I grew up in a household where reading was encouraged. My mother believed in the power of words, and my father obviously did too.

The happiest years of my mother's life were spent in Washington, D.C. It was where she met my father, where John was born and where I spent my earliest years.

People don't always realize that my parents shared a sense of intellectual curiosity and a love of reading and of history.

I enjoy writing. I enjoy that kind of process.

I feel like my grandparents and parents gave me a tremendous amount. And if I can pass some of that on, then I'll be very happy.

I've been a Democrat all my life.

I think one of my father's great legacies is the people that he inspired and the generation that he inspired transformed America through civil rights, women's rights, equal justice, and they've passed that on to their children and grandchildren.