Resistance
A Songwriter's Story of Hope, Change, and Courage
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4.2 • 23 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A timely and passionate call to action for engaging with our current political moment, from the Grammy-nominated and multiplatinum singer-songwriter and New York Times bestselling author Tori Amos.
Since the release of her first, career-defining solo album Little Earthquakes, Tori Amos has been one of the music industry’s most enduring and ingenious artists. From her unnerving depiction of sexual assault in “Me and a Gun” to her post-9/11 album, Scarlet’s Walk, to 2017’s Native Invader, her work has never shied away from intermingling the personal with the political.
From her time as a teenager playing hotel bars in Washington, DC, for the politically powerful to the subsequent three decades of her formidable music career, Amos explains how she managed to create meaningful, politically resonant work against patriarchal power structures—and how her proud declarations of feminism and her fight for the marginalized always proved to be her guiding light. She teaches us to engage with intention in this tumultuous global climate and speaks directly to supporters of #MeToo and Time’s Up, as well as young people fighting for their rights and visibility in the world.
Filled with compassionate guidance and actionable advice—and using some of the most powerful, political songs in Amos’s canon—Resistance is for anyone determined to steer the world back in the right direction.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Tori Amos’ life and art are inextricably entwined. Rather than being a straight memoir, Resistance breaks down 32 of her most indelible songs, explaining how each one relates not only to her own personal experiences, but to pressing social issues and events from recent history. In reflecting on “Me and a Gun,” the musician opens up about her own sexual assault story before examining the impact of the Brett Kavanaugh hearings on the survivor community. Discussing “Cornflake Girl,” Amos finally demystifies her song’s gorgeously enigmatic lyrics, breaking down its symbolism to reveal a story about betrayal between women and the horrifying realities of female genital mutilation. Like her music, Amos’ book is a call to arms that filled us with hope, passion, and inspiration.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Musician Amos (Piece by Piece) discusses creating music during turbulent times in this soulful memoir. At age five, Amos began studying music at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Md., and, in 1977, at 13, was playing piano in bars in Washington, D.C., a city where "supposedly moral men" were "laying the groundwork for a compromised future." She writes of playing songs such as 1990's "Little Earthquakes" at recent concerts as a way to help people "process the shock of the Trump presidency," and describes how she will often rework set lists to accommodate fan requests. A self-described "feminist soldier," Amos often speaks in exalted terms about her craft and the "Muses" that guided her as she recorded songs including "Girl," about female oppression, and "Ophelia," which addresses survivors of sexual trauma. She calls songwriters "sonic hunters" and assigns the pronoun she to her songs (" Girl' had not yet been written, but she was listening from the ether"). A New Agey vibe sometimes surfaces within discussions of contemporary events, as Amos emphasizes the role artists have to play in society: "We must Out-Create destruction." This memoir and call to action will delight Amos's many fans.
Customer Reviews
Wow. Must must read
Finishing chapter 1. Finally someone with the discipline and dedication to her craft. Through the years she’s been an inspiration and a muse to my art, and now she reminds us that it takes strength and dedication to survive a world where our arts are in danger that artists need to stand their ground. R E A D IT!