NIGHT TABLE READING

CONOR OBERST

musician

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers (Bantam). "I've spent a lot of time defending/explaining my age and how it affects the validity of my art. McCullers articulates the desperation, ecstasy, and confusion of being human and nearly confirms how growing older only pollutes one's concept of truth, and proves a newborn is still the wisest creature on earth."

ANDREW MACKENZIE

fashion designer

II Duces Other Woman, by Philip V. Cannistraro and Brian R. Sullivan (Morrow). "It's about Mussolini's Jewish mistress. Peeking at those love letters and diaries is like discovering the unknown, softer side of the famous Italian dictator."

RUBEN BLADES

musician, actor, activist

Ralph Ellison: Emergence of Genius,

by Lawrence Jackson (John Wiley & Sons). "I didn't know much about the backgrounds of African-American writers. The book helped explain a critical period of social and political development and the relationship between black and white cultures. The way Ellison interpreted it proves that his was a very powerful intellect."

ROB THOMAS

singer, songwriter, Matchbox Twenty

Stupid White Men, by Michael Moore (Regan Books). "I think Moore is such a smart guy, and I've always been a fan of his point of view. This is the kind of book that can make you mad about /fmu ^ the state of things in our country, and then Ak • make you want to do something JLY, about it."