Details from Audible:
Me and Sister Bobbie
True Tales of the Family Band
By
Narrated by
The untold story of Willie Nelson and his sister, Bobbie, who, over the course of their lives together, supported each other through personal tragedies and triumphs and forged an unbreakable bond through their shared love of music
“Tender and intimate.”—The New Yorker
“Poignant, beautiful, heartfelt.”—New York Journal of Books
ONE OF THE BEST MUSIC BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Rolling Stone, Kirkus Reviews
Abandoned by their parents as toddlers, Willie and Bobbie Nelson found their love of music almost immediately through their grandparents, who raised them in a small Texas town. Their close relationship was the longest-lasting bond in both their lives.
In alternating chapters, this heartfelt dual memoir weaves together both their stories as they experienced them side by side and apart. The Nelsons share powerful, emotional moments from growing up, playing music in public for the first time, and facing trials in adulthood, as Willie pursued songwriting and Bobbie faced a series of challenging relationships and a musical career that took off only when attitudes about women began to change in Texas. This is Bobbie’s only memoir, and in it she candidly shares her life story in full. Her deeply affecting chapters delve into her personal relationships and life as a mother and as a musician with technical skills that even Willie admits surpass his own. In his poignant stories, Willie shares the depth of his bond with his sister, and how that bond carried him through his most troubled moments. Willie and Bobbie supported each other through unthinkable personal heartbreak, and they always shared in each other’s victories. Through dizzying highs and traumatic lows, spanning almost nine decades of life, Willie and Bobbie always had each other’s back.
Their story is an inspiring, lyrical statement of how family always finds the way.©2020 Willie Nelson, Bobbie Nelson, David Ritz (P)2020 Random House Audio
Initial Thoughts:
As you may know if you’ve been reading my blog I have been on a Willie Nelson kick, this is the third non-fiction book, which while it’s all I listen to I have gotten back into reading fiction, and while I plan to take a break it certainly won’t be the last. I saw this book on Audible Music (they also have audiobooks, though the app is shit) and gave it a listen.
Main Points:
I loved this book for a number of reasons, each chapter is usually quite short, often 10 minutes or less, some only a minute or two and as I don’t have the patience I used to, this worked well for me. I also thought it was a great idea to have Willie read one chapter and his sister Bobbie read another, while the book is separated into parts each chapter is called “Brother” and “Sister”, love the simplicity of it. Some chapters have a clip from one of Willie’s songs, which was a great surprise, and while I knew some about Willie’s life, I knew nothing of his sister Bobbie, and I got to hear lots of stories from him that I hadn’t heard before.
Willie Nelson has led an incredible life and it’s wonderful to hear him tell it in his own way. He looks at life from a wonderful perspective, he sees that everything happens for a reason and that while it’s hard ultimately you have to forgive and forget about all the things, and people, who have hurt you. Willie himself says that while he’s good at the forgetting part, the forgiveness even now escapes him sometimes. I was very surprised to hear Willie as a youth who would drink and get in bar fights, it was the 70s before he would discover pot and become the mellow person people have come to love. I also loved to hear the life story of his sister, she also had a remarkable life and while parts of the book are quite sad, she tells it with such honesty and without dwelling unnecessary details that it wasn’t nearly as sad as I thought it would be. Ultimately you are left with the amazing bond that Willie and his sister Bobbie had, a bond that was forged in family, music and love. I am always amazed by someone who has an unwavering faith in God and I like how Willie and Bobbie approach their faith in different, non-traditional ways. Willie says that for him songs are a form of praying and I thought that was a beautiful idea.
Final Thoughts:
You can always tell when I love a book because my reviews are longer and I wish the book would go on. My only real issue with this book is that that it skips over so much time with Willie and Bobbie, I would have loved for this book to go on for 2-3 times as long than it’s just shy of 7 hours running time. Willie has a great voice and so it was wonderful to hear him, Bobbie also has a great speaking voice and I have always been a fan of a southern accent. Don’t be mistaken, some of the books are very funny, others fascinating and still others quite incredible. Willie and Bobbie have such amazing memories and have gained such great perspective and wisdom that I think anyone could benefit from listening to this. I think the best part of the whole book is the end, Willie and Bobbie both reflect on life and I’ll admit to getting a little choked up (especially knowing that Bobbie had passed in 2022). Bobbie has a great part where she talks about forgiveness and gratitude, they also both talked about how people who die are not really gone, their spirits are with you all the time, you just need to be in tune to find it. I send Willie a message through his website, I hope a get a response. I dearly loved this book and give it 9 out of 10. There is mature subject matter so I would say ages 14+. Do yourself a favor and listen to this, you’ll be glad you did.