Days of Miracle and Wonder

Has only made me appreciate the album's intricacies and paradoxes all the more . . . Kahn lets his historical actors speak for themselves as often as possible, collecting a remarkably wide array of voices for so short a book . . . There is plenty of myopia and ill will in the tale of Graceland's creation. But Kahn's book, echoing the album, is concerned above all with the beauty of human connection forged through music, across space and, 40 years later, over time * NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW *
Ashley Kahn's Days of Miracle And Wonder-like its subject, Paul Simon's Graceland-represents a pinnacle of its form: a syncretic work of art that shows its author's mastery of all of popular music's moving parts: the musical, the technological, the historical, the socio-political, the commercial, the biographical. Like its subject, it delivers nuance and provocation. In the midst of larger struggles for rights, it asks what rights artists themselves have. And it shows that great art has unintended consequences beyond the conceptions and intentions of its creators * Dan Charnas *
Explains the complex legacy and masterful musicianship of the 1986 classic * GUARDIAN *
Days of Miracle and Wonder is an impeccably constructed examination of an album that boosted the profile of South African music and reinvigorated Simon's career * UNCUT *
A great American songwriter, a joyful South African music, a repressive government, international protests and 1980s attitudes produced a clash of art and ethics thoroughly documented by Ashley Kahn * Nelson George *
Graceland remains one of the most intriguing (and misunderstood) of the blockbuster 1980s albums. It is immediately accessible, universally adored and likely to endure forever. Ashley Kahn asks every question - political, musical and aesthetic - that you might want answered about the record, its reception and its legacy, with sensitive attention to detail, nuance and the artistic process * Matt Thorne *
Kahn has a gold-digger's eye for the gems that make this a gripping and inspiring book. Graceland is now part of the world's soundtrack, but learning how Simon brought it to life on disc and on stage, and how he dealt unflinchingly with the attacks and setbacks, is extraordinary and very moving. I thought I knew most of the story, but that opinion shrank with every page I turned * Joe Boyd, author of And the Roots of Rhythm Remain *
Kahn has all the right laminated passes to tell the story of this extraordinary album's development. He's an insider . . . Among music journalists Kahn is exceptionally skilled at demystifying the creative and technological processes that unfold inside recording studios . . . Kahn pitches himself perfectly to the ear of the inquisitive, sub-boffin music fan -- TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT