The Harder I Fight the More I Love You
A Memoir
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4.5 • 37 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
AN APPLE BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH
Singer-songwriter Neko Case paints a vivid portrait of an extraordinary life—one forged through a poverty-stricken childhood, obsessive desire, bursts of comedy, and indispensable friendships—reflecting on the way art, music, and a deep connection to nature helped her become a beloved, Grammy-nominated artist.
Neko Case has long been revered as one of music’s most influential artists, whose authenticity, lyrical storytelling, and sly wit have endeared her to a legion of critics, musicians, and lifelong fans. In THE HARDER I FIGHT THE MORE I LOVE YOU, Case brings her trademark candor and precision to a memoir that traces her evolution from an invisible girl “raised by two dogs and a space heater” in rural Washington state to her improbable emergence as an internationally-acclaimed talent.
In luminous, sharp-edged prose, Case shows readers what it’s like to be left alone for hours and hours as a child, to take refuge in the woods around her home, and to channel the monotony and loneliness and joy that comes from music, camaraderie, and shared experience into art.
THE HARDER I FIGHT THE MORE I LOVE YOU is a rebellious meditation on identity and corruption, and a manifesto on how to make space for ourselves in this world, despite the obstacles we face.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Neko Case is not your average singer-songwriter, so it’s no wonder this is far from your standard celebrity memoir. Focusing on her childhood and young-adult years in the rural Pacific Northwest, Case is plainspoken about her “half-feral” upbringing. As in, being routinely left alone all day in dilapidated houses in the middle of nowhere with a few pets and some wild animals for company. Her mother in particular...well, let’s just say there’s too much to spoil. Case’s teenage musical revelations promise a path out of darkness, but they come with their own horrific pitfalls. (There’s a “never meet your heroes” story that will turn you off a certain beloved country duo for life.) So, yeah, parts are a tough read. But when she muses on her love of horses, a childhood week at the carnival, or how rock ’n’ roll really did save her life, it feels as transcendent as one of Case’s own songs.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In her first book, singer-songwriter Case takes a gut-wrenching look at her difficult childhood and her path toward a music career. Case's parents, she writes, were "the typical cautionary tale of two teens who have sex for the first time ever... and get pregnant by accident." That made Case, who grew up in rural Virginia, "a child of children" who weren't especially interested in raising her. In second grade, her father told her that her mother had died of cancer; a short time later, her mother suddenly reappeared, and Case eventually learned that she was never even sick. Following their reunion, Case and her mother bounced between small towns across the country, eventually settling in Tacoma, Wash., where Case was legally emancipated from her parents at age 15. Afterward, she roamed Tacoma and began playing in bands. She discusses moving to and from British Columbia, linking up with Carl Newman to start the New Pornographers, and launching her solo career in prose that's unfussy but often beautiful (Case preferred walking Tacoma at night because "there was less consciousness to contend with.... I wasn't so on edge and my cyclonic churning could ebb a little"). With equal doses of grit and self-compassion, Case delivers a riveting autobiography that will fascinate even those who've never heard her music.
Customer Reviews
Wonderful book full of interesting insights
Neko Case is a great singer and songwriter and her intelligence and artistry shine through in this book just as they do in her music.