Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting (Signed!) [J0366]

2021 signed HCDJ in Gift-Worthy condition. From the Grammy nominated folk singer and songwriter, an inspiring exploration of creativity and the redemptive power of song. Mary Gauthier was twelve years old when she was given her Aunt Jenny's old guitar and taught herself to play with a Mel Bay basic guitar workbook. Music offered her a window to a world where others felt the way she did. Songs became lifelines to her, and she longed to write her own, one day. Then, for a decade, while struggling with addiction, Gauthier put her dream away and her call to songwriting faded. It wasn't until she got sober and went to an open mic with a friend did she realize that she not only still wanted to write songs, she needed to. Today, Gauthier is a decorated musical artist, with numerous awards and recognition for her songwriting, including a Grammy nomination. In Saved by a Song, Mary Gauthier pulls the curtain back on the artistry of songwriting. Part memoir, part philosophy of art, part nuts and bolts of songwriting, her book celebrates the redemptive power of song to inspire and bring seemingly different kinds of people together.

From recent-ish Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "The book was really good and very moving. Each chapter focused on one of her songs and why and how she wrote the song. Great framework for a very good memoir."; "I play the guitar and sing, and once in a while do some open mics. I read Gauthier's book straight through without putting it down, and then read it again highlighting dozens of pages. As a fellow traveler I fell in love with this teacher and muse. Gender dissolved and differences melted. Her words showed me that we had everything in common. Unflinching, cutting to the bone honest, unapologetic while searching for answers with her words and notes, Mary shows that none of us are alone and through compassion, empathy, and our personal voice we can survive just about anything. Mary's book is a pristine guide of how to mine the words that will work as a conduit and solvent to deliver this empathy and compassion in ways that regular song writing can not."; "The book was really good and very moving. Each chapter focused on one of her songs and why and how she wrote the song. Great framework for a very good memoir."; "Wonderful memoir. Heartbreaking in spots, very uplifting and life affirming in others. Every songwriter or maybe more apt, every aspiring songwriter, should read Mary's story."