Chasing Down the Dawn : Stories from the Road

From Publishers Weekly
This highly personal collection of essays, anecdotes and spontaneous statements accompanied by sweet, primitive drawings deals with Jewel's atypical childhood in Alaska, her struggling-musician days and her eventually successful music career, characterized by constant touring and putting up with the consequences of fame. Similar to Jewel's bestselling book of poems (A Night Without Armor), this compendium of prose exhibits a clear, direct, purposefully poignant and, at times, indulgent writing style. Jewel recognizes artistic quality when she sees it and often brings up names and their associations (touring with Bob Dylan, thinking about Italo Calvino's "If" before taking the stage), perhaps in an attempt to connect with them, and to show her admiration. Certainly, Jewel has talent and integrity, and, when she abandons a self-conscious posture, she can offer insights that are fresh and luminescent ("For me, the real beauty of singing is learning to play the instrument I've been given"). Unfortunately, her descriptive writing suffers too frequently from a surfeit of sentiment ("Do I like the dream I've dreamed or have I begun to feel like a prisoner of the dream?"). Jewel's name will carry this book a long wayAas will the catchy cover, an alluring photo of the poet/ writer on horseback. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
You've heard Jewel's music (her debut disc, Pieces of You, sold ten million copies). You've read her first novel, A Night Without Armor (it went into 15 printings). Now it's time to catch up on her poems, essays, and stories.Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
The popular singer-songwriter's dedication to her craft is apparent in her narration of CHASING DOWN THE DAWN. Taken from her journals, these vignettes unveil memories from Jewel's childhood in Alaska, her struggles studying her craft and working in the music industry, the intensity of life on the road, and her personal relationships. Just like her music, her prose is filled with a rhythm that comes through in her reading. Jewel narrates her stories with confidence and maturity, but without patronizing the listener. As the excerpts that are read take place at various times in her life and in different areas of the world, the transitions could have been improved with the use of music. K.M.D. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
Jewel's second foray into publishing is not another book of poetry but a memoirlike collection of diary passages and musings. Most people familiar with the singer-songwriter's story know that Jewel was raised in Alaska, attended Interlochen, an art school in Michigan, and lived out of her van while trying to make it big. In addition to those familiar stories, Jewel shares details of her life on her family's homestead and her struggles to make ends meet, which included playing guitar and singing on the street for money. Interspersed with these tales of the past are Jewel's adventures on the road. She meets all sorts of people, from those who call her a sellout to those who stare at her in awe. Jewel herself often seems to be in awe of her fame; the juxtaposition of her hard-knocks former life with her princesslike present existence is constantly emphasized. Of course, it's not a simple matter of one being bad, the other good; the opening poem reveals that Jewel sometimes still longs for her life in Alaska. "Am I wasting myself on something false?" she muses on a tour bus. It's clearly a tough question for her. Although many readers may find this all a little self-serving, Jewel's fans (the presumed audience) will find this memoir earnest and heartfelt. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
AIready a legendary performer in the music industry, Jewel has been writing poetry, short stories, and prose since she was young. She's also a bestselling author, poet, and actress. Now this uniquely talented artist opens the pages of her most intimate journals to give readers, fans, and friends a glimpse of her magical, turbulent life.Drawn from life on the road during her Spirit World Tour, Jewel captures unforgettable moments from her childhood in Alaska, her beginnings as a struggling artist, and her challenges as a daughter, sister, and woman. With acutely observed, eloquent depictions of the musicians, lovers, bikers, strangers, celebrities, and characters that inhabit her world -- and illustrated throughout with candid, never-before-seen photos of Jewel and her own photojournalism and drawings -- Chasing Down the Dawn is more than a collection of vignettes, observations, and stories. It is a finely wrought mosaic in prose and poetry, set to the rhythms of life.


About the Author
A bestselling writer of poetry and prose, Jewel is also an actress and performer. She has recorded four bestselling albums and also starred in Ang Lee's film Ride with the Devil. Her first book, A Night Without Armor, was a New York Times bestseller. She lives in California.


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You've heard Jewel's music (her debut disc, Pieces of You, sold ten million copies). You've read her first [book of poetry], A Night Without Armor (it went into 15 printings). Now it's time to catch up on her poems, essays, and stories.


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