While I haven’t listened to Tori Amos’ later albums as much as I did her first 10, those first 10 albums carried me through an up and down traumatic childhood, through tumultuous teenage years, and finally through my crazy 20’s. Tori’s lyrics have always pierced me through the heart, and there have been so many times that it felt like she had literally written a song for me personally. This is why I hold Resistance close to my heart: it is a written memoir depicting the birth and longevity of some of Tori’s songs, how they came to her, what they meant at the time, and what they still mean today. Each song comes at a certain point in Tori’s life where the personal narrative is closely woven with events in this country and the world, a personal call of resistance and uprising against everything that is wrong in this world.

I personally think that the best way to read this memoir is to read the lyrics of each song prefacing each chapter, to then listen to the song with one’s eyes closed, and then to read the chapter. I’m not sure that a person unfamiliar with Tori Amos’ work would appreciate it as much as a fan would, as the narrative is a little incohesive, and doesn’t exactly follow a precise timeline. The writing is also a little confusing at times, especially as the author uses a lot of metaphor and personal names for things (“Muses” for example for her own songwriting process). There were a few areas that I ended up skipping through rather fast as they took too long to reach a clear message, but there were also other areas that I loved. The way Tori talks about her family, about the causes that she holds so close to her heart, and about her activism. I also really enjoyed reading about her early piano bar life, I actually felt like I was standing next to her in the room as I read. 

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.