First published 2014
Rob Sheffield stands in a karaoke bar, microphone in hand, knowing he cannot sing. His wife has died, leaving him a young widower drowning in grief. He has moved to a new town, hoping distance might ease the pain. As a Rolling Stone writer, Sheffield turns to music for comfort, but finds something unexpected in karaoke's ridiculous ritual. Despite his inability to carry a tune, he begins performing everywhere from Florida senior centers to Mojave desert saloons to late night Chinatown dives. Each butchered song becomes a small act of courage. Frank Sinatra numbers and Merle Haggard classics give way to Hall and Oates disasters under fluorescent lights among strangers. The music tangles with his deepest emotions, pulling up memories while pushing him toward an uncertain future. Through karaoke's strange communion, Sheffield slowly discovers his voice again. The songs lead him somewhere he never expected: toward new love and the possibility of starting over.
Genres: grief, non-fiction, biography-memoir, music, 21st-century, personal-development
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: China, Florida, Mojave Desert
Period: 21st Century
288 pages · Paperback · Dey Street Books