Sing Me Back Home Reactions

I started the book after most people and had already heard how difficult it was to get through. While I admit I am still in the beginning and not finding the specific references too fascinating, the content connects to large enough themes that to a certain degree, I can relate. I found the extended metaphor opening work to intrigue the reader, but left a lot up to interpretation. Being pretty ignorant in the field of country music, I was hoping for a more clear cut, explanatory introduction. However, what I got was something better. By page 20 I understood completely the appeal of country music, not through his passion, but through his ability to relate it to a certain lifestyle and a certain identity. I feel one of the most powerful statements was that country music could provide such amazing escapism: "for a few minutes you could forget that you were a few months behind on the rent and that the light company was threatening to shut the electric" (12). The strength of country music comes through in this passage. Although country music doesn't have this amazing effect on all of us, most of us have a favorite weekly television show that we allow ourselves to get completely sucked into until we forget reality. While country music is more in tune with specific communities and cultures, the idea of desperation and escapism is universal.