Read an excerpt from SAVED BY A SONG

SAVED BY A SONG: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting by Mary Gauthier | 9781250202116 | 7/6/21

Grammy-nominated folk singer and songwriter Mary Gauthier explores the creativity and redemptive power of song in this part memoir, part break-down of songwriting, part philosophy of art. SAVED BY A SONG takes readers from 12 year old Mary–who was gifted a relative’s old guitar–through her struggles with addiction, to the numerous awards and recognition of her songs.

Check out this excerpt from Mary Gauthier’s poetic and expressive SAVED BY A SONG about her early experience with libraries:

“When I was seven, Saturday was my favorite day of the week. The Baton Rouge bookmobile would roll in and park on the boulevard near our house. Mama would walk me there to get in line, and I’d wait my turn to climb on board. Kids were allowed five books. Big decisions, only five books. I’d take my time, make sure my selections were just right. I’d take those books to my bedroom and devour them, then have to wait another five days for the bookmobile to return. Books were my first love, portals to other worlds. They lifted me out of my little room and offered an escape, an entrance to new, exciting adventures. I’d stay in my room, door closed, reading.”

Want to read more? Download the full e-galley on Edelweiss.

Praise for SAVED BY A SONG:

“Songwriting is a calling, but it is also a mystery, even to someone as accomplished as the self-professed troubadour Mary Gauthier…This is a treasure of a book as well as a love letter to songs and songwriters and the people who listen to them.”–Booklist, starred review

“An acclaimed singer/songwriter digs soulfully into her craft…A powerful memoir that says as much about Gauthier and her eventful, trailblazing life as it does about her music.”–Kirkus Reviews, starred review