The Harder I Fight the More I Love You: A Memoir

I wish this book had focused more on singer-songwriter Neko Case's music career, but that can't be understood apart from her dismal childhood that featured a neglectful father and a withholding mother - so withholding in fact, that she disappeared for several years and let second-grader Neko believe that she had died of cancer. Music was Neko's primary escape from feelings of emptiness and worthlessness. She found it easy to perform onstage because it wasn't much of a risk for someone so insignificant to put herself out there.

Case's narrative is like her lyrics, which have been described as idiosyncratic and cryptic. I hope the audiobook consists Case using her “120-mph fastball” contralto voice to sing all 265 pages. Whether you're familiar with her work or not, her story is unforgettable.