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A Thousand Threads: A Memoir
A vibrant memoir from Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Nenah Cherry who shares an inside look at her fascinating career and globe-traversing journeys in a life of love and music.
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.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 8, 2024
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October 13, 2024ARC REVIEW
This copy was gifted by the publisher Scribner Publishing
Neneh Cherry delivers 𝐀 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 with the same eccentric style as her music…it’s a little unorthodox yet catchy enough to keep you holding on to the end.
The book is sectioned in three parts. In my book (an ARC) the parts aren’t labeled. However, the timeline went as follows:
Part I: Birth-Preteen
I found this part moderately satisfying. It’s here Neneh introduces us to her mother Moki, her biological father Ahmadu, and her step dad, Don Cherry. I think Neneh does a great job of honoring her parents in this book. She lovingly shares a lot of their story along with her own. In this section she also describes what life was like growing up as a person of mixed race. The homes in which she’s lived plays as big a role in this memoir. She moves a lot and does a lot of traveling. It’s this nomadic lifestyle that creates the thousand threads that makes up Neneh Cherry.
Part II: The Teen Years
I must be honest, I struggled getting through Part II. These stories didn’t hold my interest at all. Neneh writes about places she’s lived, and friends she’s made along the way. Unfortunately, I didn’t think this made for great reading. It moved slow. I wanted the story to move along.
Part Three: Adulthood
This was my favorite section. The sweet spot of the book. Everything I really wanted to know about Neneh was here. During this time her music career takes off. She writes about making her album 𝘙𝘢𝘸 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪. She breaks down the making to her songs 𝘉𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘰 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘔𝘢𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 along with other songs. To this day I still love the song 𝘉𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘰 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. Whenever it comes on I happily sing every word😂. Well…I thought I knew every word. Until I read this book and learned that what I thought was, “Bob the Bass, rock this place” is really, “Bomb the Bass, rock this place.”🤯
Part III also contains the most emotional part of Neneh’s story. It’s during this time Neneh experiences many losses including the deaths of all three of her parents and quite a few friends. As a result she sadly finds herself in the throes of addiction.
🎶
Although I can’t label this a “must read”, I still believe it’s good for those who love Neneh’s music.
This copy was gifted by the publisher Scribner Publishing
Neneh Cherry delivers 𝐀 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 with the same eccentric style as her music…it’s a little unorthodox yet catchy enough to keep you holding on to the end.
The book is sectioned in three parts. In my book (an ARC) the parts aren’t labeled. However, the timeline went as follows:
Part I: Birth-Preteen
I found this part moderately satisfying. It’s here Neneh introduces us to her mother Moki, her biological father Ahmadu, and her step dad, Don Cherry. I think Neneh does a great job of honoring her parents in this book. She lovingly shares a lot of their story along with her own. In this section she also describes what life was like growing up as a person of mixed race. The homes in which she’s lived plays as big a role in this memoir. She moves a lot and does a lot of traveling. It’s this nomadic lifestyle that creates the thousand threads that makes up Neneh Cherry.
Part II: The Teen Years
I must be honest, I struggled getting through Part II. These stories didn’t hold my interest at all. Neneh writes about places she’s lived, and friends she’s made along the way. Unfortunately, I didn’t think this made for great reading. It moved slow. I wanted the story to move along.
Part Three: Adulthood
This was my favorite section. The sweet spot of the book. Everything I really wanted to know about Neneh was here. During this time her music career takes off. She writes about making her album 𝘙𝘢𝘸 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪. She breaks down the making to her songs 𝘉𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘰 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘔𝘢𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 along with other songs. To this day I still love the song 𝘉𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘰 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. Whenever it comes on I happily sing every word😂. Well…I thought I knew every word. Until I read this book and learned that what I thought was, “Bob the Bass, rock this place” is really, “Bomb the Bass, rock this place.”🤯
Part III also contains the most emotional part of Neneh’s story. It’s during this time Neneh experiences many losses including the deaths of all three of her parents and quite a few friends. As a result she sadly finds herself in the throes of addiction.
🎶
Although I can’t label this a “must read”, I still believe it’s good for those who love Neneh’s music.
October 27, 2024
Mycket bra självbiografi. Om att växa upp i en kreativ konstnärsfamilj, om att växa upp med en pappa som är heroinist, om att gång på gång befinna sig i populärkulturens absoluta zenit. Namedroppingen i boken är otrolig, Neneh har flyttat runt mycket i sitt liv och oftast hamnat rätt, i mytomspunna platser som New York (Chelsea Hotel, såklart), Los Angeles (Chateau Marmont, såklart) och London under punken och postpunkens mest kreativa era. Ja, hon hinner till och med vara raggare i Hässleholm under en peroid.
Men framförallt är detta en bok om kärlek. Till musik och kreativitet men ännu mer till familjen och vännerna.
Men framförallt är detta en bok om kärlek. Till musik och kreativitet men ännu mer till familjen och vännerna.
August 18, 2024
Scribner provided an early galley for review.
I would instantly know the cover of this book as it shares the same image as that on her 1989 banger debut album Raw Like Sushi Being very close in age (we're just a year apart) and thus coming from the same generation, I was very interested to know her story.
As the title states, Neneh takes after her mother as she weaves the many threads of her life into a revealing tapestry. The first quarter of the book covers in great detail her childhood with her parents and brother, bouncing back and forth between Sweden and New York City. With age and wisdom, she is interpreting those times through adult eyes yet still captures beautifully the essences of youth.
Even before she started making music herself, she was gathering in threads of various styles and sounds. From her stepfather's jazz connections to her touring along the punk scene to being at the epicenter of the birth of hip-hop, the elements were layering to build what would be the foundations of her own musical stylings. I was very surprised to learn about the punk bands (the Slits and Rip Rig + Panic) that she was a part of during her late teens and early 20's.
The third part of the book is where she dives into own songs and albums. I appreciated the insights into how the music came together and even more so that she recorded her debut album while very far along into her second pregnancy. Her newborn baby and family all figure prominently in the video for "Manchild", her debut album's second single. The threads of life and family run strong throughout her story.
In the end, her story is about family, friends, and a little bit of fame. It is one of life, love, and of eventual loss. I could relate to the general human themes that Neneh was illustrating here in her own life.
I would instantly know the cover of this book as it shares the same image as that on her 1989 banger debut album Raw Like Sushi Being very close in age (we're just a year apart) and thus coming from the same generation, I was very interested to know her story.
As the title states, Neneh takes after her mother as she weaves the many threads of her life into a revealing tapestry. The first quarter of the book covers in great detail her childhood with her parents and brother, bouncing back and forth between Sweden and New York City. With age and wisdom, she is interpreting those times through adult eyes yet still captures beautifully the essences of youth.
Even before she started making music herself, she was gathering in threads of various styles and sounds. From her stepfather's jazz connections to her touring along the punk scene to being at the epicenter of the birth of hip-hop, the elements were layering to build what would be the foundations of her own musical stylings. I was very surprised to learn about the punk bands (the Slits and Rip Rig + Panic) that she was a part of during her late teens and early 20's.
The third part of the book is where she dives into own songs and albums. I appreciated the insights into how the music came together and even more so that she recorded her debut album while very far along into her second pregnancy. Her newborn baby and family all figure prominently in the video for "Manchild", her debut album's second single. The threads of life and family run strong throughout her story.
In the end, her story is about family, friends, and a little bit of fame. It is one of life, love, and of eventual loss. I could relate to the general human themes that Neneh was illustrating here in her own life.
October 29, 2024
This was pretty disappointing for me; I just didn't connect with any part of this book and I really struggled to finish it. I was really hoping for me about her music and while that was in there, it felt like it was very brief and left me wanting much more. I really struggled with the family dynamic as well and that also made it a tougher read than I expected.
The middle part of the book [it is split into three parts] was the best for me, but even at that, it was really difficult for me to engage [and then part 3 was very off-putting for me] in her story [it DID make me want to go listen to Raw Like Sushi though. It has been Y E A R S since I had that in rotation]. Very disappointing.
Thank you to NetGalley, Neneh Cherry, and Scribner for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The middle part of the book [it is split into three parts] was the best for me, but even at that, it was really difficult for me to engage [and then part 3 was very off-putting for me] in her story [it DID make me want to go listen to Raw Like Sushi though. It has been Y E A R S since I had that in rotation]. Very disappointing.
Thank you to NetGalley, Neneh Cherry, and Scribner for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 7, 2024
As soon as I saw Neneh Cherry had a memoir coming out I’d been looking forward to reading it. I remember watching her first performance on Top of the Pops back in the late 80’s when I was a young teenager. I loved her music and I played the cassette tape I had of her debut album Raw Like Sushi repeatedly. 😂
We start of learning all about her childhood and growing up with her parents along with her younger brother. They moved around a bit between Sweden and New York. There were a lot of struggles in her life and it made for some difficult reading at times.
I really enjoyed reading the parts about her music and how her songs and albums came together. Lots of things I didn’t know. I won’t mention things here as I don’t want to ruin for those of you who wish to read this.
If you enjoy reading memoirs or are a fan of Neneh Cherry then I recommend reading this. It is essentially a story about family, friendship and the journey that life takes on - the good and the bad.
Thank you to Vintage Books for sending me a gifted copy.
We start of learning all about her childhood and growing up with her parents along with her younger brother. They moved around a bit between Sweden and New York. There were a lot of struggles in her life and it made for some difficult reading at times.
I really enjoyed reading the parts about her music and how her songs and albums came together. Lots of things I didn’t know. I won’t mention things here as I don’t want to ruin for those of you who wish to read this.
If you enjoy reading memoirs or are a fan of Neneh Cherry then I recommend reading this. It is essentially a story about family, friendship and the journey that life takes on - the good and the bad.
Thank you to Vintage Books for sending me a gifted copy.
October 24, 2024
After reading A Thousand Threads, I realized that Neneh Cherry is the Kevin Bacon of the music world.
With her parents, Moki and Don Cherry, there is no artist or jazz musician she didn't find herself around during her childhood. In her teenage years, she ran in the same circles of many early hip-hop, New Wave, and punk artists.
Neneh has lived and continues to live a fascinating life.
Her writing conveys the heartache and frustration of dealing with Don's drug addiction. She does a great job sharing the experience of returning to Africa with her biological father, Ahmadu Jah, and his family. The common thread throughout the book is how important family is to Neneh, not just her biological family but also the family she has chosen to surround herself with.
With her parents, Moki and Don Cherry, there is no artist or jazz musician she didn't find herself around during her childhood. In her teenage years, she ran in the same circles of many early hip-hop, New Wave, and punk artists.
Neneh has lived and continues to live a fascinating life.
Her writing conveys the heartache and frustration of dealing with Don's drug addiction. She does a great job sharing the experience of returning to Africa with her biological father, Ahmadu Jah, and his family. The common thread throughout the book is how important family is to Neneh, not just her biological family but also the family she has chosen to surround herself with.
November 6, 2024
The tone in Neneh's writing feels like she's verbally sharing a story. Pull up a chair, get comfy and sip a cup of tea while she tells us the tale of her life. And what a remarkable tale it is. Shaped by parents who constantly travelled following their creative pursuits, Neneh's life follows a similar constant forward momentum. I often marvel at people who find themselves in the middle of creative cultural zeitgeists. Artist mother, jazz muscian father, moving to London as a teenager and joining female punk pioneers - the Slits. Doing DJ sets in underground clubs in London, joining the band Rip, Rig + Panic, being selected as a model for the Buffalo posse in Japan, finding her own voice (influenced by the NY hip hop scene) and performing on TOTP 7 months pregnant. And that is really only the beginning.
All of Neneh's stories are intertwined with family and friends. As a successful 'solo artist' I can now understand the number of people who support, collaborate and love Neneh, enabling her creativity to reach it's potential. For all the famous names mentioned and incredible experiences shared in this book, there is equally quiet moments about family. Traveling to Sierra Leone as a teenager with her biological father to understand her African heritage, getting pregnant and married at 18, making family meals in a kitchen always overflowing with friends, musicians and children. Her deep lasting friendships and family ties give a nod to her own bohemian childhood. There is a sense that Neneh is always surrounded by people and her home is open to all.
There is so much love in this book. Love for her children, love for her parents and brother, love for her friends and creative collaborators. But perhaps what I didn't expect what the seering honesty of the impact of the loss of that love can have. Neneh's deep grief after the death of her parents, and her battle to connect with the people who usually support and sustain her. Her reliance on alcohol and slipping mental health. And having the courage to get help.
This book tells the story of Neneh's life, but through her wiser, experienced tone of self reflection and understanding. There is questioning of her parent's and the impact that Don Cherry's drug additiction
had on all members of the family, watching her mother Moki trying endlessly to save Don from himself, until she could no longer do it. Questioning her own parenting decisions as a creative working mother. Do you take your children on tour or offer stability and routine by leaving them behind? These are contemplations I have never read in any autobiography written by a man. The juggling of being a creative independant performer...and mother.
The overarching themes of this book is community and love. Pinching the pull quote on the cover by Zadie Smith - 'Neneh is cool, Neneh is wise'. Her story is epic, and as she begins her 60s, I sense there is much more to come. And I am here for it.
All of Neneh's stories are intertwined with family and friends. As a successful 'solo artist' I can now understand the number of people who support, collaborate and love Neneh, enabling her creativity to reach it's potential. For all the famous names mentioned and incredible experiences shared in this book, there is equally quiet moments about family. Traveling to Sierra Leone as a teenager with her biological father to understand her African heritage, getting pregnant and married at 18, making family meals in a kitchen always overflowing with friends, musicians and children. Her deep lasting friendships and family ties give a nod to her own bohemian childhood. There is a sense that Neneh is always surrounded by people and her home is open to all.
There is so much love in this book. Love for her children, love for her parents and brother, love for her friends and creative collaborators. But perhaps what I didn't expect what the seering honesty of the impact of the loss of that love can have. Neneh's deep grief after the death of her parents, and her battle to connect with the people who usually support and sustain her. Her reliance on alcohol and slipping mental health. And having the courage to get help.
This book tells the story of Neneh's life, but through her wiser, experienced tone of self reflection and understanding. There is questioning of her parent's and the impact that Don Cherry's drug additiction
had on all members of the family, watching her mother Moki trying endlessly to save Don from himself, until she could no longer do it. Questioning her own parenting decisions as a creative working mother. Do you take your children on tour or offer stability and routine by leaving them behind? These are contemplations I have never read in any autobiography written by a man. The juggling of being a creative independant performer...and mother.
The overarching themes of this book is community and love. Pinching the pull quote on the cover by Zadie Smith - 'Neneh is cool, Neneh is wise'. Her story is epic, and as she begins her 60s, I sense there is much more to come. And I am here for it.
October 14, 2024
Neneh Cherry wrote a memoir? As soon as I saw this listed for publication I knew I was going to buy it and read it,who can forget the soundtrack of the late 80s with hip hop and house music and in the midst of it Neneh Cherry comes along with Buffalo Stance and her debut album Raw Like Sushi,I didn't know much about her and this book is really well written and has some darker moments in it and personal challenges that the author has gone through,I felt it could have been longer and possibly more given to the reader about the music scene and how she became an icon in music and an enigma too with her choices of music output.
Daughter mother parent wife artist a thousand threads is all of the titles and more.
A very humanist and earthy memoir, I burned through it in the course of a night shift.
Daughter mother parent wife artist a thousand threads is all of the titles and more.
A very humanist and earthy memoir, I burned through it in the course of a night shift.
October 17, 2024
Thanks to the author and publisher for the giveaway.
This is a solid three stars. Neneh Cherry certainly has had an interesting life and upbringing. A talent in her own right with accomplished parents to boot. Buffalo Stance was a big hit when I was growing up and had an impact on the youth of that time. So when I saw the giveaway,I entered it.
Reading about her mother, Moki, and her step dad, Don was extremely enjoyable as I didn’t really know her background. Sad endings for both but well expressed by Neneh.
What amazes me is how Neneh lived her life so gracefully in so many world. America, Sweden and Africa. I know she may not have thought it was graceful given the numerous hardships she went through but she always survived and seemed to stay strong, even with bumps in the road.
This is a solid three stars. Neneh Cherry certainly has had an interesting life and upbringing. A talent in her own right with accomplished parents to boot. Buffalo Stance was a big hit when I was growing up and had an impact on the youth of that time. So when I saw the giveaway,I entered it.
Reading about her mother, Moki, and her step dad, Don was extremely enjoyable as I didn’t really know her background. Sad endings for both but well expressed by Neneh.
What amazes me is how Neneh lived her life so gracefully in so many world. America, Sweden and Africa. I know she may not have thought it was graceful given the numerous hardships she went through but she always survived and seemed to stay strong, even with bumps in the road.
October 29, 2024
Cool, honest, thoughtful. Of course, I love Neneh and I've been a Don Cherry fan for 4 decades, but didn't know much about her mother, Moki Cherry who was a brilliant artist. I loved learning about her and really appreciated how much Neneh wrote about Moki's dedication to creativity and the ways that gender and family were powerful forces in both their lives. Even if you weren't interested in music, there is much to think about here.
September 29, 2024
This is a fascinating insight into the life of Nenah Cherry, a lifestyle very different to mine but one clearly encircled with love and creativity. Throughout is the thread of love for her whole family, but particularly her mother Moki. A really engaging and interesting read.
Currently reading
July 31, 2024So exciting!
October 16, 2024
Thank you Neneh, beautiful writing.
October 28, 2024
Listened to the audio book. Loved hearing about Neneh's life of culture, creativity, travel, loss and love. Had to intersperse with a listen to Raw Like Sushi 😊
October 10, 2024
A book about music, art, love and life. I love reading about music and artists and their inspiration on their forms of art. And this book by Neneh Cherry is exactly all that and more. Filled with so much life and love and living and a lot of inspiration. It also tackled key topics of her lived experiences of racism, sexual violence, identity, politics, trauma, drug addiction and grief.
A deeply felt and personal read about Neneh’s experiences on motherhood and womanhood and the importance of family and how this all shaped her as an artist. Truly a masterpiece 💖
Thankyou so much @vintage for a copy of this brilliant proof.
A deeply felt and personal read about Neneh’s experiences on motherhood and womanhood and the importance of family and how this all shaped her as an artist. Truly a masterpiece 💖
Thankyou so much @vintage for a copy of this brilliant proof.
November 3, 2024
This was absolutely incredible & I would highly recommend it - whether you're a lover of her music or not, this story is all about family, music, love, growing up torn between a number of different cultures, and breaking the rules!
Neneh Cherry is a stunning storyteller - which makes sense when I think about her creative lyrics - and I honestly felt humbled by her beautiful story. There was lots I couldn't understand about her way of life, but isn't that why we read?
Neneh Cherry is a stunning storyteller - which makes sense when I think about her creative lyrics - and I honestly felt humbled by her beautiful story. There was lots I couldn't understand about her way of life, but isn't that why we read?
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