Review: Somebody Everybody Listens To

Somebody Everybody Listens To by Suzanne Supplee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a very sweet story detailing Retta Jones' journey to Nashville to pursue her country music dreams. Retta is your typical naive high school graduate, but she's got grit. When the going gets tough, she keeps on trying. And Supplee didn't hedge on the difficulties Retta faced on her own — everything from the hazards of being on your own in an unfamiliar city to the hard choices one makes when their family falls apart made Retta's journey realistically difficult.

The part I liked most about the book was that Supplee didn't end it with Retta's name up in lights and fabulous wealth and fame. Reading the book I was a little afraid of the cliche (not to say Retta didn't deserve every bit of fame she might get), but I felt it was a more powerful ending to show her getting her chance, having hope again, than to have it all handed to her outright.

"Somebody Everybody Listens To" brings up an interesting point about not only the music business, but musicians themselves and the "search for fame." I can't speak for others, but I can say that I am not searching for fame. (Might be searching for fortune, but there's reasons for that, and they're called "bills," lol. :-P ) I play music, I write my songs, because I like making music and because I like seeing how my music affects others. I suspect a lot of other musicians do the same, and I suspect that it's the same even for the really famous. Fame itself is extremely fleeting and tenuous at best. I think you'd have to have more behind your drive to make a career last.