country

"This beautifully written memoir resonated deeply with my immigrant heart... Cherry is a marvel. Her voice is a bridge-builder, and her honesty is a balm for the soul... It is the kind of writing that heals, and by the time you finish reading, you feel richer and a little bit wiser." --Elif Shafik

"Enthralling... Cherry's life has been an extraordinary mix of abundant creativity and never-ending travel, always with the changing seasons of her music-making, soulful friendships and devotion to family at the heart of it." --Bernardine Evaristo in The New Statesman

"A lyrical journey through pain and joy. The answer is always music. And love." --Rose Boyt, author of Naked Portrait

"A living testament to artistic invention... A vibrant read, peppered with both delight and moments of darkness." --The Observer

"Very moving... Both a love letter to her mother, and testament to grabbing life with both hands and throwing yourself at it." --Evening Standard, *Books of the Year*

"Wonderful... a rich autobiography wise to all the joys--and the perils--of a creative life." --Sunday Times (London), *Music Book of the Year*

"As she chronicles her remarkably adventurous and music-propelled life, Neneh traces the influence of her three cultures as she lives in Sweden, New York, and London, with sojourns in Los Angeles, Sierra Leone, and Spain, each place deepening her worldview and artistic sensibility... Forthright and captivating, Cherry keenly illuminates a broad and colorful swath of music history." --Booklist

About the Author

Grammy Award-nominated artist Neneh Cherry was born in Sweden. Her musical career started in London in the early 1980s, where she performed in a number of bands including The Slits. Her first album, Raw Like Sushi, was released in 1989 and hit #3 on the charts, with a worldwide hit single "Buffalo Stance." She has three children and divides her time between London and Stockholm.