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Knit to This: Blood

October 26, 2019 January 31, 2020 | By Kay Gardiner

Dear Ann,

One thing I love to do is plug all of the doings of my sewing-circle sisters.

Lucky for you, they are extremely talented.

Case in point: my beloved friend, Allison Moorer.

Allison’s memoir, Blood. External Link. Opens in new window., was published yesterday, in print and as an audio book. My copy is on its way to me right this minute, and I will be holding all calls until I’ve read it.

The flap copy is daunting:

Mobile, Alabama, 1986. A fourteen-year-old girl is awakened by the unmistakable sound of gunfire. On the front lawn, her father has shot and killed her mother before turning the gun on himself.

Allison Moorer would grow up to be an award-winning musician, with her songs likened to “a Southern accent: eight miles an hour, deliberate, and very dangerous to underestimate.” (Rolling Stone)

But that moment, which forever altered her own life and that of her older sister, Shelby, has never been far from her thoughts. Now, in her journey to understand the unthinkable, to parse the unknowable, Allison uses her lyrical storytelling powers to lay bare the memories and impressions that make a family, and that tear a family apart.

Blood delves into the meaning of inheritance and destiny, shame and trauma—and how it is possible to carve out a safe place in the world despite it all. With a foreword by Allison’s sister, Grammy winner Shelby Lynne, Blood reads like an intimate journal: vivid, haunting, and ultimately life-affirming.

If that sounds heavy, well—it is. It’s the kind of searing history that you can know about a friend, but never mention, for fear of adding to the burden of it, or in case maybe a minute has gone by in which it hasn’t been on her mind. The very definition of unspeakable.

But, knowing Allison, I know that there will be grace, and hope, and a healthy spoonful of sass in this book. She hasn’t made it this far without those things. She is one of the funniest people I know.

The Nashville Scene liked it.. External Link. Opens in new window.

Oh Yeah, There’s Also a Record

Evidently Allison had some time on her hands, because she also made a record for Blood. External Link. Opens in new window.. To get a taste of that dangerous, eight-mile-an-hour accent, give a listen to the video up top, and go get the album wherever you get your music. (It’s streaming on Amazon, and it’s on the Spotify.)

Go See Her

Allison is taking her guitar on book tour this fall. I’ll be elbowing my way to the front row at Strand Books next Tuesday night. External Link. Opens in new window.. Join me!

Find the rest of Allison’s book tour schedule here. External Link. Opens in new window..

And Another Thing

She made this dress.

Love,

Kay

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13 Comments

Lynn Rubin 10/26/19 • 7:09AM

That dress!!!! I’m in awe. And I’ll be getting the book today.
Katherine 10/26/19 • 7:33AM

What an amazing woman. To rebuild your life after such an event would be such hard work – I can’t imagine. I hope the book and album helped her heal, and they will be so good for the rest of us to read and hear. And that Alabama Chanin dress! Allison is so gifted!
Vicki 10/26/19 • 7:57AM

I am also awaiting my copy of Blood! What a lovely post about your friend. That dress is off the chart!!
Emma 10/26/19 • 8:06AM

This was a beautiful review, Kay. Thanks for “plugging” your multi talented sewing circle sister.
As a fan of both Allison and Shelby, I had been aware of this dark defining moment in their past and marveled at how resilient they seemed and how they’d both gone on to create successful careers in music. I am looking forward to getting to know them better through this memoir.
Robin 10/26/19 • 9:30AM

Just…wow.
Kathleen E 10/26/19 • 9:58AM

I listened to the song and am instantly in awe of in awe of her…must read her memoir! Usually wind up feeling grateful…
Stephanie B. 10/26/19 • 9:58AM

Sounds like a must read. And wow, that dress.
- Evelyn M 10/26/19 • 2:37PM
  
  That’s an Alabama Chainin dress. Gorgeous.
Shar 10/26/19 • 10:13AM

What a lovely review and tribute to your good friend. I’m looking forward to reading the book to get to know, even on a small level, this beautiful and talented and talented woman. And That Dress!
Jane Salem 10/26/19 • 10:21AM

Looking forward to the audiobook. She’ll be at the greatest book store on the planet, Parnassus in Nashville, on November 2.
Diane 10/26/19 • 8:17PM

Wow, you have some interesting friends. I was just at Strand while on a visit to my oldest. I think I need this book.
m.halvorson 10/28/19 • 9:26PM

Triple Threat! Gah! Looking forward to reading or listening to the book.
smurkland 10/29/19 • 11:56AM

OMG – is that an Alabama Chanin-style dress? It looks amazing!!!!

Fun