Chasing Down the Dawn

by Jewel

Stockholm, The Grand Hotel Outside the canals are weeping, rising silentlybeyond their cement banks. Soundlessly, theyspill onto the sidewalk, like a frayed edge. Theground will freeze soon. The night is cold. I canfeel it reach my skin through the glass of mywindow. My pane. My lamp. My towels.Funny how every hotel room becomes my own.My home. If only for one night. Welcome to a world set to the ever-changing rhythms of an artist's life. Since childhood, Jewel has turned to her own short stories, vivid narratives, and starkly honest writings to revisit the past, chronicle the many characters she's encountered, and trace the intricate, unpredictable patterns of her days. In Chasing Down the Dawn, recording artist, actress, and bestselling author Jewel opens her intimate journals to create a vivid montage of the people, places, relationships, and passages that colored the life she came from and marked the last magical, turbulent, and ultimately transformational year. Drawn from her remarkable chronicle of life on the road during the Spirit World Tour, this unforgettable collection of freeze-frames captures unusual images from Jewel's childhood in Alaska, her beginnings as a struggling artist, and her challenges as a daughter, sister, and woman. Jewel paints an unblinkingly honest picture of the exceptional journey that carried her to the world's stage. Here, as if pulled from a stack of snapshots, are Jewel's moment-by-moment observations on life as she now lives the pleasure of sold-out performances and the pressures of her industry .. the sweetness of love and bitterness of loss ... friendship, freedom, and the small miracles we ourselves create. And herein a book that allows the reader a rare glimpse of life's turning points as if viewed from over the author's shoulder -- are Jewel's deeply personal insights on the events that shaped her her parents' divorce, her experience of poverty, the healing of her difficult relationship with her father, and the development of her unique talent. With the publication of her bestselling collection of poetry, A Night Without Armor, Jewel established herself as a light on the literary horizon. With acutely observed, elegantly written depictions of the musicians, lovers, bikers, strangers, celebrities, and characters that inhabit the singer/songwriter's world, illustrated with Jewel's own drawings and never-before-seen photographs from her family archives, Chasing Down the Dawn is more than a collection of vignettes, observations, and stories. It is a finely wrought mosaic in prose and poetry, set to the rhythms of life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Poetry, Memoir, Music, Biography, Autobiography, Biography Memoir

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Jewel Kilcher is an American singer, songwriter, actress, poet and philanthropist, generally known just by her first name, Jewel. She has received three Grammy Award nominations. Her debut album Pieces of You became one of the best selling debut albums of all time going platinum twelve times.

Reviews

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a real soft spot for Jewel cause I love real soulful honest raw stuff and this girl shoots straight from the heart. This book has only increased my admiration for this girl. I love her poetic writing style and the way she makes the ordinary seem extraordinary. I remember when her first album came out and I was taken by its honesty, its raw power and loved it. I also remember the backlash...people saying her music was hokey, sentimental, trite blah blah blah...all I could hear was truth and beauty...

[Sabah · Rating 4 out of 5]

From 12 - 4 am on a cold fall night in Alaska, I drove with sleeping my friend Jenny along a non-lit winding highway to Denali Natl Park. Jewel's voice, reading this book, kept me company. To read this poetic and loving tribute to Jewel's childhood is to understand the isolated and occasionally stark, but beautiful, proud and independent people and land that is uniquely Alaska.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable, rambling story of Jewel's life. It jumps around a lot, but it adds to the storytelling feel of it.

[Zep · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book pretty well. an interesting view into the life of a famous musician and songwriter. despite all her fame and glory, she seems to stay pretty well grounded in reality.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the 'six degree from' game, I feel fairly close to Jewel and her family. And since my cruise to Alaska in June over a decade ago I have a sacred place in my heart for that "Last Frontier", and Kilcher family. So with the above in mind, when I saw this book on sale for $.99, I grabbed it.

This is not a fantasy book, this is not an adventure book. It is bits and pieces of someone's life. To read that kind of thing I have to be in a certain mood. Having just moved north into the country into a slower lifestyle. I found I could probably enjoy a quieter books. I was not wrong. I don't think I've read anything else by Jewel. And she's not of my generation of music so I barely listen to her. So it was I found myself wandering in somebody else's life through their writing. Much of it is poetic in nature, a lot of it feels like you're reading her journal. I felt Jewel was very brave, with a lot of what she shared of her life in this book. Maybe she addressed these things in her other books, but as I said this is my first time reading her writing.

How could someone be judgmental about a person sharing a piece of their life? So I find giving it any kind of stars difficult. For being brave and being open, I give her five stars for this book. But I think the hard thing for me was how often the book went back and forth in time. And since I was listening on text-to-speech, I found it difficult to know, what part of her life she was speaking of. And though the book is now $3.99, I think it is well worth it. If only to teach the rest of us to start writing our journals.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autobiographies are not generally a preference for me, however having read Jewels' A Night Without Armor I felt it would do her justice to know her story. It was a life of some difficulty, and the book is quite a raw offering, skating over latencies and true emotion without truly delving into the issues that would give any psychologist a field day. There were moments of boredom for me, but that could stem from my deference to novels with action and intrigue.
All in all, this is a woman's life, and her own experiences of being a part of this world, and that alone cannot be sneered at. She is a gifted lady, but has remained quite the individual and that is another commendation for this book.
It is worth reading, but in context to her earlier published poetry. Without them, it probably would not be particularly memorable.

[Kenneth Starcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book a week before I saw Jewel live in concert. VIP meet-and-greet package, I might add! I'm glad I read it first because it really helped me relate to her more in the concert. In her concerts, she's very conversational, and she told a lot of stories to the audience. Several of those stories came straight from this book. It was a pleasant experience. Jewel is more than just an incredible songstress. She's an entertaining writer, as well. Many critics bash this book for its lack of focus. If those critics would take a second and read Jewel's introduction and use their heads a bit, they would realize that this book is a stream-of-consciousness book that offers tremendous insight into the mind of Jewel. It consists of journal entries and her telling stories about her life as they popped into her head. It's a great book if you're a fan of Jewel and want to learn more about her.

[Guy Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a long term fan of Jewel's music, I have been impressed by the poetry in the songs she has written. I welcomed the chance to learn more about this talented lady through her story. I wasn't disappointed. Her tale is a well-woven narration of her early years growing up in Alaska to a look at her life on the road as a successful performer. The insights into her soul reveal her sensitivity and explain her ability to produce such poignant lyrics. The is a must-read for any young performers aspiring to stardom. The only drawback was the quality of the photgraphs as seen on a Kindle.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chasing Down the Dawn is a collection of diary-like musings/experiences presented in a non-chronological stream of consciousness flow, interleaved with photographs and drawings. It was a relaxing, interesting read. I was surprised how much I liked the book. I enjoyed reading about her unique perspective/experiences from a childhood in rural Alaska to the independent/supportive/nomadic/unstructured upbringing to developing her talent and her career and finally, to fame and fortune.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was stunned from page 1 by the breathtaking imagery, wrapped in a silken cocoon of exquisite wording. I loved how it wasn't a chronological autobiography but a timeless and enchanting collection of observations and memories, like all her early songs knit together to form a tangible work of art. Book was a physical work of art too, with its oversized pages full of color photos and her doodles. I am enchanted!

[Cassy Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love, love, love Jewel, but this book was not what I expected. It's basically random stories and journal entries which give the feeling of, "Look how cool I was, but I'm too cool to say it out-right so I'll just hint around at it because I was raised on a ranch and lived out of my van." Not my cup of tea, but there are some cool poems and sketches that she does.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspirational. Jewel made writing in a journal necessary to every girl's personal growth and self discovery. The passages seem genuine, as if the contents were not originally intended for public view.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely delved into this autobio of Jewel. She writes much like Faulkner, with so many thoughts strung together. I liked her poetry and journaling because she is an interesting writer, not because she is a star.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I want love to be simple. I want to trust without thinking. I want to be generous with my affection and patience and love unconditionally. It is easier to love a person with their flaws than to weed through them. I want to love the whole person, not parts; and this is how I want to be loved."

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jewel wrote little snippets from her life. This was nothing earth-shattering, but it was enjoyable, and it gave a good insight into her very out-of-the-ordinary life.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best "autobiography" I've read

[Chole Allyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Jewel's for a very long time. I enjoyed reading the poems and looking at her younger pictures. She is a very inspirational person.

[Td · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. I'm quite amused about this book because it's not just a simple life story of her. This book gives inspiration to those who feels the world/luck is against them. A must read.

[Sooz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read, not an account of Jewel as a celebrity, but an account of Jewel as a person and an artist. It really gave me so much appreciation for her.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful, heartfelt short biography from a sensitive artist who was at the beginning of her career. Interesting to read this 13 years later, after she's had ups and downs.

[Winter Sophia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful Writings & Storytelling! Excellent Book!

[Sun Literary · Rating 5 out of 5]

My five stars goes to this book because it managed to root itself deeply into me. Her imperfections are perfect. Her grace is maverick. This is a sentimental favorite.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raised near Homer, Alaska Jewel Kilcher grew up singing and yodeling with her parents. Always a writer and natural performer Jewel was happiest when she was creating music, art and poetry. Her parents divorced when she was young and her father struggled to raise the children alone while facing difficult family relationships. After leaving home to attend an arts school in Michigan, Jewel then found herself on the road alone, at a young age, performing in bars and clubs, living out of a car and falling in love for the first time. Her folksy, poetic lyrics and soft clear voice instantly connected with the audience and Jewel was signed by Atlantic Records. In this memoir Grammy Award winning Jewel draws on memories from life on the road during her Spirit World Tour. She beautifully shares the vivid details of her experiences through words and song.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would never have even known this existed, except that I need an audiobook of poetry for a challenge, and this came up on overdrive as 'available now' and 'poetry'. It's not poetry, but it was reasonably enjoyable listening while driving. The thing about Jewel is that she has good storytelling skills, but she thinks she's deeper than she is. Or at least she did. I can't say I've listened to anything by her since 'Intuition' came out in 2004. Her short story stream of consciousness memoir is much the same: decent story telling, slightly pretentious. The proclamations of devotion to artistic integrity ring a little hollow in the wake of Intuition, but hey this is who she thought she was 20 years ago.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it a slightly confusing book to read as it is a stream of consciousness. I learned a lot about this singer, what inspired her and motivated her to sing, and write her own songs. She had quite a lot of interesting experiences on the road, life in Alaska, split family. It takes us from her childhood to her 20s to 2003. I can't imagine a life on the road, living in hotels each night, packing up and riding to the next town.

[Kristen Kellick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply intimate—she writes up-front that parts of this are from her journals, but I felt almost like I was trespassing at first. Reading something not intended for public consumption. I adjusted, but it took a bit.

I also had read “Never Broken” before I read this book. So the parts about her mom and their relationship were sad, knowing how Jewel feels about her today.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow! Jewel is the real deal. She grew up on a ranch in Alaska in a home that didn't have a shower or bathtub. Hearing her narrate these rough-living experiences with her breathy baby-doll voice made for a compelling contradiction. This short biography does an excellent job of humanizing our famous people.

[AnneLouise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read Jewel’s books after seeing her in concert recently on her tour with Melissa Etheridge (I went for Jewel, although Melissa was great).
I found Jewel so charming, I wanted to know more about her story.
Her life is incredibly interesting, and her intellect and talent are formidable. The book itself, a series of vignettes and thoughts, is lyrical and lovely.

[Doreen Geiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

I love her books, she is true & authentic. She has led an incredible life. She was self taught & got into a very prestigious school in Michigan when she was a teenager. I love when she appears with her family occasionally on Alaska... The last Frontier with her sun.

[David Dewata · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cool read. Stories from the roads. Her thoughts. So glad that Indonesia, my country, was slightly mentioned!