Never Broken: Songs Are Only Half The Story by Jewlel

Before I read this book I knew three things about the singer-song writer Jewel: She is from Alaska, she wrote a song with the hilarious Steve Poltz, and she may or may not be dating Kevin Costner. With very little to go on, I dove into this book and was blown away. "Never Broken: Songs Are Only Half the Story" is a fitting title for this poet and multi-award winning artist who spent most of her young adulthood living out of her car. Her childhood started out strong as she was raised on a homestead in Alaska, and became part of her parents' act. She was known for her yodeling, and they played in a myriad of hotels, clubs and bars throughout the state. However, when her parents broke up, neither one seemed to be able to care for her. Thus began her roller coaster ride that took her to Michigan, Hawaii and San Diego, where she tried to raise herself, and launch her career. By age 21, her first album had gone multiplatinum, but behind the scenes she struggled with anxiety, an eating disorder, fear, and the effects of childhood trauma. When her mother reappears after a long absence to shepherd her career, the financial effects are devastating. The comforts of singing and song writing seemed to almost feed her, and keep her alive, when she had no one else to support her. This memoir reminds me of the phrase, "if you can survive your childhood, you can survive anything." Jewel's story is as poignant and heartbreaking as her lyrics. I'm so happy she has survived to share her story and songs with the world. A brave and inspiring memoir like this should be read by many. To buy this book on Amazon click here.