Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far [Paperback]

Amy Grant (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 2008

One of America’s most popular music artists shares beautiful pieces of an unforgettable human mosaic, revealing pieces of a life in progress.


With her unmistakable voice and honest lyrics, Amy Grant has captured a unique place in American music. As the bestselling Christian music artist of all time, a crossover pop sensation, and the wife of country music star Vince Gill, Amy has lived much of her life in the spotlight, subject to adulation, speculation, and scrutiny. Now for the first time she bares her heart and soul to reveal thoughts on everything from motherhood and marriage to fame and forgiveness. Whether describing personal moments alone on a moonlit hillside or very public ones performing with the likes of Tony Bennett and James Taylor, Amy presents a captivating collection of beautiful reflections on life, love, and faith.

Includes Never Before Published Lyrics to New Songs

Rendered with the lyrical insight we see in her music, Amy reflects on the pieces of her life through the years, forming a vivid mosaic of memories rich in color, varied in texture, and united in their heartfelt design.

“Thanks to writing and remembering, I’m re-inspired to value both the mundane and magical moments. In trying to capture a few memories as best as I can, I give myself the gift of treasuring what has been so far a very full and meaningful life. I hope you will do the same with yours.” —Amy Grant

Amy Grant weaves original lyrics and poetry into a narrative patchwork of timeless candor in Mosaic. The pieces of her life so far provide stunning inspiration for her beloved fans. Mixing lighthearted reminiscences of her Tennessee childhood, poignant scenes from her life as a wife and mother, and down-to-earth insight from her celebrity stardom, Amy invites you into her world and gently leads you to fresh insights about your own.

Amy’s winsome personality and joyful authenticity radiate from each page, welcoming you into the satisfying company of a warm and compassionate artist—a woman who sees life through a unique and deeply personal lens.

Amy Grant got her start in the music business with a part-time job sweeping up a Nashville music studio, which provided the perfect opportunity to duplicate a tape of her original songs as a gift for her family. A studio executive overheard her recordings—and the rest is music history.

Since the surprising success of her debut album thirty years ago, Amy has grown into a music legend, with six Grammy Awards, twenty-six Dove Awards, and six pop chart-topping hits to her credit. An inductee into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame, she also was honored in 2006 with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The gospel/pop artist paints a genuine self-portrait as mother, performer, and person of tested faith. Grant's voice is as soothing as your therapist's, but she never sounds preachy." —Entertainment Weekly

About the Author

Amy lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, country music star, Vince Gill. She has four children, Matt, Millie, Sarah, and Corrina, and one stepdaughter, Jenny.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Broadway (October 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767929675
• ISBN-13: 978-0767929677
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,043,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

155 of 187 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Confession of a Hurting Friend....not a Spoiled Celebrity, October 16, 2007

By 

Kelly Klepfer (Iowa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far (Hardcover)

I was offered the opportunity to read and review Amy Grant's new biography, Mosaic. Had it been in the bookstore, I might have picked it up, glanced through it and come away with a very different impression than I've developed from reading it cover to cover.

I haven't been a rabid Amy fan. As a matter of fact, I've seen her in concert once and that was because I went to see Mercy Me and Amy opened for them. I purchased her Christmas CD at a garage sale. This information is not a slam in any way. I'm just sharing where I am coming from where Amy is concerned.

Driven to curiosity by the talk before, during and after her divorce from Gary Chapman I purchased Amy's Behind the Eyes CD. The lyrics from several songs haunted me. As a survivor of a rotten marriage gone good, I felt compelled to write to Amy. Crazy as that sounds...who does that? But I did. I don't remember what I wrote, other than to tell her it didn't have to end in divorce. I wondered like much of the rest of the world why she thought God wanted her to be happy at the expense of her children's pain.

I almost turned down Mosaic because of my thoughts and feelings. What if she showed no remorse, no awareness of the sanctity of marriage? What if she lightly dismissed the damage done to her children? How could I recommend this book? Then my daughter reminded me that I don't like to sit in judgment of others and I love people who screw up daily, and that I have to look into the mirror and see behind my own eyes. I needed to give Amy's book a fair reading.

I'm sorry, Amy.

Amy's divorce is as much a symptom of America's brand of diluted Christianity as it is a picture of our pathetic human weaknesses. Why should she, though in the public eye and ministering to thousands through her music, be held to a higher standard of holiness? A standard that a full half of professing Christian married couples can't meet? I, myself, am still married only because God held me in place. Everything in me wanted to be divorced and free of the pain that my husband and I inflicted on each other.

Mosaic starts like a feel-good anecdotal "Chicken Soup" style of book full of sweet stories inspiring song lyrics which end each chapter. A section of names and events details Amy's relationships with celebrities and treasured encounters with them.

Had the book been just this feel good celebrity stuff, I wouldn't recommend it. But as the book progresses Amy begins to dig deep. The promotional quotes from Mosaic have been light and chatty, friendly and homey. What dug under my skin and into my heart was the poetic poignancy with which Amy described the events and people that have shaped her through much pain and loss. Those are the entries that contain the lyrics from some of the songs that haunted me from Behind the Eyes. Amy shares her thoughts on depression, faithquakes and the death of innocence. She left me feeling like I hadn't been reading the words of a spoiled celebrity, but instead, hearing the confessions of a hurting friend.

Fame doesn't save us. A good spouse, wonderful children, great friends, history, and money can't save us. If we could each grasp how much we are loved by the Creator of the universe, maybe we wouldn't be so quick to run away from Him to find our own way. We all grab for worthless bandages. Most of us don't have the burden of the spotlight of fame to complicate our paths.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As good as she seems -- yet human, too, November 21, 2007

By 

ROBERT OHEARNE (Chelmsford, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far (Hardcover)

This wondrous book is a glimpse of a beautiful person.

Humility and authenticity are the hallmark of a truly spiritual person. Amy Grant is the Israelite in whom there is no guile. Her gentle spirit permeates this memoir. Her love for her parents, her sisters, her children, her friends, and her husband is visible, tangible and real. I read this book at one sitting, and by the time I finished, I felt she was a good friend.

The title and subtitle are apt. This is an unusual book, in that it does not attempt a narrative. Instead it is a collection of memories, interspersed with poems and lyrics. We learn a lot about Grant's interactions with her family and friends. We hear interesting moments she shared with people famous and not-so-famous. Occasionally, like a fawn peeking out amidst dark forest brambles, Grant exposes her deep pain over her first marriage, although she never addresses this directly.

If you believe in Jesus Christ, this book will provide you a vivid, welcome example of a person of faith. If you are uncertain about the reality of God, this book is well worth reading, because Grant is thoroughly human, approachable, non-dogmatic, and non-judgmental. She could provide non-believers a hint about how believers can believe, and why.

41 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic look at faith from a beautiful woman inside and out, October 16, 2007

By 

Christina Lockstein "Christy's Book Blog" (Oconto Falls, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far (Hardcover)

Mosaic by Amy Grant took me by surprise. The book itself is lovely with color photographs, but it was the text that moved me so many times. Amy takes the lyrics from several of her songs and offers the inspiration behind them as well as other short personal vignettes. The format flows beautifully and gives a deeper view of her life than even a memoir could have. She talks about growing up in her tight-knit family, the love she has for her children, the pain of her divorce, and the miraculous love she shares with husband Vince Gill. She offers herself completely exposed without polish or facade, and it's an amazing sight. Her writing is lyrical and poetic with scenic descriptions and occasionally knock-the-wind-out-of-you emotion. Reading how she struggles to keep her mind on God when praying, a spontaneous dance in the moonlight as prayer to the Lord, her wonder at finding herself in such a lofty place, all of it makes her very real and her faith profound. I found myself putting the book down to reflect on her words or to share sections with my husband. It's just too powerful to take in all in one sitting, and many times it brought me to tears. This would make a great present for a loved one or yourself!