I've been a Tori Amos fan since the mid-1990s, so this was a pleasure to listen to. Fans know that Tori has a special talent for storytelling in her songs; it was cool to hear that translated in book form. You have to approach this book as if it were an album. It jumps around in space and time but has an overarching theme that connects everything. Part autobiography, part social history, and part songwriter manifesto, this book was definitely an inspiration to me as an artist. Highly recommended for Tori fans as well as anyone who identifies as a creative artist. I'm not sure if the average reader who doesn't fall into these categories would get as much out of this book. For me, it has reignited a flame of approaching art as a form of resistance! ( )

Excellent book if you want to get a good insight into what Tori was thinking when writing some of her songs for her newest album at the time and soe of her older ones. ( )

I was a big fan of Tori Amos as a teenager (20-25 years ago). This book is a pretty good example of "if you like someone who produces work of some category, don't read more autobiographical or opinion works due to the risk of spoiling your appreciation of their art...".

The first 5-10 minutes were horrible generic "RESISTANCE! Orange man bad!". Then it got a lot more interesting, with autobiography about her early career in DC. Listening to Tori talk about Operation Eagle Claw as and the formation of USSOCOM was at minimum surreal. The parts about her father (a preacher), her early career (playing piano in a gay bar, "the safest place for a 13 year old gir" with his support, etc were good.

Unfortunately that was really the only interesting part of the book -- otherwise it was a mix of "touring stories", which seemed to be a random combination of "persecuted fan reaches out", recitation of her lyrics, and generic "other political side is bad and oppressive" (with no information given to support this). ( )

Resistance: A Songwriter's Story of Hope, Change, and Courage from Tori Amos is both a deeply personal book as well as a political (in the broad sense) book.

I remember vividly the first two times I saw her perform. I say two because they were about two weeks apart so they kind of blend together for me. 1992, small venues in New Orleans and Baton Rouge (I was at LSU at the time). My birthday is September 26 and the first show was in early September as I recall and a friend took me as a gift because she knew I really liked Little Earthquakes. So a couple weeks later when she was in Baton Rouge I made a point of going again. Blown away both times and because of the venue size she was able to meet some of the fans, so that was great as well. But to be honest, to be sitting anywhere near the front feels like she is singing directly to you at times. So, yes, this review is written from a fan's perspective. Even after eleven shows I still get excited to think about seeing her again.

This book uses her songs and lyrics coupled with both her life experiences and society's issues to demonstrate that the personal is absolutely political. What I found appealing was how she did not try to make each section into some grand cultural statement, though some certainly made such statements. But when something was far more personal than societal that was the direction she took. Ultimately, all of the personal, from DC clubs to the passing of her mother, helps to create the person she is, which is someone with an eye on the big picture and cultural topics.

One of the many wonderful things about her songs is that they are not always simple and straightforward as far as what they are about. Between multiple listenings and interviews, most fans learn what she is referencing and singing about. But for most of us we also connect through our own avenue into each song. And it is not hard to maintain both perspectives, her initial intent and our initial reception, while each deepens with repeated listening. This book highlights, I think, just that quality. She explains what she was thinking when she was writing it, and often how she views that song now. Those are not always identical in the same way that she is no longer the same person she was. This opens each song up for us to both better understand her and her songs, but also to feel that we are "allowed" to read what we need to read into those songs.

The writing is almost conversational, which works very well in this case. This is less a single narrative than it is the reader sitting down and having a meandering conversation that, while headed in a general direction, takes some detours and side trips. Fans will certainly enjoy this feeling, and I think most other readers will enjoy it as well. If you prefer a rather traditional linear memoir, this might not suit you quite as much. Though I will say that I think you'll still like the book, you'll just wish it had been more like what everyone else does. For those of us who like Amos' music, it is precisely because she isn't like everyone else, so we will like this approach.

The political statements are here, but if you don't want to feel like you're being hit over the head with it you won't, it is not heavy-handed. In fact, it all flows from song to life experience to lessons learned to those lessons applied to others. I understand that Tori also reads for the audiobook version, which I think will be phenomenal.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )

3.5

I do not read much non-fiction. By "much" I mean pretty much not at all. I've just always been more drawn into the fictional, often fantastical. The exception to this has always been Tori Amos. When her book Tori Amos: Piece by Piece came out I was quick to grab it. She's always been a favorite artist of mine with her songs having such a layered mystery about them, I will always sit up and listen when it comes to hearing her process or, in her words, where the "Muses" take her in regards to crafting her songs. The deeper meaning that people can also relate to on a more surface level, and pick up new elements overtime is one she has always done really well. It's why her songs have endured.

When I heard about Resistance there was no question that I would read this book. I had initially imagined it to take a more political stance, and while those moments definitely appear and have their place, I felt like the overall tone of the book is addressing an artist's obligation to speak out or for those that cannot speak out for themselves. Whether it's political or societal it all kind of overlaps.

What always gets me when I think about Tori Amos is how long she's been doing what she's doing. I know she has a loyal following and is revered in the industry, but you don't hear about her as much as you do some of the more commercially successful artists. Nevertheless, though, I really liked hearing the stories about where she started out, where she came from, the battles she had to fight to get the message across that she wanted to tell despite dictates from the recording agency bigwigs.

The story doesn't necessarily follow a linear path as Amos goes back and forth between older and newer songs. I enjoyed how she would relate an older song, for example Silent All These Years to the time in which is was released and/or written, then turn around and talk about it's accessibility to today's climate. How a song can transcend it's original intent to take on new meaning.

Amos's writing feels, at times, eccentric, but anyone who is a true fan knows that's exactly all Tori. Often speaking on more of a theoretical level at times giving us full conversational exchanges she's had with her Muses or loved ones who have passed. But it's very easy to see where she's coming from, and like many of her songs, find your own way to relate to the issues.

I kind of wish there was just a little bit more cohesiveness, just to hold the over arching message together a bit better. The going back and forth from past to present, while interesting, brought me out of the narrative quite a few times. When she picks up again in the present time, I would constantly have to remind myself where we left off before we delved back into the past.

Otherwise, Resistance is an interesting look at a unique and trail-blazing artist, giving insights into fan favorite songs and speaking to the idea of art as a vehicle for change. ( )