The Harder I Fight the More I Love You

About this book

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERAN APPLE BEST BOOK OF THE MONTH Singer-songwriter Neko Case paints a vivid portrait of an extraordinary life--one forged through a poverty-stricken childhood, obsessive desire, bursts of comedy, and indispensable friendships--reflecting on the way art, music, and a deep connection to nature helped her become a beloved, Grammy-nominated artist. "A hell of an origin story: heartbreaking and funny, brave and weird, hard to swallow and impossible to put down." -Maggie Smith, New York Times bestselling author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful Neko Case has long been revered as one of music's most influential artists, whose authenticity, lyrical storytelling, and sly wit have endeared her to a legion of critics, musicians, and lifelong fans. In The Harder I Fight the More I Love You, Case brings her trademark candor and precision to a memoir that traces her evolution from an invisible girl "raised by two dogs and a space heater" in rural Washington state to her improbable emergence as an internationally-acclaimed talent. In luminous, sharp-edged prose, Case shows readers what it's like to be left alone for hours and hours as a child, to take refuge in the woods around her home, and to channel the monotony and loneliness and joy that comes from music, camaraderie, and shared experience into art. The Harder I Fight the More I Love You is a rebellious meditation on identity and corruption, and a manifesto on how to make space for ourselves in this world, despite the obstacles we face. "A vivid, exuberant, heartrending coming-of-age story that demonstrates the saving power of art. This book captured me the way Case's songs do: with their ache and beauty and promise that the only way through this life is to feel it all." -Melissa Febos, author of Girlhood, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism