Ani DiFranco

My first exposure to Ani DiFranco was at 1997 concert in Champaign, IL with Dan Bern as the opening act. Didn't know beans about either before the show.

The concert was wonderful! Ani pierces the space she inhabits with some sort of happy warrior thing, the way she sings and plays. Behind that space distortion, drags a black hole about who she is, what she stands for (rubber shorts?, hah), and what she should do?

This frank, if rambling memoir, collapses that black hole. I think frankness is at the essence of DiFranco's work.

I enjoyed the story of her journey of becoming an artist. As a former entrepreneur, I could relate to her struggles of starting a new business, and then, in being proud of making a go of it. And, in being overwhelmed by it, as time goes on.

I'm not really sure what to make about her statement that writing is masculine, and music is feminine. I don't think that either is gendered, by nature. Perhaps by custom?… (more)

It took me a bit to get into this, and I did appreciate that the audio book was read by Ani herself. There was a ton in here -- some of it troubling, some of it very her, some of it fascinating. I was hoping to know more about her more recent life. I found parts of it inspiring and parts of it problematic. Rambling and ranting. Also strongly opinionated, and attempting amends. She comes across as a real person, warts and all, and I was interested enough to stick with it.

Also, I genuinely have no idea how to rate this one.… (more)

A passionate and intensely intimate memoir about the education of an artist. The author bares her soul and doesn't hesitate to relate even the painful moments of her life. It's clear that she is invested in the tell of tales and her only concern is to explain and carry the narrative onward. The book itself is beautifully rendered and interspersed with selections of poetry and lyrics. The only reason I'm not scoring it higher is because I'm not familiar with the artist and so her story is harder to contextualize. Fans of her music will, I'm sure, get a lot more out of this book and feel very connected to the artist's journey.… (more)