“They were real people who entertained and argued and existed entirely independently from him, although he had set the thing in motion. They had different thoughts and beliefs. ~ on children growing up.”

Zadie Smith is a British novelist and essayist of the 2000s and 2010s. She is best known for her sharp, culturally observant fiction that explores identity, migration, and community, including novels like *White Teeth* and *On Beauty*. Her essays often examine literature, race, and urban life with wit and intellectual depth.