Rememberings (by Sinead O’Connor)
I decided to move this book, Rememberings, to the top of my TBR following the death of Sinead O’Connor on July 26, 2023. I love reading biographies and memoirs, as I’m intrigued by people’s intimate lives. I purchased the audiobook last year from Audible as I was curious to know more about Sinead O’Connor, whose music I listened to on the radio back in the early 1990’s. To be transparent, I didn’t follow Sinead’s music career past the release of The Emperor’s New Clothes. I was definitely a fan of her most popular song, Nothing Compares 2 You. I recall her shocking display of tearing up the Pope’s picture on Saturday Night Live in 1992. As Sinead writes in her memoir, she pretty much killed her career when she did that, so with her not being present in popular music culture, my awareness of her career beyond that was nil.
When I saw the release of her memoir, Rememberings, I was curious about her life and what she had been up to. Following her passing last month, I decided now was a good time to learn more about Sinead. I was pleased that she narrated her book and shocked by the sound of her voice. From listening to her book, I realize she smoked a lot of cigarettes and marijuana. Those substances have not been kind to her voice. I don’t mean to come off as critical, it’s reality.
I was immediately saddened when I listened to Sinead introduce her book and talk about how she intended to write another memoir later in life. I’m so grateful she wrote this book when she did. I appreciate her vulnerability as she shared about her upbringing and the traumas of her relationships with her parents and siblings. She openly talked about her music career, intimate relationships, her four children, and her mental health. I don’t believe she left a stone unturned. She certainly satisfied all of my curiosities.
I enjoyed listening to her stories, especially when I could hear laughter in her voice. She made me laugh out loud many times and it warmed my heart to hear her laugh at her own stories. I think it was especially touching since I know she is sadly not around anymore.
The ending of her memoir was beautiful. She wrote about each of her children and the characteristics she loved about them. I can only imagine and hope that they are able to find comfort in her words today. Sinead also spoke directly to her father that seems to offer love, forgiveness, and closure to their past. As if that wasn’t heartbreaking enough, Sinead talked about her current music career and the album she was planning to release. She seemed very happy with performing her music live. As the book ended, I felt a sense of deep sadness for Sinead and her family.
I want to close my book review with a YouTube video of a recent live performance of Nothing Compares 2 You. She wrote how much she loved this song and never tired of singing it. I have listened to the original version of this song many times while listening to her audiobook. 💔
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