Name: Sounds Like Titanic
ISBN: 9780393357738

Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman

"Deliciously bizarre and utterly American . . . a Coen brothers movie come to life. . . . I couldn't put it down."-- Caitlin Doughty, best-selling author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

A Memoir

Sounds Like Titanic

A young woman leaves Appalachia for life as a classical musician—or so she thinks. When aspiring violinist Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman lands a job with a professional ensemble in New York City, she imagines she has achieved her lifelong dream. But the ensemble proves to be a sham. When the group “performs,” the microphones are never on. Instead, the music blares from a CD. The mastermind behind this scheme is a peculiar and mysterious figure known as The Composer, who is gaslighting his audiences with music that sounds suspiciously like the Titanic movie soundtrack. On tour with his chaotic ensemble, Hindman spirals into crises of identity and disillusionment as she “plays” for audiences genuinely moved by the performance, unable to differentiate real from fake. Sounds Like Titanic is a surreal, often hilarious coming-of-age story. Hindman writes with precise, candid prose and sharp insight into ambition and gender, especially when it comes to the difficulties young women face in a world that views them as silly, shallow, and stupid. As the story swells to a crescendo, it gives voice to the anxieties and illusions of a generation of women, and reveals the failed promises of a nation that takes comfort in false realities.

Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir

Lamia Hajani

All Jessica Hindman ever wanted to be was a professional violinist. Growing up in Appalachia, this was a huge unlikelihood. Her family traveled hours over the mountains to get her to violin class. When Jessica starts at Columbia and has to go through great lengths to pay her tuition (including selling her eggs!), it seems like fate that she finds a wanted ad for a professional touring violinist. Although she’s suspicious when they ask only for a demo tape, she is too excited when they hire her on the spot to ask any further questions.

What follows is an incredible adventure with a man she calls only “The Composer.” In this adventure, musicians pretend to play their instruments while a discman that cost The Composer $14.95 at Walmart plays the actual compositions. Interspersed throughout this story is Jessica’s affinity for Middle Eastern studies and the effects of 9/11 that Jessica observes, both as an American in Cairo at the time and as a touring violinist who sees the “average American” more often than not.

This book is hard to put down and hard to believe. But Jessica’s voice brings an honesty that not many authors have. She is not afraid to lay out her flaws, and she is facing the hard truths, albeit years later, through the writing of this book. It’s a short book, but it covers a lot of ground. I appreciate that she talks about the background of 9/11 having an indirect effect on everything she does. She also paints The Composer in a light that is sympathetic – at times, I’m not sure whether I like him, dislike him or empathize with him. In other words, he is human, and Jessica’s honesty brings that to light.

I would recommend to anyone looking for a short, non-fiction read that will be funny, heartbreaking and interesting.

Aubrey Hicks

Danielle E

A young woman leaves Appalachia for life as a classical musician--or so she thinks.

Sounds Like Titanic A Memoir

Reviews

Highlights