I Dream of Joni

Henry Alford is a humorist and journalist who has written for The New Yorker for more than two decades. A former columnist for The New York Times and a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, he is the author of six books, including And Then We Danced, How to Live, Big Kiss, an account of his attempts to become a working actor, which won a Thurber Prize, and I Dream of Joni.

“[A] delightful compendium of everything you ever wanted to know about Mitchell, broken down into 53 anecdotes…. Based on exhaustive research and myriad interviews…. [Alford] has a deliciously witty prose style.”–Washington Post "[Alford is] a wry, cleareyed chronicler whose obvious affection for his subject doesn’t keep him from acknowledging the acutely human flaws and peccadilloes of an artist who has too often been written about with Mach 10 earnestness."–New York Times “What [Alford] has accomplished is nothing short of a wonder…. The book is an artfully designed collage of fact and feeling, and worthy of its subject.”–Air Mail “I came for Henry and stayed for Joni. Which is to say, one can have almost no interest at all in Joni Mitchell (and I'm ashamed to say I was one of those cultural lunks) and enjoy the crap out of this book — the gorgeous turn of words, the humor, the tireless pursuit of delicious detail. Alford, long a favorite of mine, captures the artist in all her zesty contradictions. He doesn't seek to resolve them, to draft some overarching theory of Joni, but rather to simply — as he puts it — 'spill them out on a tabletop and watch them sparkle.' That they do."–Mary Roach, New York Times bestselling author of Stiff and Fuzz  "Henry Alford gathered everything there is to know about Joni Mitchell and then distilled it all into the most fascinating, entertaining, and significant stories. Like its subject, I Dream of Joni is artful and inventive. Alford leaps from decade to decade, backwards and forwards, making the reader a (happy) captive on a carousel of time. The result is exactly what a genius like Joni Mitchell deserves—a biography that feels unfettered and alive."—Nell Scovell, author of Just the Funny Parts "Having read Henry Alford’s dreamy meditations and investigations into Joni Mitchell, I realize that all those hundreds of hours lying prone on my green shag carpet listening to Court and Spark in high school did not make me the Mitchellologist I thought I was. I am so glad Henry Alford filled in many of her mysteries. He even went to Saskatchewan; God’s work."—Lisa Birnbach, New York Times bestselling author of The Official Preppy Handbook and True Prep "The greatest Joni Mitchell book ever! Witty, gossipy, smart, it hits the perfect notes of understanding and respect for the music."—Francine Prose, New York Times bestselling author of Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932 and Anne Frank “This stylish consideration of the folk-rock-jazz legend by magazine veteran Alford is…thoughtful and informed…. [A] heartfelt reconsideration of an iconic artist.” —Kirkus “Alford’s smart prose will captivate readers and leave music fans with thoughtful questions about Mitchell and her musical influence.”—Library Journal “Revealing anecdotes, sly asides, and piercing insights, along with devastating quotes from the icon herself…[Alford’s] witty way into the material makes it all feel bracingly new.”—The Independent “Witty and comprehensive…Mitchell’s life, psyche and evolving legacy are explored here in vivid technicolor…with the author’s trademark wit and verve.”—Book Reporter