Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
No Walls and the Recurring Dream
No Walls and the Recurring Dream: A Memoir | Ani Difranco
25 posts | 14 read | 11 to read
The celebrated singer-songwriter and social activist Ani DiFranco discusses her life and career Grammy award winner Ani DiFranco is the indie artist of our time. After releasing her first album at the age of just twenty on her own label, Righteous Babe Records, DiFranco has continued to blaze her own trail, becoming the voice of her generation. In her conscious rejection of the mainstream recording industry, the ultimate DIY artist breaks all the rules, maintaining a level of artistic integrity that has impressed many and antagonized more than a few. She continues to be a major touring and recording artist, runs her own label, and serves as a celebrated feminist leader whose songs provide a lens into the women's movement. In her new memoir, DiFranco connects herself to people in a new way and re-experiences her life from a place of hard-won wisdom and maturity that combines personal expression, music, feminism, political activism, storytelling, philanthropy, entrepreneurship, motherhood, and much more into one inspiring whole. Here in poetic, honest pages is the tale of an eventful and radical life. Her story in No Walls and the Recurring Dream is defined by an ethos of bravery--from being an emancipated minor sleeping in a Buffalo bus-station on her sixteenth birthday, to performing two weeks after 9/11 to bring her fans together in a time of need. For past and future fans, Ani is living proof that you can overcome all personal and internal obstacles to be who you are and to follow your dreams.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
blurb
GidgetsTreasures75
post image

5-25-21: My 54th finished book of 2021! I‘ve loved Ani DiFranco since I was a teen in the 90s. Her music was the soundtrack to my life at that time. Her memoir was very interesting spanning her childhood and growing up in Buffalo, NY, learning how to play the guitar, life on the road up to 2001,and her passionate political and feminist stances. She is raw and unapologetically real. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 👍🏼📖#️⃣5️⃣4️⃣

blurb
AutumnRLS
post image

Didn't realize this existed, but as soon as I did I had to get a copy for myself.

16 likes2 stack adds
review
Bibliogeekery
post image
Panpan

Ani Difranco meant so much to me in the 90s - she was the soundtrack to my feminism and my queerness. I knew that we parted ways politically some time after that so was a bit apprehensive to read this book. Her biological essentialism, lack of intersectional analysis and trans politics made this hard to read. Also, it's really poorly written. I can't think of a memoir I've read that was more of a mess. It's a rambling stream of consciousness ⤵️

Bibliogeekery that is hard to follow, lacks self-reflectivity, and misses so many opportunities for interesting critique and analysis. I wish I had just indulged my nostalgia by listening to her old albums instead. #queerbooks 5y
Soubhiville That‘s too bad. I loved her early work too and was excited when this book was released. I‘ve decided since not to read it, as I‘m not sure I‘ve seen one good review. Oh well. 5y
BookishTrish @Bibliogeekery I‘d like to know more about her trans politics - where do I think I should start? 5y
See All 7 Comments
Bibliogeekery @BookishTrish hmm, you could read this book. I guess. The thing is I think she would consider herself to be trans positive. The fact that she played the Michigan Womyn's Festival repeatedly and defended their trans-exclusion policy combined with her oft-repeated gender essentialist comments defining women through menstruation, childbirth etc are the things I've known have bothered trans people for decades. 5y
Bibliogeekery @BookishTrish I'm not sure where you'd specifically read about this outside of between the lines in this book but it's a long standing critique 5y
BookishTrish @Bibliogeekery I‘m glad you said something. I had no idea and missed the between the lines context when I read the book. 5y
41 likes7 comments
blurb
Bibliogeekery
post image

Reading and snuggling with my niece's new puppy 😍

Karen3 that paw 😍 5y
Prairiegirl_reading Soooo cute!!!! 5y
batsy Awww 😍 5y
Tamra Adorbs! 5y
50 likes4 comments
blurb
Bibliogeekery
post image

Currently reading. I am curious about this one. Ani was such a pivotal musician for me in my late teens and early twenties. She meant so much to me. I also know now that she is very politically problematic on certain issues and I'm am wondering what it will be like to read her memoir.

emtobiasz Agreed! I‘ll be interested to see your take. 5y
45 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
SkeletonKey
post image
Panpan

I don‘t know what I‘m more disappointed by, the transphobic rhetoric or that the way Ani has chosen to be a rebellious feminist is by not being feminist at all.

Dorianna That is incredibly disappointing. 5y
SkeletonKey @Dorianna - It was very sad. 5y
37 likes2 comments
blurb
Karen.reads
post image

Current reads. I‘m actually doing the Ani on audio and am really enjoying hearing her tell her story. The Etaf Rum is turning out to be just okay, which surprised me considering all the hype. Lots of potential but the narrative is very repetitive. I‘m at 78% and eager to finish.

review
Lindy
post image
Pickpick

I loved hearing Ani Difranco narrate her own #audiobook. Her music was a soundtrack to my life in the early 90s, so I revisited my own past as I listened. She‘s a great storyteller and this memoir covers her early years up to 2001. 🎸
“Let the records show that there are in fact whole other girls with the same face and same name who lived concurrently to the one in this story, but this is the one that got written down.” 🎸#LGBTQ

sarahbarnes Agreed! I‘m seeing her play next month and I‘m so excited! 5y
Lindy @sarahbarnes Oh! I would be excited too. Enjoy! 5y
42 likes2 comments
quote
Lindy
post image

Nature‘s math seems to me to be possessed of a profoundly simple grace: 1 = 0; 2 = infinity. As in, there‘s really no such thing as a singularity, operating outside of relationship, and two is always the springboard to infinity. I do not believe it‘s necessary to denigrate or deny any of nature‘s persistent binary themes in order to understand gender as a spectrum. Binary systems in nature possess infinite potential.

39 likes1 stack add
review
BookishTrish
post image
Pickpick

This is somewhere between a pick and a so so for me. I thought it picked up very well towards the end - and I‘m so jealous she has a Prince anecdote! It was good for dipping into and out of, but was vague sometimes when I wanted more detail.

Hooked_on_books Love your picture. So arresting! 5y
63 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
BookishTrish
post image

I‘m not loving the writing but it‘s anecdotal enough to keep reading.

StayCurious Those raspberries look good 😁 5y
54 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
BookishTrish
post image

Unexpected late afternoon reading view

BethM Unexpected reading is the best kind! 5y
CoverToCoverGirl Impressive view.. do I spy a Canadian flag? 😊🇨🇦 5y
73 likes2 comments
blurb
brandybear22
post image

What came in the mail yesterday!

7 likes1 stack add
quote
jveezer
post image

Traveling is still the oldest and most poetic form of higher education there is. Not traveling in some elite, upper class bubble, mind you, but really traveling.

4 likes1 comment
blurb
brianherbergerbooks
post image

I have felt this many times while standing in the front row at an Ani show. “Not only is my relationship with my fans back to being a human-to-human thing. I believe it to be one of the very best human-to-human things.” ~ Ani DiFranco

quote
brianherbergerbooks
post image

Those who sit furthest from the center of power, see it the clearest. ~ Ani DiFranco

blurb
jveezer
post image

Holy crap. I‘m sitting in a church and will literally be 20‘ from Ani Fucking Difranco. And I‘m feeling overcome with the love and emotion that her songs have always made me feel...

blurb
brianherbergerbooks
post image

30 pages in and loving it. Grew up in Buffalo just a few years younger than Ani, but totally different childhoods. I keep thinking, “What year was this? In Buffalo? How d was she?” Still wrapping my mind around how different things could be 30 minutes from my neighborhood, but also remembering that we never went downtown.

blurb
Karen.reads
post image

This came in the mail today! Can‘t wait! 😍

9 likes1 stack add
blurb
RowReads1
post image
blurb
brandybear22
post image

Pre-ordered myself a birthday present

10 likes1 stack add
blurb
madamereadsalot1
post image

Not book related (except that she has her new book out now that I want to read, I tagged it!) BUT Ani is on tour and is again coming to Houston! And again, IM GOING TO GO SEE HER! It's gonna be my 12 year olds first concert too! We're both so excited! I just had to share it here!

Trashcanman Sounds like it will be a blast. I hope it's an awesome memory for her. 6y
madamereadsalot1 @Trashcanman thanks, me too! 😊 6y
vivastory I've seen her a couple of times. It's been awhile, but I remember she puts on a good show. 6y
See All 7 Comments
madamereadsalot1 @vivastory I had the honor of seeing her about 3 years ago for the first time. It was AMAZING! I went by myself and was thankful for the experience. This time, I'm glad I'll get to share it with my daughter and my sister. 6y
vivastory You must go to a lot of concerts. You should make a post of your favorite concerts you've attended. 6y
madamereadsalot1 @vivastory I went through and decided to just do concerts I've taken pictures of and still have that were top of the line, excellent shows, just to make it easier to pick and not be a huge list. And still, it's a lot. 😅 So it'll be a few posts even with making photo grids. Would you share some of your favorites too!? Maybe make a hashtag of it for people who want to play along? Like #ConcertCountdown or #LiveMusicLove or something more clever? 6y
vivastory Definitely! I can't wait to see your posts! 6y
29 likes7 comments
review
ReadingEnvy
post image
Panpan

I love Ani but this is a mess.

Leftcoastzen That‘s too bad ,I love Ani too. 6y
BilboBookends 😢😢😢 6y
brandybear22 What made it such a mess? 6y
See All 8 Comments
ReadingEnvy @brandybear22 it is neither linear nor a complete story... She sets herself up as a wünderkin without a lot of self scrutiny... It doesn't have as much about the songs... The writing seems first draft and just needs to be tighter, lots of repetition 6y
brandybear22 @ReadingEnvy Well that‘s pretty disappointing. I have noticed that her work has shifted a lot over the past couple decades, I‘d hoped she would share about that journey, with which I‘d expect some self reflection. I‘ll make sure I‘m in the right mood when I read it! 6y
ReadingEnvy @brandybear22 it focuses on the years up until 2000 or so 6y
Karen.reads Oh no!! I have so been looking forward to this! Got it in the mail today. 6y
ReadingEnvy @Hyggescence hopefully you'll have a better experience 6y
62 likes8 comments
blurb
angrylilasian
post image

One of my favorite bookstores in Chicago is Women and Children First. If you visit, stop by. They have the best selection of feminist, activist, LGBTQ books, for kids & adults. My kids have gone to Story time with Drag Queens there. And they have some amazing authors & artists come through. I love Ani DiFranco‘s music so I am beyond excited to hear her talk about her life and work! I had no idea she was coming out with a memoir! Anyone else a fan?

Soubhiville Yes! I‘ll be seeing her in Austin next month! 6y
15 likes1 comment