The Harder I Fight the More I Love You

A Memoir

De: Neko Case

Narrado por: Neko Case

From a beloved Grammy-nominated musician, a "heartbreaking and funny" memoir of a poverty-stricken childhood, obsessive desires, and indispensable friendships that reflects on the way art and music and a deep connection to nature guided her journey towards stardom (Maggie Smith, NYT 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 listeners 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.

©2025 Neko Case (P)2025 Grand Central Publishing

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Reader, I really want to hand this book to you personally and tell you, in one excited rush, how much it moved me. THE HARDER I FIGHT THE MORE I LOVE YOU is a hell of an origin story: heartbreaking and funny, brave and weird, hard to swallow and impossible to put down. Neko Case has been my favorite singer-songwriter for many years, hands down, and now she’s written one of my favorite memoirs.”—Maggie Smith, New York Times bestselling author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful

"This is a fierce, funny, moving memoir that will break your heart and patch it back up. Case's writing is as piercing and beautiful as her gorgeous singing, and will carry you away completely."—New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean

"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

Tremendous!

This book is absolutely tremendous, I loved it and the imagery in Neko Case’s songwriting transforms stunningly to the book. As a visual thinker myself, I was deeply moved. I appreciate Neko Case’s commitment to standing up for women, that made me feel safe and filled me with admiration and relief. I grew up in the same area as her, so many things resonated and Neko Case is beloved here.

Thank you for saying all of it.

The richest prose

I guess it’s not shocking that a songwriter should be able to so richly tell a story but her astounding memory bloomed forgotten visions of my own childhood. Magical thoughts swimming around a snow globe. Nemo Case knows how to unleash them.

Neko Case is a feminist icon!

Absolutely loved Neko’s writing and storytelling— you can feel the pain, the hunger, the dirty clubs, the struggling musician lifestyle in such a raw and visceral way. As a huge fan, I just wish she had talked more about her process through each album!

Thank you Neko

Neko Case merges raw honesty, poetic prose, and deep introspection to deliver a powerful narrative on childhood, loneliness, and found family.

Loved it! Powerful!

Listen all the way to the end!
Her honest voice throws down a clear message of endurance & hope, a force to embrace!

Great Memoir

I great memoir! I just wished she had discussed the origins of more of her songs.

The pleasure of having read by the author

I recognize so many similarities to my upbringing - parents who were totally unable to form an attachment to a baby and both carrying a shitload of epigenetic trauma, extreme social isolation and loneliness, a trickster alcoholic mother, etc., etc.

If you ever wondered ...

What is Neko Case about? here is your opportunity. I have been riveted
by her voice and music for quite some time. This was a great memior.

Nothing short of honest

Love how it’s written. Much like her songs. I’m about the same age as Neko Case and related to so much. So much. I’m glad she read the audio version.

Horse Sister riding through sound waves

I’m so happy she created a family of friends, fellow travelers in music, and the natural world. That her horses are her teachers and brothers is beautiful. My sons and I share her love of cats and their singular medicine, they’re also funny as all get out. I can hear the stories of her life in the shimmering heatwaves of her voice and guitar and stories. That she sees the arc of history through women and horses is part of what makes her like no other. I had to go take a walk in the woods after listening to it.