Name: Ember Skies's review of Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile
Item: Broken Horses
Rating: 4
Author: Ember Skies

Brandi Carlile

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The critically acclaimed singer-songwriter, producer, and six-time Grammy winner opens up about faith, sexuality, parenthood, and a life shaped by music in “one of the great memoirs of our time” (Glennon Doyle, author of Untamed). “The best-written, most engaging rock autobiography since her childhood hero, Elton John, published Me.”—Variety Brandi Carlile was born into a musically gifted, impoverished family on the outskirts of Seattle and grew up in a constant state of change, moving from house to house, trailer to trailer, fourteen times in as many years. Though imperfect in every way, her dysfunctional childhood was as beautiful as it was strange, and as nurturing as it was difficult. At the age of five, Brandi contracted bacterial meningitis, which almost took her life, leaving an indelible mark on her formative years and altering her journey into young adulthood. As an openly gay teenager, Brandi grappled with the tension between her sexuality and her faith when her pastor publicly refused to baptize her on the day of the ceremony. Shockingly, her small town rallied around Brandi in support and set her on a path to salvation where the rest of the misfits and rejects find it: through twisted, joyful, weird, and wonderful music. In Broken Horses, Brandi Carlile takes readers through the events of her life that shaped her very raw art—from her start at a local singing competition where she performed Elton John’s “Honky Cat” in a bedazzled white polyester suit, to her first break opening for Dave Matthews Band, to many sleepless tours over fifteen years and six studio albums, all while raising two children with her wife, Catherine Shepherd. This hard-won success led her to collaborations with personal heroes like Elton John, Dolly Parton, Mavis Staples, Pearl Jam, Tanya Tucker, and Joni Mitchell, as well as her peers in the supergroup The Highwomen, and ultimately to the Grammy stage, where she converted millions of viewers into instant fans. Evocative and piercingly honest, Broken Horses is at once an examination of faith through the eyes of a person rejected by the church’s basic tenets and a meditation on the moments and lyrics that have shaped the life of a creative mind, a brilliant artist, and a genuine empath on a mission to give back.

A Memoir

Broken Horses

Lucia Correa

The critically acclaimed singer-songwriter, producer, and five-time Grammy winner opens up about a life shaped by music in this candid, heartfelt, and intimate story. "One of the great memoirs of our time . . . a gift from Brandi's soul."--Glennon Doyle - "Brandi's story is about perseverance, humor, forgiveness, and manifestation. I absolutely loved it."--Elton John - "Broken Horses led me right into Brandi's heart, and my own."--Brené Brown Brandi Carlile was born into a musically gifted, impoverished family on the outskirts of Seattle and grew up in a constant state of change, moving from house to house, trailer to trailer, fourteen times in as many years. Though imperfect in every way, her dysfunctional childhood was as beautiful as it was strange, and as nurturing as it was difficult. At the age of five, Brandi contracted bacterial meningitis, which almost took her life, leaving an indelible mark on her formative years and altering her journey into young adulthood. As an openly gay teenager, Brandi grappled with the tension between her sexuality and her faith when her pastor publicly refused to baptize her on the day of the ceremony. Shockingly, her small town rallied around Brandi in support and set her on a path to salvation where the rest of the misfits and rejects find it: through twisted, joyful, weird, and wonderful music. In Broken Horses, Brandi Carlile takes readers through the events of her life that shaped her very raw art--from her start at a local singing competition where she performed Elton John's "Honky Cat" in a bedazzled white polyester suit, to her first break opening for Dave Matthews Band, to many sleepless tours over fifteen years and six studio albums, all while raising two children with her wife, Catherine Shepherd. This hard-won success led her to collaborations with personal heroes like Elton John, Dolly Parton, Mavis Staples, Pearl Jam, Tanya Tucker, and Joni Mitchell, as well as her peers in the supergroup The Highwomen, and ultimately to the Grammy stage, where she converted millions of viewers into instant fans. Evocative and piercingly honest, Broken Horses is at once an examination of faith through the eyes of a person rejected by the church's basic tenets and a meditation on the moments and lyrics that have shaped the life of a creative mind, a brilliant artist, and a genuine empath on a mission to give back.

Ember Skies

Content warning: Carlile frequently mentions a police officer she was in a long term relationship with, which I basically read with alarm bells clanging, so be warned. There is no addressing of police brutality, which is odd given that Carlile does acknowledge her privileges as a white woman more than once, and even mentions the murder of George Floyd.

Allison Garber

One of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. Beautiful, straightforward and thought provoking writing. All the ideas I had about Brandi were demolished and replaced with a new perspective based on a rich, challenging and determined life. She’s an absolute treasure.

Erin G.

This audiobook was beautiful. Her storytelling completely sucked me in and she performed at least two songs at the end of every chapter. I'm not sure this counts as "reading" but I would give it ten stars if I could.

Lisa Lindquist 

Alex

Jeff Brown 

DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!

**PLEASE LISTEN TO IT AS AN AUDIOBOOK**

In addition to this being a fascinating book, each chapter ends with the addition of one to four songs. There are covers that range from Hank Snow and Dolly, to Bruce and Elton. That's in addition to many of her original songs, with explanations behind most of them. And at the end of the book, all the songs, an hour and 45 minutes worth, are played again consecutively. That may seem excessive or repetitive, but I found myself listening to the songs more closely, and recalling, "Oh, that's the song about that person", or "That song was about that event in her life". It was like a thorough review of a book you just listened to. A rare book (for me) that I wanted to listen to again.

Brandi Carlile obviously isn't a professional audiobook narrator -- in the first several minutes, I was thinking, "this is sounding awkward for her". But she found her groove, and man, she told of sad times with a solid voice; she told of happy times without uncontrolled glee.

I point that out because it would be easy for someone who was a Washington state "redneck", was very poor, moved constantly -- she went to 14 schools, had a learning disability, and dropped out of high school -- to be glum and pitiful about her situation growing up. But she was just strong and matter-of-fact about what seemed like a fairly normal life to her during that time.

When she won her Grammys, she could have gloated and patted herself on the back. But no, she showed genuine surprise, was internally proud of herself and her bandmates, "The Twins", and didn't let it go to her head.

Projects started evolving from her recent success, and they were ones that she was dying to do. This success put a large amount of pressure on her, balancing all the projects and took her away from writing and performing. How she adapted to that was very impressive.

Certainly, she addresses her sexuality, but it, like a lot of elements of her life, is understated. She talks at length about her wife (who has an interesting musical connection of her own), about being a mother -- she really opens up about a lot of things throughout her life.

I do not read a lot of memoirs -- they are rather long-winded and gloating. And they are usually done near the end of their careers.

It was so refreshing to have a memoir about an artist in the middle, and at the peak of, her career. Not everyone can write an interesting memoir about their life before the age of 40, but hers is so full of peaks and valleys, twists and turns, it is a remarkable book. 

And as if it doesn't show, I'm a HUGE fan. :)

If I must say again, listen to it ASAP.

B. K.

Beautiful. As a casual Brandi Carlile fan, this audiobook made me want to immediately re-listen to all of her albums, starting with By The Way, I Forgive You.

Dakota Gigout

Brandi Carlile is my Elton and Joni. She was the first record I ever purchased and her voice and lyrics have been such a source of comfort and inspiration! Her very honest and beautifully written memoir was a joy to read! I both laughed and cried. At one point she mentions how mysticism is very present in grief. That is how this book touched me. Today, we attend a funeral, but last night I felt closure within this book. 


“Endings don’t always mean closure. It’s when you stop dreaming about something that the book really closes” Brandi Carlile 

Thank you for sharing with us the wisdom that life has taught you.

Lucia Correa &
Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile

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Lucia Correa &Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile

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Lucia Correa &
Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile