One Wonders

A powerful memoir from the Grammy-nominated musician that examines the challenges and rewards of life as an artistic soul.

Since founding the celebrated rock band My Morning Jacket in Louisville, Kentucky, in the late 1990s, Jim James has been hailed as one of the most vulnerable, incandescent and uplifting voices in contemporary music. His memoir, One Wonders, reaffirms this—and, with candor rare for any autobiography not just that of a musician, details his complicated evolution as both an artist and a human being.

In vivid and gripping scenes, James describes his at times idyllic, at times harrowing upbringing—from falling in love with music while watching The Muppet Show to suffering trauma he has never publicly shared. He recounts with equal nuance what it’s really like to be in a rock band, offering a kind of companion text to Donald S. Passman’s classic All You Need to Know About the Music Business: the grueling travel, toll on friendships, strain on romantic relationships and mind-scrambling financial implications mixed with the joyous gift of being able to unite and galvanize countless listeners over the years. And, for the first time, James extensively details the gruesome injury he suffered on-stage in 2008; how that lead him to depression, excessive drinking and suicidal thoughts; and how he eventually managed to acknowledge his mental health issues, address his alcoholism, and find renewed belief in the power of music and the beauty of existence.

With its richly detailed storytelling and wholly unguarded introspection, One Wonders is a poignant, inspiring and remarkable literary achievement.