Opinion

In my library: Terrance McKnight

Maybe it was the dreadlocks. In any event, back when Terrance McKnight was at Georgia State University majoring in piano, many assumed he was there to play basketball. “It got a little wearing,” says McKnight, the velvet-voiced DJ for classical-music radio station WQXR (105.9). These days, the host of “All Ears” delights in showing how all great music — baroque, spirituals, jazz — shares a common theme: “It’s all about human emotion,” he says, “and that spans time and race and culture.” He’s moderating a talk about music and dance in August Wilson’s plays Saturday at the Greene Space, 44 Charlton St. Here’s what’s in his library.

The Mis-Education of the Negro, by Carter G. Woodson

My birth certificate lists my parents as Negroes. I figured it made me one, too. Woodson, a scholar who came up during the Harlem Renaissance, asserts that the psychological conditions required to sustain slavery are largely still in place. It’s a must-read for Negroes, their children and those interested in their ways.

Makes Me Wanna Holler, by Nathan McCall

This is the autobiography of a man who spent three years in jail for some small felony, then went to Norfolk State University, worked for the Atlanta Constitution and then as a writer for The Washington Post. There, in the late ’80s, he found himself trapped between a professional glass ceiling and a community (himself included) stained by complexes of inferiority.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey

I read this in graduate school when I had a hand injury and couldn’t play piano. The big take-away for me was the idea of being proactive. So instead of feeling sad for myself, I started listening to the radio and practicing with my [good] hand. It all made a lot of sense to me.

Miles: The Autobiography, by Quincy Troupe

Quincy got [jazz trumpeter Miles Davis] to forget someone was writing his story, and he opened up about drugs, women — crazy stories! He told about driving his Lamborghini and being so paranoid about being followed, he left the car at a stoplight and checked into a hotel! Musicians tend to be eccentric. Reading Miles gave me permission to be myself.