Sly and the Family Stone leader Sly Stone will finally tell his story with a new memoir, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again). Set to hit shelves on October 17th, the book is the first release from Questlove‘s new AUWU Books imprint.
Featuring a forward from Questlove himself, the book was written by Sly with novelist Ben Greenman. One of The Roots drummer’s frequent literary collaborators, Greenman has also written memoirs with George Clinton, Brian Wilson, Gene Simmons, and more. Back in 2009, Greenman even released Please Step Back, a fictionalized novel about an aging funk-rock star based loosely on an amalgamation of Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, and others.
“For as long as I can remember folks have been asking me to tell my story,” Sly said in a statement. “I wasn’t ready. I had to be in a new frame of mind to become Sylvester Stewart again to tell the true story of Sly Stone. It’s been a wild ride and hopefully my fans enjoy it too.”
Stone has been a frequent creative muse for Questlove, with the multi-hyphenate’s Oscar-winning 2021 directorial debut, Summer of Soul (…or. When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), focusing heavily on Sly and the Family Stone. That same year, Questlove announced a separate documentary focusing exclusively on Stone with executive producer Common. Earlier this year, the yet-untitled film was acquired by Hulu.
Related: Mick Jagger, Questlove, Black Thought To Produce James Brown Documentary
“I have been writing books for over a decade, so it seemed like a natural step to publish them too,” Questlove said of his new imprint. “I’m very excited about AUWA Books, from the books we have lined up to the books we haven’t discovered yet. Let’s take it to the page.”
Pre-order the new Sly Stone memoir today via Amazon or Barnes & Noble ahead of its October 17th, 2023 release.
