The Grammy- and Academy Award-nominated singer-songwriter's memoir, sharing the story of an unthinkable act of violence and ultimate healing through art.
Moorer’s memoir is full of backstory—memories, current notes and thoughts, and well-described metaphors that come together fluidly, all told with grit and lyrical prose. Moorer’s thoughtful, introspective reflections are painted with an artist’s brush. Her writing is beautiful and gripping and will stop readers in their tracks ... Memoir lovers will find this a must-read.
The narrative reads like an intimate journal with meditations on objects the author remembers from her childhood ... Interspersed photographs and pieces of ephemera help tell the history of her family’s unraveling ... Fans of Moorer or Shelby Lynne’s music will recognize this story from their country songs. Recommended for libraries where country musicians’ biographies are popular.
... arresting ... Moorer weaves in the narrative of her childhood with shorter, more poetic chapters, ranging from lists and letters to short, evocative vignettes. The changing form emulates the way that trauma and grief shatter one’s reality in inexplicable ways. To me, the effect was spellbinding, inviting us into Moorer’s attempts to make sense of a heinous tragedy, and into the painful corners where those attempts fragment ... Moorer describes her family’s love for one another as 'the piece of paper and not the paperweight.' But her affection for her mother and sister grounds Blood poignantly. The care between these women holds the paper in place enough to allow Moorer to write their story upon it.
