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My Own Devices
- True Stories from the Road on Music, Science, and Senseless Love
- Narrated by: Dessa
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
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Publisher's summary
“I love the way Dessa puts words together. In her songs, in her poetry, in her short stories, and now in this beautiful and candid memoir. Wanna be an artist? Get this book.” (Lin-Manuel Miranda)
"Dessa writes beautifully about a wide range of topics, including science, music, and the pain that comes with being in love; it's a surprising and generous memoir by a singular voice." (NPR, best books of 2018)
Dessa defies category - she is an intellectual with an international rap career and an inhaler in her backpack; a creative writer fascinated by philosophy and behavioral science; and a funny, charismatic performer dogged by blue moods and heartache. She's ferocious on stage and endearingly neurotic in the tour van. Her stunning literary debut memoir stitches together poignant insights on love, science, and language - a demonstration of just how far the mind can travel while the body is on a six-hour ride to the next gig.
In "The Fool That Bets Against Me", Dessa writes to Geico to request a commercial insurance policy for the broken heart that's helped her write so many sad songs. "A Ringing in the Ears" tells the story of her father building a wooden airplane in their backyard garage. In "'Congratulations'", she describes the challenge of recording a song for The Hamilton Mixtape in a Minneapolis basement, straining for a high note and hoping for a break. "Call off Your Ghost" chronicles the fascinating project she undertook with a team of neuroscientists to try to clinically excise romantic feelings for an old flame.
Her writing is infused with scientific research, dry wit, a philosophical perspective, and an abiding tenderness for the people she tours with and the people she leaves behind to be on the road.
My Own Devices is an uncompromising and candid account of a life in motion, in music, and in love. Dessa is as compelling in this memoir as she is onstage, making My Own Devices the debut of a unique and deft literary voice.
Critic reviews
“[Dessa is] a natural at the written word. There's not an essay in My Own Devices that's less than fascinating.... [My Own Devices] is funny, heartbreaking and brilliantly written, and very possibly the best memoir by a musician since Patti Smith's Just Kids.” (Star Tribune)
“Dessa has captured the punishing beauty of untenable love and touring, states of being that both require a stubborn, romantic heart.” (Tegan and Sara)
“Dessa’s words are an articulation of the universal.” (MN Daily)
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By: Holly FitzGerald
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Gone
- A Girl, a Violin, a Life Unstrung
- By: Min Kym
- Narrated by: Rebecca Yeo
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Her first violin was tiny, harsh, factory-made; her first piece was "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star". But from the very beginning, Min Kym knew that music was the element in which she could swim and dive and soar. At seven years old, she was a prodigy, the youngest ever student at the famed Purcell School. At 11, she won her first international prize; at 18, violinist great Ruggiero Ricci called her "the most talented violinist I've ever taught". And at 21, she found "the one", the violin she would play as a soloist: a rare 1696 Stradivarius.
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If you love classical music, read this!
- By robin on 05-15-17
By: Min Kym
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Infinite Tuesday
- An Autobiographical Riff
- By: Michael Nesmith
- Narrated by: Michael Nesmith
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Michael Nesmith's eclectic, electric life spans his star-making role on The Monkees, his invention of the music video, and his critical contributions to movies, comedy, and the world of virtual reality. Above all, his is a seeker's story, a pilgrimage in search of a set of principles to live by. That search took Nesmith from a childhood in Dallas, where his single mother, Bette, invented Liquid Paper, to the set of The Monkees in Los Angeles, to the heart of swinging London with John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix, and to an unexpected oasis of brilliance in the Santa Fe desert.
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Entertaining and Eccentric
- By Kathy on 07-02-17
By: Michael Nesmith
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The Destiny Thief
- Essays on Writing, Writers and Life
- By: Richard Russo
- Narrated by: Richard Russo
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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In these nine essays, Richard Russo provides insight into his life as a writer, teacher, friend, and reader. From a commencement speech he gave at Colby College, to the story of how an oddly placed toilet made him reevaluate the purpose of humor in art and life, to a comprehensive analysis of Mark Twain's value, to his harrowing journey accompanying a dear friend as she pursued gender-reassignment surgery, The Destiny Thief reflects the broad interests and experiences of one of America's most beloved authors.
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The Destiny Thief
- By anne on 08-22-18
By: Richard Russo
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Achtung Baby
- An American Mom on the German Art of Raising Self-Reliant Children
- By: Sara Zaske
- Narrated by: Sara Zaske
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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When Sara Zaske moved from Oregon to Berlin with her husband and toddler, she knew the transition would be challenging, especially when she became pregnant with her second child. She was surprised to discover that German parents give their children a great deal of freedom - much more than Americans. In Berlin, kids walk to school by themselves, ride the subway alone, cut food with sharp knives, and even play with fire. German parents did not share her fears, and their children were thriving.
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this book failed its topic
- By Latinogirl on 04-28-18
By: Sara Zaske
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Alice
- Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker
- By: Stacy A. Cordery
- Narrated by: Alex Picard
- Length: 19 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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From the moment Teddy Roosevelt's outrageous and charming teenage daughter strode into the White House—carrying a snake and dangling a cigarette—the outspoken Alice began to put her imprint on the whole of the twentieth-century political scene. Her barbed tongue was as infamous as her scandalous personal life, but whenever she talked, powerful people listened, and she reigned for eight decades as the social doyenne in a town where socializing was state business.
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Cigarette and pet garter snake in her purse..
- By L. Locker on 06-08-23
By: Stacy A. Cordery
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Time Between
- My Life as a Byrd, Burrito Brother, and Beyond
- By: Chris Hillman, Dwight Yoakam - foreword
- Narrated by: Chris Hillman, Dwight Yoakam
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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As a cofounder of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, Chris Hillman is arguably the primary architect of what’s come to be known as country rock. He went on to record and perform in various configurations, including as a member of Stephen Stills’ Manassas and as a cofounder of The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band. In the 1980s he formed The Desert Rose Band, scoring eight Top 10 Billboard country hits. He’s released a number of solo efforts, including 2017’s highly acclaimed Bidin’ My Time - the final album produced by the late Tom Petty.
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Good With Caveats
- By Kafe Society on 10-28-21
By: Chris Hillman, and others
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Brother & Sister
- A Memoir
- By: Diane Keaton
- Narrated by: Diane Keaton
- Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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When they were children in the suburbs of Los Angeles in the 1950s, Diane Keaton and her younger brother, Randy, were best friends and companions: They shared stories at night in their bunk beds; they swam, laughed, dressed up for Halloween. Their mother captured their American-dream childhoods in her diaries, and on camera. But as they grew up, Randy became troubled, then reclusive. By the time he reached adulthood, he was divorced, an alcoholic, a man who couldn't hold on to full-time work - his life a world away from his sister's, and from the rest of their family.
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Beautifully Sad
- By Chad Frontz on 02-06-20
By: Diane Keaton
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Golem Girl
- A Memoir
- By: Riva Lehrer
- Narrated by: Riva Lehrer, Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 14 hrs
- Unabridged
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In 1958, Riva is one of the first children born with spina bifida to survive. Her parents and doctors are determined to "fix" her, sending the message over and over again that she is broken. That she will never have a job, a romantic relationship, or an independent life. Enduring countless medical interventions, Riva tries her best to be a good girl and a good patient in the quest to be cured. Everything changes when, as an adult, Riva is invited to join a group of artists, writers, and performers who are building Disability Culture.
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One of the best disability themed books I’ve ever read
- By Justin & Ben on 01-18-23
By: Riva Lehrer
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Killings
- By: Calvin Trillin
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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"Reporters love murders," Calvin Trillin writes in the introduction to Killings. "In a pinch, what the lawyers call 'wrongful death' will do, particularly if it's sudden." Killings, first published in 1984 and expanded for this edition, shows Trillin to be such a reporter, drawn time after time to tales of sudden death. But Trillin is attracted less by violence or police procedure than by the way the fabric of people's lives is suddenly exposed when someone comes to an untimely end.
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I was disappointed
- By marcia on 04-19-18
By: Calvin Trillin
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Yours, for Probably Always
- Martha Gellhorn's Letters of Love and War 1930-1949
- By: Janet Somerville
- Narrated by: Ellen Barkin
- Length: 19 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Martha Gellhorn was a strong-willed, self-made, modern woman whose journalism, and life, were widely influential at the time and cleared a path for women who came after her. An ardent anti-fascist, she wrote about real people doing real things with intelligence and passion. She is most famous, to her enduring exasperation, as Ernest Hemingway's third wife. Long after their divorce, her short tenure as "Mrs. Hemingway" from 1940 to 1945 invariably eclipsed her writing and, consequently, she never received her full due.
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Could not get through it
- By Janelle G. on 01-23-24
By: Janet Somerville
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Serenade
- A Balanchine Story
- By: Toni Bentley
- Narrated by: Leslie Howard, Toni Bentley
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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At age seventeen, Toni Bentley was chosen by Balanchine, then in his final years, to join the New York City Ballet. From both backstage and onstage, she carries us through the serendipitous history and physical intricacies and demands of Serenade: its dazzling opening, with seventeen women in a double-diamond pattern; its radical, even jazzy, use of the highly refined language that is ballet; its place in the choreographer’s own dramatic story of his immigration to the United States from Soviet Russia.
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What a beautiful book!
- By Ning on 05-04-22
By: Toni Bentley
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App Kid
- How a Child of Immigrants Grabbed a Piece of the American Dream
- By: Michael Sayman
- Narrated by: Michael Sayman
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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As his parents watched their restaurant business collapse in the wake of the Great Recession, Michael Sayman was googling “how to code". Within a year, he had launched an iPhone app that was raking in thousands of dollars a month, enough to keep his family afloat - and in America. Entirely self-taught, Sayman headed from high school straight into the professional world, and by the time he was 17, he was Facebook’s youngest employe ever, building new features that wowed its founder Mark Zuckerberg and are now being used by more than half a billion people every day.
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A great success.
- By HB on 05-23-22
By: Michael Sayman
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A Good Provider Is One Who Leaves
- One Family and Migration in the 21st Century
- By: Jason DeParle
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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When Jason DeParle moved into the Manila slums with Tita Comodas and her family three decades ago, he never imagined his reporting on them would span three generations and turn into the defining chronicle of a new age - the age of global migration. In a monumental book that gives new meaning to "immersion journalism", DeParle paints an intimate portrait of an unforgettable family as they endure years of sacrifice and separation, willing themselves out of shantytown poverty into a new global middle class.
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Excellent and Important
- By Booklover on 03-22-20
By: Jason DeParle
What listeners say about My Own Devices
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- R.W.
- 03-11-20
Even more beautiful 2nd read thru
Love this artist!! So insightful and beautifully written. Will be re-reading/listening again for sure
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- Josh
- 10-06-18
If you like Dessa, you'll love the book
If you're into anything she does, this book will be an easy entertaining listen. This book gives background for all the things she's done, career or otherwise. It is like a sneak peak into Dessa's head.... almost literally
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- Caitie
- 10-13-18
Lives Up To Dessa's Amazing Music
Found myself crying on a long car ride as things got too relatable. Beautifully well-written.
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- Anonymous User
- 10-07-18
Single Sitting Listen
The writing style was of no surprise, just look at who wrote it. What really grabbed me, and kept me mind you, was the narration. It can't be easy to record full narration of your own emotional work, let alone ensuring that the emotion isn't lost in the repeating process. I could genuinely feel Dessa's tone with every moment listened. 7/7 From this longtime fan and Twin Cities native. Thank you very much for this wonderful story.
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- Nathan Savig
- 10-13-18
All the poetry of a Dessa song
Beautifully written, musicly read, and Dessa has a really interesting life! I enjoyed hearing the backstory to some of her songs, but primarily just appreciated her interesting views on life and "well turned phrases." Highly recommend to anyone struggling with depression, a breakup, and of course her fans.
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- Elsa S
- 09-25-18
Prose for the soul
Absolutely stunning and vulnerable story everyone who has ever loved and lost and kept trying can find healing in. A must listen.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Stefan J Hertel
- 12-05-18
Interesting and Impressive
This book is beautifully written and performed by the Author, and while it chronicles the life of a touring musician, it investigates the realities of a career as a creative artist and the chaos of powerful love. For sure worth a listen or a read, the view through the eyes of Dessa is fascinating.
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- Alex M.
- 09-09-20
Cool Read
Cool read. Dessa definitely has a way with words and the extent to which she tries to forget her love for Xzibit was surprising. Would love to see a full fiction from Dessa, that would be neat.
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- Hollie
- 03-14-19
Beautiful, intellectual, and fascinating
I fell in love with Dessa's music about eight years ago after picking up a copy of Badly Broken Code at my local record store. Since then, her voice has been a constant in my life. When she released Spiral Bound, I fell in love with her prose. This book does not disappoint. It is intellectually fascinating, and full of vulnerability and strength. I found myself laughing, and crying at times. Pick this gem up, you will not be disappointed. Thank you for this gift Dessa!
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Overall
- Lisa
- 08-13-19
I just love everything Dessa does. She knows words
Seriously though. She has a way with metaphors like no-one else. I knew she was smart but dang....she's brilliant. I am super curious about who "ex" is.... but she would have told us if she wanted us to know. #Dessaforpresident
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