50 Books like One Train Later

Iron Man

by Tony Iommi • 2011

A factory press severs his fingertips. Leather thimbles, detuned strings: heavy metal is born.

4.01

4k+

🎸 Heavy Metal Memoirs 💰 Music Industry Greed 🩹 Post-Injury Creativity 🥁 Band Dynamics 🔮 Occult Rock

Iron Man 95%

A factory press severs his fingertips. Leather thimbles, detuned strings: heavy metal is born.

by Tony Iommi 2011

4.01

4k+ ratings

🎸 Heavy Metal Memoirs 💰 Music Industry Greed 🩹 Post-Injury Creativity 🥁 Band Dynamics 🔮 Occult Rock

Understanding John Lennon

by Francis Kenny • 2020

Three forces made John Lennon, then broke him: Liverpool, a lost mother, and McCartney.

4.00

🎸 Music Biography 🎵 Rock History 💔 Childhood Trauma 🇬🇧 Postwar Britain 🤝 Artistic Partnership

Understanding John Lennon 94%

Three forces made John Lennon, then broke him: Liverpool, a lost mother, and McCartney.

by Francis Kenny 2020

4.00

9 ratings

🎸 Music Biography 🎵 Rock History 💔 Childhood Trauma 🇬🇧 Postwar Britain 🤝 Artistic Partnership

The Road Beneath My Feet

by Frank Turner • 2015

Band broke up. He went acoustic, slept on floors, and one tiny show at a time, headlined Wembley.

4.21

2k+

🎸 Music Memoir 🚐 Diy Touring 🎤 Touring Life 🤘 Punk Rock 🎨 Artistic Integrity

The Road Beneath My Feet 94%

Band broke up. He went acoustic, slept on floors, and one tiny show at a time, headlined Wembley.

by Frank Turner 2015

4.21

2k+ ratings

🎸 Music Memoir 🚐 Diy Touring 🎤 Touring Life 🤘 Punk Rock 🎨 Artistic Integrity

Under Their Thumb

by Bill German • 2009

A Brooklyn teenager's fanzine caught the Stones' eye. They opened their world; he lost his own.

3.99

424

🎸 Rock Memoirs 🎤 Music Journalism 📣 Fan Culture 🎬 Behind The Music 🔀 Blurred Boundaries

Under Their Thumb 94%

A Brooklyn teenager's fanzine caught the Stones' eye. They opened their world; he lost his own.

by Bill German 2009

3.99

424 ratings

🎸 Rock Memoirs 🎤 Music Journalism 📣 Fan Culture 🎬 Behind The Music 🔀 Blurred Boundaries

This Is Gonna Hurt

by Nikki Sixx • 2011

Beauty in the broken: a rock icon's lens on music, photography, and creative imperfection.

4.17

5k+

🎸 Rock Memoirs 📸 Music Photography 🎨 Creative Process 🤝 Artistic Collaboration 🌑 Dark Aesthetics

This Is Gonna Hurt 94%

Beauty in the broken: a rock icon's lens on music, photography, and creative imperfection.

by Nikki Sixx 2011

4.17

5k+ ratings

🎸 Rock Memoirs 📸 Music Photography 🎨 Creative Process 🤝 Artistic Collaboration 🌑 Dark Aesthetics

Here, There and Everywhere

by Geoff Emerick • 2006

The Beatles' most radical sounds were built by a teenager breaking every rule at Abbey Road.

4.29

7k+

🎸 Beatles History 🎛️ Music Production 🏢 Recording Studios 🔊 Sonic Experimentation 👥 Band Dynamics

Here, There and Everywhere 94%

The Beatles' most radical sounds were built by a teenager breaking every rule at Abbey Road.

by Geoff Emerick 2006

4.29

7k+ ratings

🎸 Beatles History 🎛️ Music Production 🏢 Recording Studios 🔊 Sonic Experimentation 👥 Band Dynamics

Glory Days

by Dave Marsh • 1987

The contract was signed on a car hood. The battle to control his music nearly broke him.

3.78

387

🎤 Music Biographies 📰 Rock Criticism 🏭 Working Class Life 💰 Music Industry 🎨 Artistic Integrity

Glory Days 94%

The contract was signed on a car hood. The battle to control his music nearly broke him.

by Dave Marsh 1987

3.78

387 ratings

🎤 Music Biographies 📰 Rock Criticism 🏭 Working Class Life 💰 Music Industry 🎨 Artistic Integrity

I Am Ozzy

by Ozzy Osbourne • 2009

Invented heavy metal by accident, survived a near-fatal blackout, and woke up a reality TV dad.

4.16

36k+

🎸 Rock Memoirs 🤘 Heavy Metal History 💊 Addiction And Recovery 😈 Dark Humor Memoirs 🌟 Surviving Fame

I Am Ozzy 94%

Invented heavy metal by accident, survived a near-fatal blackout, and woke up a reality TV dad.

by Ozzy Osbourne 2009

4.16

36k+ ratings

🎸 Rock Memoirs 🤘 Heavy Metal History 💊 Addiction And Recovery 😈 Dark Humor Memoirs 🌟 Surviving Fame

Brothers

by Alex Van Halen • 2024

Alex Van Halen remembers Eddie: the immigrant brotherhood that built rock's most explosive band.

4.08

9k+

🎸 Rock Music History 🎤 Band Memoirs 👥 Sibling Bands 🔥 Artistic Obsession 🛠️ Diy Music Scenes

Brothers 93%

Alex Van Halen remembers Eddie: the immigrant brotherhood that built rock's most explosive band.

by Alex Van Halen 2024

4.08

9k+ ratings

🎸 Rock Music History 🎤 Band Memoirs 👥 Sibling Bands 🔥 Artistic Obsession 🛠️ Diy Music Scenes

Face the Music

by Paul Stanley • 2014

A deformed ear. Partial deafness. Face paint to hide them both. Then it became a rock god's armor.

4.13

5k+

🎸 Rock Memoirs 🕺 1970s Rock Scene 🎭 Rock Theatricality 🪞 Fame And Insecurity 🥁 Band Conflicts

Face the Music 93%

A deformed ear. Partial deafness. Face paint to hide them both. Then it became a rock god's armor.

by Paul Stanley 2014

4.13

5k+ ratings

🎸 Rock Memoirs 🕺 1970s Rock Scene 🎭 Rock Theatricality 🪞 Fame And Insecurity 🥁 Band Conflicts

Hammer of the Gods

by Stephen Davis • 1985

A groupie, a fish, and a hotel room: the incident that defined Led Zeppelin's dark legend.

3.86

14k+

🎸 Rock Biography 🎶 Classic Rock 🕺 1970s Rock 🥁 Band Dynamics 🍾 Rock And Roll Excess

Hammer of the Gods 93%

A groupie, a fish, and a hotel room: the incident that defined Led Zeppelin's dark legend.

by Stephen Davis 1985

3.86

14k+ ratings

🎸 Rock Biography 🎶 Classic Rock 🕺 1970s Rock 🥁 Band Dynamics 🍾 Rock And Roll Excess

Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl

by Carrie Brownstein • 2015

Two guitars, no bass, and a feminist punk revolution: the story of Sleater-Kinney from the inside.

3.83

37k+

🎸 Riot Grrrl Movement 🤘 Feminist Punk 🎤 Indie Rock Memoir 🤝 Band Dynamics 🚐 Touring Life

Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl 93%

Two guitars, no bass, and a feminist punk revolution: the story of Sleater-Kinney from the inside.

by Carrie Brownstein 2015

3.83

37k+ ratings

🎸 Riot Grrrl Movement 🤘 Feminist Punk 🎤 Indie Rock Memoir 🤝 Band Dynamics 🚐 Touring Life

Shakey

by Jimmy McDonough • 2002

His health failed, his relationships crumbled, and still he refused to compromise a single note.

4.09

8k+

🧑‍🎤 Rock History 🎸 Singer-Songwriters 🌴 Laurel Canyon Scene 🎭 Tortured Artists 🔨 Artistic Obsession

Shakey 93%

His health failed, his relationships crumbled, and still he refused to compromise a single note.

by Jimmy McDonough 2002

4.09

8k+ ratings

🧑‍🎤 Rock History 🎸 Singer-Songwriters 🌴 Laurel Canyon Scene 🎭 Tortured Artists 🔨 Artistic Obsession

The Storyteller

by Dave Grohl • 2021

Iggy Pop called. He said yes. From punk basements to stadiums, a life in music.

4.43

170k+

🎸 Rock Memoirs 🔧 DIY Ethos 💔 Grief And Loss 🎨 Creative Resilience 👨‍👧 Fatherhood

The Storyteller 93%

Iggy Pop called. He said yes. From punk basements to stadiums, a life in music.

by Dave Grohl 2021

4.43

170k+ ratings

🎸 Rock Memoirs 🔧 DIY Ethos 💔 Grief And Loss 🎨 Creative Resilience 👨‍👧 Fatherhood

The Sound of the Machine

by Karl Bartos • 2022

From inside Kraftwerk: the drummer who programmed the beats, then walked away to find his own.

4.28

178

🎵 Music Memoirs ⚡ Krautrock 🎛️ Electronic Music 🥁 Band Dynamics 🏚️ Post-War Germany

The Sound of the Machine 93%

From inside Kraftwerk: the drummer who programmed the beats, then walked away to find his own.

by Karl Bartos 2022

4.28

178 ratings

🎵 Music Memoirs ⚡ Krautrock 🎛️ Electronic Music 🥁 Band Dynamics 🏚️ Post-War Germany

Slash

by Slash • 2007

The story of Guns N' Roses: squalor, stadiums, and the addiction that burned it down.

4.00

31k+

🎸 Rock Memoirs 💔 Band Breakups 💉 Heroin Addiction 🎵 Music Industry 🕶️ 80s Rock Scene

Slash 93%

The story of Guns N' Roses: squalor, stadiums, and the addiction that burned it down.

by Slash 2007

4.00

31k+ ratings

🎸 Rock Memoirs 💔 Band Breakups 💉 Heroin Addiction 🎵 Music Industry 🕶️ 80s Rock Scene

My Effin' Life

by Geddy Lee • 2023

Three names before he was ten: a Holocaust survivor's son on the path to rock stardom.

4.55

9k+

🎸 Music Memoirs 🎹 Progressive Rock 🕯️ Holocaust Survival 🧬 Second Generation Trauma 🥁 Band Dynamics

My Effin' Life 93%

Three names before he was ten: a Holocaust survivor's son on the path to rock stardom.

by Geddy Lee 2023

4.55

9k+ ratings

🎸 Music Memoirs 🎹 Progressive Rock 🕯️ Holocaust Survival 🧬 Second Generation Trauma 🥁 Band Dynamics

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.

by Viv Albertine • 2014

The Slits' guitarist became a suburban mother. Cancer forced her to ask what she'd abandoned.

4.27

14k+

🎸 Punk Memoirs 🎤 Women In Music 🌱 Midlife Reinvention 🎨 Art And Domesticity 💪 Cancer Memoirs

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys. Summary

Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys. 93%

The Slits' guitarist became a suburban mother. Cancer forced her to ask what she'd abandoned.

by Viv Albertine 2014

4.27

14k+ ratings

🎸 Punk Memoirs 🎤 Women In Music 🌱 Midlife Reinvention 🎨 Art And Domesticity 💪 Cancer Memoirs

Tune In

by Mark Lewisohn • 2013

Before Beatlemania, there was a songwriting rivalry, a visionary manager, and six-hour Hamburg sets.

4.72

4k+

🇬🇧 British Invasion ⚓️ Merseybeat 🎤 Music Industry 💡 Creative Partnership 🤝 Artist Management

Tune In 93%

Before Beatlemania, there was a songwriting rivalry, a visionary manager, and six-hour Hamburg sets.

by Mark Lewisohn 2013

4.72

4k+ ratings

🇬🇧 British Invasion ⚓️ Merseybeat 🎤 Music Industry 💡 Creative Partnership 🤝 Artist Management

Boys in the Trees

by Carly Simon • 2015

The girl who stuttered could not speak. The woman who sang could not stop.

3.67

12k+

🎤 Singer-Songwriter Memoir 🎸 Women In Rock 🧠 Mental Health And Creativity 💔 Complicated Marriages 👩‍👧 Art And Motherhood

Boys in the Trees 93%

The girl who stuttered could not speak. The woman who sang could not stop.

by Carly Simon 2015

3.67

12k+ ratings

🎤 Singer-Songwriter Memoir 🎸 Women In Rock 🧠 Mental Health And Creativity 💔 Complicated Marriages 👩‍👧 Art And Motherhood

How Music Works

by David Byrne • 2014

Cathedrals demanded chant. Car stereos demanded bass. The spaces we build write the music we hear.

4.00

29k+

🎶 Music History 💿 Music Industry 🎛️ Music Technology 💡 Creative Process 🏛️ Sound And Space

How Music Works 93%

Cathedrals demanded chant. Car stereos demanded bass. The spaces we build write the music we hear.

by David Byrne 2014

4.00

29k+ ratings

🎶 Music History 💿 Music Industry 🎛️ Music Technology 💡 Creative Process 🏛️ Sound And Space

Wonderland Avenue

by Danny Sugerman • 1989

Jim Morrison gave him a purpose at 12; drugs gave him a heart infection at 21.

4.25

3k+

🎸 Rock And Roll Excess 💊 Addiction Recovery 🌟 Celebrity Addiction 🎬 Hollywood Memoirs 🎤 Music Journalism

Wonderland Avenue 93%

Jim Morrison gave him a purpose at 12; drugs gave him a heart infection at 21.

by Danny Sugerman 1989

4.25

3k+ ratings

🎸 Rock And Roll Excess 💊 Addiction Recovery 🌟 Celebrity Addiction 🎬 Hollywood Memoirs 🎤 Music Journalism

I'll Never Write My Memoirs

by Grace Jones • 2015

How a girl from a repressive Jamaican church became the mirror-faced androgynous icon of disco.

3.76

2k+

🎤 Music Memoirs 👗 Fashion And Style 🦋 Self Invention 🎭 Performance And Identity ⛓️ Breaking Free From Family

I'll Never Write My Memoirs 93%

How a girl from a repressive Jamaican church became the mirror-faced androgynous icon of disco.

by Grace Jones 2015

3.76

2k+ ratings

🎤 Music Memoirs 👗 Fashion And Style 🦋 Self Invention 🎭 Performance And Identity ⛓️ Breaking Free From Family

Scar Tissue

by Anthony Kiedis • 2004

His father gave him drugs at eleven. This is what happened after.

4.10

103k+

🎸 Rock Memoirs 💉 Heroin Addiction 🩹 Recovery Journey 🥁 Band Dynamics 🌴 Los Angeles Punk

Scar Tissue 92%

His father gave him drugs at eleven. This is what happened after.

by Anthony Kiedis 2004

4.10

103k+ ratings

🎸 Rock Memoirs 💉 Heroin Addiction 🩹 Recovery Journey 🥁 Band Dynamics 🌴 Los Angeles Punk

Our Noise

by John Cook • 2009

When the majors came knocking, Merge Records bet everything on handshakes and artistic freedom.

4.05

1k+

🎸 Indie Record Labels 🎶 Indie Rock History 🏗️ Diy Music Scenes 🎨 Artist-First Business 👢 Bootstrapping

Our Noise 92%

When the majors came knocking, Merge Records bet everything on handshakes and artistic freedom.

by John Cook 2009

4.05

1k+ ratings

🎸 Indie Record Labels 🎶 Indie Rock History 🏗️ Diy Music Scenes 🎨 Artist-First Business 👢 Bootstrapping

Punk Rock Etiquette

by Travis Nichols • 2008

Start a band with nothing, record for pennies, survive the road without a label.

3.75

123

🎸 Indie Music 🔧 Diy Ethos 🤘 Punk Subculture 🎙️ Home Recording 🚐 Touring

Punk Rock Etiquette 92%

Start a band with nothing, record for pennies, survive the road without a label.

by Travis Nichols 2008

3.75

123 ratings

🎸 Indie Music 🔧 Diy Ethos 🤘 Punk Subculture 🎙️ Home Recording 🚐 Touring

SMiLE

by Domenic Priore • 2005

His band buried his pop symphony. Bootleggers kept it alive. It took 37 years to finally premiere.

3.80

145

🎸 1960s Music 📼 Lost Albums ⚔️ Creative Differences 📻 Bootleg Culture 🏛️ American Mythology

SMiLE 92%

His band buried his pop symphony. Bootleggers kept it alive. It took 37 years to finally premiere.

by Domenic Priore 2005

3.80

145 ratings

🎸 1960s Music 📼 Lost Albums ⚔️ Creative Differences 📻 Bootleg Culture 🏛️ American Mythology

Cash

by Johnny Cash • 1997

He crawled into a cave to die and came out ready to play Folsom Prison.

4.01

26k+

🎸 Music Memoirs 🕶️ Outlaw Country 💊 Addiction Recovery ✝️ Faith Journeys 🕊️ Redemption Stories

Cash 92%

He crawled into a cave to die and came out ready to play Folsom Prison.

by Johnny Cash 1997

4.01

26k+ ratings

🎸 Music Memoirs 🕶️ Outlaw Country 💊 Addiction Recovery ✝️ Faith Journeys 🕊️ Redemption Stories

Three Pianos

by Andrew McMahon • 2021

At 22, his exhaustion was leukemia. The cure: a stem cell transplant from his sister.

4.40

3k+

🎹 Musician Memoirs 🚐 Touring Life 🎗️ Cancer Survival 🧪 Parental Addiction 🩹 Addiction Recovery

Three Pianos 92%

At 22, his exhaustion was leukemia. The cure: a stem cell transplant from his sister.

by Andrew McMahon 2021

4.40

3k+ ratings

🎹 Musician Memoirs 🚐 Touring Life 🎗️ Cancer Survival 🧪 Parental Addiction 🩹 Addiction Recovery

Fifty Sides of the Beach Boys

by Mark Dillon • 2012

Fifty songs that built and nearly destroyed a California garage band turned icon.

3.92

128

🎵 Song By Song Biography 🎸 1960s Rock 🎛️ Studio Innovation 🌊 California Sound ⚡ Band Dynamics

Fifty Sides of the Beach Boys 92%

Fifty songs that built and nearly destroyed a California garage band turned icon.

by Mark Dillon 2012

3.92

128 ratings

🎵 Song By Song Biography 🎸 1960s Rock 🎛️ Studio Innovation 🌊 California Sound ⚡ Band Dynamics

Guitar Lessons

by Bob Taylor • 2011

Near bankruptcy, a guitar maker reinvented how acoustics are built and built a brand players love.

4.34

172

🎸 Guitar Making 🎵 Music Business 🛠️ Artisan Business 🏷️ Brand Building 🔄 Continuous Improvement

Guitar Lessons 92%

Near bankruptcy, a guitar maker reinvented how acoustics are built and built a brand players love.

by Bob Taylor 2011

4.34

172 ratings

🎸 Guitar Making 🎵 Music Business 🛠️ Artisan Business 🏷️ Brand Building 🔄 Continuous Improvement

The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help

by Amanda Palmer • 2014

Fans gave her couches, food, then $1.2 million. The one rule: treat help as collaboration.

3.92

37k+

🎤 Artist Memoirs ✨ Creativity Guides 💔 Vulnerability In Art 🎁 The Gift Economy 🔧 Diy Ethos

The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help Summary

The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help 92%

Fans gave her couches, food, then $1.2 million. The one rule: treat help as collaboration.

by Amanda Palmer 2014

3.92

37k+ ratings

🎤 Artist Memoirs ✨ Creativity Guides 💔 Vulnerability In Art 🎁 The Gift Economy 🔧 Diy Ethos

Wouldn't it Be Nice

by Charles L. Granata • 2003

Brian Wilson quit the road, made an album America ignored, and Britain crowned it a masterpiece.

3.93

513

🎧 Album Deep Dives 🎛️ Music Production ✍️ Songwriting Process 🎸 60s Music 🌊 California Sound

Wouldn't it Be Nice 92%

Brian Wilson quit the road, made an album America ignored, and Britain crowned it a masterpiece.

by Charles L. Granata 2003

3.93

513 ratings

🎧 Album Deep Dives 🎛️ Music Production ✍️ Songwriting Process 🎸 60s Music 🌊 California Sound

12 Notes

by Quincy Jones • 2022

From the producer of Thriller: twelve notes on turning pain into art and practice into legacy.

4.29

2k+

🎹 Music Memoirs 🎵 Music Industry 🎨 Creative Process 🤝 Mentorship 🧠 Growth Mindset

12 Notes 92%

From the producer of Thriller: twelve notes on turning pain into art and practice into legacy.

by Quincy Jones 2022

4.29

2k+ ratings

🎹 Music Memoirs 🎵 Music Industry 🎨 Creative Process 🤝 Mentorship 🧠 Growth Mindset

The Dirt

by Tommy Lee • 2001

One authorized biography, four versions of every disaster, and zero effort to agree on the facts.

4.14

50k+

📖 Oral History 🎸 Rock Memoirs 🥂 Fame And Excess 🤘 Glam Metal 💉 Addiction Recovery

The Dirt 92%

One authorized biography, four versions of every disaster, and zero effort to agree on the facts.

by Tommy Lee 2001

4.14

50k+ ratings

📖 Oral History 🎸 Rock Memoirs 🥂 Fame And Excess 🤘 Glam Metal 💉 Addiction Recovery

Faking It

by Hugh Barker • 2007

Elvis was an imitator, punk was theater, and disco was realer than anyone admitted.

3.67

243

Faking It 92%

Elvis was an imitator, punk was theater, and disco was realer than anyone admitted.

by Hugh Barker 2007

3.67

243 ratings

One Direction

by One Direction • 2014

Five solo rejections. One last-minute group. The origin of the band that conquered pop.

4.44

4k+

🎵 Pop Music 👥 Boy Bands 🏁 Band Origin Stories 💕 Fan Culture ⭐ Talent Shows

One Direction 92%

Five solo rejections. One last-minute group. The origin of the band that conquered pop.

by One Direction 2014

4.44

4k+ ratings

🎵 Pop Music 👥 Boy Bands 🏁 Band Origin Stories 💕 Fan Culture ⭐ Talent Shows

See A Little Light

by Bob Mould • 2011

Father's fury. The Ramones' first record. Then amphetamines and a closet that almost won.

3.80

2k+

🔥 Hardcore Punk 🌈 Closeted Identity 🤝 Creative Partnerships 🚌 Touring Life 🏚️ Family Dysfunction

See A Little Light 92%

Father's fury. The Ramones' first record. Then amphetamines and a closet that almost won.

by Bob Mould 2011

3.80

2k+ ratings

🔥 Hardcore Punk 🌈 Closeted Identity 🤝 Creative Partnerships 🚌 Touring Life 🏚️ Family Dysfunction

Heroes And Villains

by Steven Gaines • 1986

Sunny surf pop hid abuse, Brian Wilson's breakdown, and Charles Manson as a houseguest.

3.85

771

🎸 Band Biographies 🎵 Rock History 🏠 Family Dysfunction 🎬 Behind The Music 🧠 Musical Genius

Heroes And Villains 92%

Sunny surf pop hid abuse, Brian Wilson's breakdown, and Charles Manson as a houseguest.

by Steven Gaines 1986

3.85

771 ratings

🎸 Band Biographies 🎵 Rock History 🏠 Family Dysfunction 🎬 Behind The Music 🧠 Musical Genius

A Freewheelin' Time

by Suze Rotolo • 2008

The girl on Dylan's Freewheelin' cover reclaims her life from the image that buried it.

3.85

4k+

🎵 Folk Music Revival 🎸 Music Memoirs ✌️ 1960s Counterculture ✊ Civil Rights Movement 🪞 Self-Discovery Memoirs

A Freewheelin' Time 92%

The girl on Dylan's Freewheelin' cover reclaims her life from the image that buried it.

by Suze Rotolo 2008

3.85

4k+ ratings

🎵 Folk Music Revival 🎸 Music Memoirs ✌️ 1960s Counterculture ✊ Civil Rights Movement 🪞 Self-Discovery Memoirs

The Book of Drugs

by Mike Doughty • 2012

May 3, 2000: he poured the whiskey out. It was the first thing he didn't finish.

3.63

2k+

💉 Addiction Memoirs 🎵 Music Memoirs 🕊️ Recovery Memoirs 🪜 Twelve-Step Recovery 🧸 Childhood Trauma

The Book of Drugs 92%

May 3, 2000: he poured the whiskey out. It was the first thing he didn't finish.

by Mike Doughty 2012

3.63

2k+ ratings

💉 Addiction Memoirs 🎵 Music Memoirs 🕊️ Recovery Memoirs 🪜 Twelve-Step Recovery 🧸 Childhood Trauma

Herbie Hancock

by Herbie Hancock • 2014

A five-dollar piano, Miles Davis at 23, a crack addiction hidden from everyone.

4.23

2k+

🎹 Jazz Memoirs 🎸 Jazz Fusion 🎺 Midcentury Jazz 🔄 Musical Reinvention 💻 Electronic Music Pioneers

Herbie Hancock 91%

A five-dollar piano, Miles Davis at 23, a crack addiction hidden from everyone.

by Herbie Hancock 2014

4.23

2k+ ratings

🎹 Jazz Memoirs 🎸 Jazz Fusion 🎺 Midcentury Jazz 🔄 Musical Reinvention 💻 Electronic Music Pioneers

Re-Sisters

by Cosey Fanni Tutti • 2022

An artist finds her countercultural lineage in a medieval mystic and an electronic music pioneer.

3.69

143

🎛️ Electronic Music Pioneers ✊ Feminist Biography 🙏 Medieval Mysticism 🔥 Creative Defiance 🎧 Experimental Music

Re-Sisters 91%

An artist finds her countercultural lineage in a medieval mystic and an electronic music pioneer.

by Cosey Fanni Tutti 2022

3.69

143 ratings

🎛️ Electronic Music Pioneers ✊ Feminist Biography 🙏 Medieval Mysticism 🔥 Creative Defiance 🎧 Experimental Music

Home

by Julie Andrews Edwards • 2008

Her stepfather taught her to sing. Her mother couldn't protect her. The stage became home.

3.97

22k+

🎬 Celebrity Memoir 🎭 Theater Memoir 👧 Child Performer 🎵 Golden Age Of Musicals 💔 Family Dysfunction

Home 91%

Her stepfather taught her to sing. Her mother couldn't protect her. The stage became home.

by Julie Andrews Edwards 2008

3.97

22k+ ratings

🎬 Celebrity Memoir 🎭 Theater Memoir 👧 Child Performer 🎵 Golden Age Of Musicals 💔 Family Dysfunction

The Acid Queen

by Susannah Cahalan • 2025

Two hundred acid trips, one prison escape, 24 years underground: the woman behind Timothy Leary.

3.78

1k+

🧪 Psychedelic History 👩‍🎤 Women's Biography 🕵️‍♀️ Fugitive Lives 🦋 Identity Reinvention 🎷 Beat Generation

The Acid Queen 91%

Two hundred acid trips, one prison escape, 24 years underground: the woman behind Timothy Leary.

by Susannah Cahalan 2025

3.78

1k+ ratings

🧪 Psychedelic History 👩‍🎤 Women's Biography 🕵️‍♀️ Fugitive Lives 🦋 Identity Reinvention 🎷 Beat Generation

Born to Run

by Bruce Springsteen • 2016

Stadiums roared his anthems. Inside, he waged a lifelong war with depression and his father's ghost.

4.19

56k+

🎸 Songwriter Memoir 🏭 Blue Collar Roots 🌑 Depression And Art 🎭 Fame And Isolation 🥁 Band Dynamics

Born to Run 91%

Stadiums roared his anthems. Inside, he waged a lifelong war with depression and his father's ghost.

by Bruce Springsteen 2016

4.19

56k+ ratings

🎸 Songwriter Memoir 🏭 Blue Collar Roots 🌑 Depression And Art 🎭 Fame And Isolation 🥁 Band Dynamics

Faith, Hope and Carnage

by Nick Cave • 2022

Nick Cave's son died. The art that followed was improvised, spiritually hungry, built from wreckage.

4.41

8k+

🎵 Songwriting Craft 🤝 Artistic Collaboration 💔 Grief And Art 🙏 Art And Spirituality 🎹 Improvisation

Faith, Hope and Carnage 91%

Nick Cave's son died. The art that followed was improvised, spiritually hungry, built from wreckage.

by Nick Cave 2022

4.41

8k+ ratings

🎵 Songwriting Craft 🤝 Artistic Collaboration 💔 Grief And Art 🙏 Art And Spirituality 🎹 Improvisation

Mother American Night

by John Perry Barlow • 2018

Before the Internet had a constitution, a Grateful Dead lyricist from Wyoming wrote one.

4.18

760

🌵 Countercultural Memoir 🎸 Grateful Dead 🔐 Digital Rights 🍄 Psychedelic Movement 💔 Grief And Loss

Mother American Night 91%

Before the Internet had a constitution, a Grateful Dead lyricist from Wyoming wrote one.

by John Perry Barlow 2018

4.18

760 ratings

🌵 Countercultural Memoir 🎸 Grateful Dead 🔐 Digital Rights 🍄 Psychedelic Movement 💔 Grief And Loss

Down with the System

by Serj Tankian • 2024

System of a Down's frontman on metal, meditation, and a family history the world still denies.

4.42

7k+

🎵 Music Memoirs ✊ Artist Activism 🕊️ Genocide Recognition 🧬 Inherited Trauma 🧘 Meditation Practice

Down with the System 91%

System of a Down's frontman on metal, meditation, and a family history the world still denies.

by Serj Tankian 2024

4.42

7k+ ratings

🎵 Music Memoirs ✊ Artist Activism 🕊️ Genocide Recognition 🧬 Inherited Trauma 🧘 Meditation Practice

Beyond The Story

by Myeongseok Kang • 2023

Seven trainees, a near-bankrupt label, and the improbable decade that made them a global phenomenon.

4.62

12k+

🎤 K-Pop 🎵 Boy Bands 👥 Fandom Culture 🎧 Music Industry 🌊 Korean Wave

Beyond The Story 91%

Seven trainees, a near-bankrupt label, and the improbable decade that made them a global phenomenon.

by Myeongseok Kang 2023

4.62

12k+ ratings

🎤 K-Pop 🎵 Boy Bands 👥 Fandom Culture 🎧 Music Industry 🌊 Korean Wave

Compare Features	Free	Pro
📖 Read Summaries Read unlimited summaries. Free users get 3 per month
🎧 Listen to Summaries Listen to unlimited summaries in 40 languages	—
❤️ Unlimited Bookmarks Free users are limited to 4	—
📜 Unlimited History Free users are limited to 4	—
📥 Unlimited Downloads Free users are limited to 1	—

People love SoBrief

Join our global community of 600,000+ readers

★★★★★

This site is a total game-changer. I've been flying through book summaries like never before. Highly, highly recommend.

— Dave G

Worth my money and time, and really well made. I've never seen this quality of summaries on other websites. Very helpful!

— Em

Highly recommended!! Fantastic service. Perfect for those that want a little more than a teaser but not all the intricate details of a full audio book.

— Greg M