Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far (Hardcover)

by Amy Grant (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
“Amy Grant is a remarkable woman whose contributions to the worlds of faith, charity, and entertainment continue to put her in a class of her own. And in many ways, Amy’s wonderful new book, Mosaic, is a lot like Amy herself: it sparkles with energy, brims with love, and is blessed with the same deep and beautiful spirit that I’ve witnessed so many times when Amy has performed for the kids of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. How like her to have written a book that truly celebrates the magic and poetry of life.”
—MARLO THOMAS, actress and author

“Amy is one of our favorite friends. Her life is as inspiring as her music.”
—BARBARA AND GEORGE BUSH

“Amy Grant is a bouquet of Tennessee spring flowers. Not the floral-shop type with ribbons and a greeting card, but rather the just-picked ones. Fragrant. Radiant. You spotted them in a meadow and couldn’t resist. Now they sit on the table giving fragrance and color. Amy does that as she paints and perfumes our world with her faith, her music, and her words.”
—MAX LUCADO, minister and best-selling author

“Amy Grant is simply one of the most gifted communicators I have ever known. I’ve been on stage with her in front of thousands of people—and I’ve been with her in quiet private moments when she’s offered hope and healing to someone in need. In either situation, and in everything in between, I’ve been moved by her subtle strength and her ability to say the right thing at the right time. In the lyric of a song and now in this book, Amy can turn a phrase like no other. I’m so blessed to know her and so glad that she’s sharing part of her life in these pages.”
—MICHAEL W. SMITH, singer/songwriter

“I know of no one in our field more generous of her time, talent, or resources than Amy. In my experience, one of the major pieces in the mosaic ... --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Review
“Amy Grant is a remarkable woman whose contributions to the worlds of faith, charity, and entertainment continue to put her in a class of her own. And in many ways, Amy’s wonderful new book, Mosaic, is a lot like Amy herself: it sparkles with energy, brims with love, and is blessed with the same deep and beautiful spirit that I’ve witnessed so many times when Amy has performed for the kids of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. How like her to have written a book that truly celebrates the magic and poetry of life.”
—MARLO THOMAS, actress and author

“Amy is one of our favorite friends. Her life is as inspiring as her music.”
—BARBARA AND GEORGE BUSH

“Amy Grant is a bouquet of Tennessee spring flowers. Not the floral-shop type with ribbons and a greeting card, but rather the just-picked ones. Fragrant. Radiant. You spotted them in a meadow and couldn’t resist. Now they sit on the table giving fragrance and color. Amy does that as she paints and perfumes our world with her faith, her music, and her words.”
—MAX LUCADO, minister and best-selling author

“Amy Grant is simply one of the most gifted communicators I have ever known. I’ve been on stage with her in front of thousands of people—and I’ve been with her in quiet private moments when she’s offered hope and healing to someone in need. In either situation, and in everything in between, I’ve been moved by her subtle strength and her ability to say the right thing at the right time. In the lyric of a song and now in this book, Amy can turn a phrase like no other. I’m so blessed to know her and so glad that she’s sharing part of her life in these pages.”
—MICHAEL W. SMITH, singer/songwriter

“I know of no one in our field more generous of her time, talent, or resources than Amy. In my experience, one of the major pieces in the mosaic of Amy’s life so far has to be caring about others.”
—BILL GAITHER, artist, writer, and producer

“Amy Grant draws from a well of experience as a daughter, wife, mother, writer, and entertainer. Like all of us, she has had her own personal storms in life; however, her faith has never wavered. Through it all, she has given of herself and her resources to help others, and remains an inspiration to millions.”
—FRANKLIN GRAHAM, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Flying Dolphin Press (October 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385522894
• ISBN-13: 978-0385522892
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #257,378 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

125 of 154 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 (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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.

14 of 15 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.

36 of 45 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 "http://christysbookblog.... (Oconto Falls, WI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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!