Thing that was very different for me is that an American child's reading is filled with Americans.

I began reading in French. I didn't read in English until high school.

I love James Baldwin essays, but also his novels. I recently read "Another Country." I couldn't believe how ahead of his time he was.

In some ways, I think it's the closest that we come to the truth — is in the form of fiction.

Few [books] get translated and the ones that do have trouble making it into the mainstream. It's more likely that Americans will discover another culture through an American writer rather read a writer from that culture.

Every book leaves its mark on you. It might leave you hungry for that kind of book or you may be satiated, and you're eager to read something else. It might send you in a completely different direction. I love that about reading.

There is a insularity within American fiction even for adults. It's very tough for books in translation in the US.