New York Is My Favorite City.

I Think It's Difficult For Young People To Acknowledge Being Smart, To Knowledge Being A Reader. I See Kids Who Are Embarrassed To Read Books. They're Embarrassed To Have People See Them Doing It.

I'm Not Out Here Looking For No Garbage Cans To Curl Up In. I'm Looking For The Same Good Dreams Everybody Else Is Hoping For, But I Don't See Where They Are. Or Maybe I See Where They Are, But I Don't See How To Get There.

And I See The - You Know, When I Go To The Juvenile Detention Centers And Prisons, I See People Who Can't Read Now. And I Know That When They Leave Those Prisons And Those Detention Centers, They're Not Going To Be Able To Make It In Our Society.

I Like People Who Take Responsibility For Their Lives.

I Was Teased If I Brought My Books Home. I Would Take A Paper Bag To The Library And Put The Books In The Bag And Bring Them Home. Not That I Was That Concerned About Them Teasing Me - Because I Would Hit Them In A Heartbeat. But I Felt A Little Ashamed, Having Books.