Questlove's Children’s Book is an Ode to "Black Nerds"

Questlove went on The View to talk about his new children's book, The Rhythm of Time, which was co-written by S.A. Crosby.

Questlove's children’s book The Rhythm of Time is dedicated to "Black nerds." To promote the S.A. Crosby co-penned book, which released on Tuesday (April 18), The Roots member, real name Ahmir Thompson, went to The View this week.

“When I would travel with my parents, my father and mother, we were like basically the Black Partridge Family,” Thompson said on the talk show. “My father was an oldies doo-wop legend back in the ’50s. I’d often read to them. Well, they would trick me into reading to them, and oftentimes, I’d pick books in which I didn’t see myself.”

He continued, “There’s a term, ‘alt-Black kids,’ where you might not talk the right language or you just look weird. I had weird hair, and I dressed weird. I wanted Black nerds to see themselves as well, so that’s kind of why I wrote the book.”

Here’s the synopsis for The Rhythm of Time:

“Seventh grader Rahim Reynolds loves testing out the gadgets invented by his brilliant friend Kasia Collins. First there were the X-ray glasses and all the trouble they caused. Now there’s the new cell phone she built for his birthday, even though his parents won’t let him have one. But Rahim is excited to use the phone to search for videos of his favorite old-school rap group. What he doesn’t know is the phone has a special battery that interfaces with a secret government satellite, which spells trouble when the phone transports him back to 1997. Almost immediately, he learns what every time traveler before him has: Actions in the past jeopardize the future. With Kasia as his only lifeline to the present, Rahim works with her to get home unscathed, all the while dodging bullies (on his end) and suspicious government agents (on hers).”

Prior to releasing The Rhythm of Time, Thompson announced his new book imprint AUWA Books. On October 17, the book imprint will release Sly Stone memoirThank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin). 

Watch Thompson’s full appearance on The View below.