Time magazine released its annual list of the "100 Most Influential People." Among the authors showcased:
Marlon James. Salman Rushdie wrote: "I met Marlon James when I interviewed him about A Brief History of Seven Killings at the New York Public Library, and he and his work both deeply impressed me.... It won the Man Booker Prize and turned Marlon into one of the most important voices of his literary generation, a role he has gleefully embraced on social media and elsewhere, speaking out on race, literature, gay rights and whatever else is on his mind. He has followed Brief History with an even more ambitious project: Black Leopard, Red Wolf is the first volume of a promised trilogy, a fabulist reimagining of Africa, with inevitable echoes of Tolkien, George R.R. Martin and Black Panther, but highly original, its language surging with power, its imagination all-encompassing. Marlon is a writer who must be read."
Tara Westover. Bill Gates wrote: "If you haven't read Educated yet, chances are you know someone who has. Tara Westover's brilliant memoir has been on the bestseller list since its release, and for good reason.... Her unique perspective on polarization in America feels especially important right now. Educated isn't a political book, but it touches on common divides in our country: red states vs. blue states, rural vs. urban, college-educated vs. not. Tara has a lot of smart things to say about overcoming those divides, and I'm glad Educated's success has given her a platform to use her voice. I look forward to reading--or seeing!--what comes next from her."
Samin Nosrat. Alice Waters wrote: "There is magic in the way Samin teaches. She wins you over immediately with an irresistible combination of warmth, honesty, deep understanding of cooking and that ebullient laugh of hers. If anyone can show us how to cook, it is Samin. So it's no surprise that her book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and her Netflix series are both so groundbreaking.... I love the passion and poise with which Samin delivers this message about food. Because in the end, it's a universal message, and it's one we have forgotten: that cooking is about care."
Lynn Nottage. Martha Plimpton wrote: "Lynn Nottage is dedicated to opening up stories that we're not used to hearing. She brings a sense of curiosity to all sorts of subjects and a clear eye to notoriously difficult parts of American culture and society.... It's been a tremendous privilege to explore this aspect of American life in Sweat--the play for which she won her second Pulitzer, becoming the only woman ever to have won twice in the drama category. The key is Lynn's empathy for her characters and their stories."
Several others on this year's Time 100 list have written books, including former First Lady Michelle Obama, whose memoir Becoming is an international bestseller, and Jane Goodall.