Rememberings

From the acclaimed, controversial singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor comes a revelatory celebrity memoir of her fraught childhood, musical triumphs, struggles with illness, and of the enduring power of song.

Blessed with a singular voice and a fiery temperament, Sinéad O’Connor rose to massive fame in the late 1980s and 1990s with a string of gold records. By the time she was twenty, she was world-famous—living a rock-star life out loud. From her trademark shaved head to her 1992 appearance on Saturday Night Live when she tore up Pope John Paul II’s photograph, Sinéad has fascinated and outraged millions.

In Rememberings, O’Connor recounts her painful tale of growing up in Dublin in a dysfunctional, abusive household. Inspired by a brother’s Bob Dylan records, she escaped into music. She relates her early forays with local Irish bands; we see Sinéad completing her first album while eight months pregnant, hanging with Rastas in the East Village, and soaring to unimaginable popularity with her cover of Prince’s "Nothing Compares 2 U."

Intimate, replete with candid anecdotes and told in a singular form true to her unconventional career, this powerful music biography is a remarkable chronicle of an enduring and influential artist.

This raw, unflinching memoir explores:

• A Dublin Childhood: The painful, private story of growing up in a dysfunctional and abusive household, and how the discovery of Bob Dylan records offered an escape into music.
• The Power of Song: From early days with local Irish bands to completing her first album while eight months pregnant and soaring to global fame with her cover of Prince’s "Nothing Compares 2 U."
• A 90s Music Icon: A look at the rock-star life out loud—from the trademark shaved head to the fiery temperament that fascinated and outraged millions.
• Speaking Truth to Power: The full story behind her 1992 appearance on Saturday Night Live when she tore up a photograph of Pope John Paul II, creating a moment that would define her career.

"O'Connor has had a tumultuous life: stealing, getting thrown out of school, running away, parental abuse....idiosyncratic and poignant." - Booklist

 "A self-aware confessional from a successful and controversial musician."  - Kirkus Reviews

“The idiosyncratic singer-songwriter takes readers on an emotional roller coaster in this unapologetic, soul-baring debut…This page-turner will enthrall the singer’s fans." - Publishers Weekly

"Like her recordings, Sinead O'Connor's book veers between defiance and pain. She rejoices as she remembers the first time she had her head shaved ...but several of the longer set pieces recount terrifying encounters in vivid detail. The naked and fearless emotions that made Sinead O'Connor such a riveting artist, shine through her words and self-awareness...in the end, she emerges as a survivor."  - New York Times Book Review

"Full of heart, humour and remarkable generosity." - The Guardian

“Sinéad's voice on the page is as fearless, riveting and unforgettable as her voice in song. The cadence alone is hypnotic, her story essential. Rememberings is a must-read." - Michael Stipe, lead singer of R.E.M.

 “A brutally honest account of an extraordinary life.” - Carson Daly, The Today Show