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Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
21 posts | 20 read | 32 to read
A young woman leaves Appalachia for a life as a classical musician in New Yorkor so she thinks. When aspiring violinist Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman lands a job with a professional ensemble, she imagines she has achieved her lifelong dream. But the ensemble proves to be a sham. When the group performs, the microphones are never on. Instead, the music blares from a CD. The mastermind behind this scheme is a peculiar and mysterious figure known as The Composer, who is gaslighting his audiences with music that sounds suspiciously like the Titanic soundtrack. On tour with his chaotic ensemble, Hindman spirals into crises of identity and disillusionment as she plays for audiences genuinely moved by the performance, unable to differentiate real from fake. With vulnerability, humor, and sharp insight into ambition and gender, Hindman tells a surreal coming-of-age story that perfectly articulates the anxieties and illusions of her generation. As Sounds Like Titanic swells to a crescendo, it gives voice to the failed promises of a nation that takes comfort in false realities.
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review
Chelsea.Poole
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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Pickpick

You all know I can‘t say no to a memoir! This one was on the periphery of my radar and took the plunge after stumbling across the #audiobook on #hoopla. It was repetitive (many memoirs are) but it had something to say about post-9/11 America through the lens of a musical group traveling across the states on a tour to “perform” for audiences in malls, opera houses, etc. music that reminds audiences of the Titanic soundtrack. Decent read.

Texreader Excellent review 3y
PuddleJumper Awesome! 3y
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Caroline2
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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Bailedbailed

Why would you write a memoir in the second person?!! All the you, youing is just doing my head in! 🙄

squirrelbrain Sounds a bit weird! 🤷‍♀️ 3y
TrishB They doesn‘t sound like fun! 3y
jewright Ugh...I hate second person. 3y
88 likes3 comments
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Kay_Mac_W
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman

It‘s insane to me that something like this can happen and no one find out. This book made me realize that not everything is as it seems.

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MallenNC
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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I still need to read this after hearing an interview with the author back when the book came out. It‘s about a group of fake musicians who go on tour so there has to be a #concert in it! #LitsySpringBreak

TheKidUpstairs I've always been intrigued by the look of this one 4y
30 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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Caroline2
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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This was definitely a blame it on Litsy, last min purchase before I start the New Year and put myself on a reading ban, purchase! This book really stood out for me on that list you posted @TrishB It sounds so interesting!! 😯 👍

JenniferEgnor I just saw this in the library yesterday! Definitely going to check it out on my next visit! 4y
Caroline2 I love these too crazy to be true sorts of stories. 😆 dying to find out how they got away with it?!! 4y
squirrelbrain Sounds fascinating - can‘t wait to hear what you think! 4y
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TrishB Can‘t wait to see what you think! I‘m making my mind up what to get off that list- I have a (d8 book voucher! 4y
Caroline2 @TrishB So many good books on that list. I spent agessss going through them all! 😆 4y
Caroline2 @squirrelbrain I‘ll keep you posted! 😉 4y
squirrelbrain I keep going back to that list, but the problem is that I want *all* of the books! @TrishB 4y
Caroline2 @squirrelbrain It really is a good list isn‘t it. 😁 4y
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tholmz
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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Pickpick

Wow I LOVED this, and not just because I am a big Titanic person

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MallenNC
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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I haven‘t read this memoir yet but I heard an interview with the author on NPR. The story sounds bizarre! #MusicalInstrumentOnTheCover #BiblioMAYnia

OriginalCyn620 Yes, it does! 5y
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mariaku21
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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Panpan

I'm a bit on the fence on this one: One part of me enjoyed reading some portions and another part of me was wanting to DNF this at various points while reading it.⁠

There wasn't enough in this book about this to warrant an entire book, maybe a magazine article but not an entire book, even with the childhood flashbacks, musings and thoughts from the author.⁠

A 2 ⭐ read for me.⁠

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j9brown
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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Pickpick

Funny and insightful, especially when she talks about being a young girl in the 90s. I liked this little memoir a lot.

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MallenNC
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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Impulse buys! All of these are Kindle deals today! I already had The Gown but it‘s a deal too. I had been resisting daily deals for a while!

actualdisneyprincess I just finished “Sounds Like Titanic” last week! I enjoyed it! 5y
MallenNC @actualdisneyprincess Great! I heard the author on NPR a few months ago and thought her book seemed interesting. (edited) 5y
Christine Well, I resisted the deals too until seeing this post! 😜 I‘ve been waiting for Thick to go on sale, so thank you! 5y
MallenNC @Christine Always happy to be a bad influence when it comes to books! I've been wanting to read Thick too. 5y
24 likes4 comments
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ElishaLovesBooks
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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This memoir is fascinating. Really makes you think about the difference between real vs. fake. . . especially as it relates to concerts and music. Very good so far.

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shutupsmalls
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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Vicious! Perfect.

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shutupsmalls
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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Sarahandhella
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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A tale of two books. Both finished in the last two days. The tagged book was just a whim at the library, I guess they both were... I am not a memoir fan, but Hindman‘s story of working for The Composer was very intriguing and before I knew it I had read the whole thing. Highly recommend! I can‘t say the same for Tremblay‘s Cabin. The premise was great and horrifying, but the execution was so-so. Plus the narrator was bad.

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Christine
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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Pickpick

I loved the author‘s stories about her time in an ensemble that was led by a super eccentric composer and faked its live performances (“Milli Violini,” she nicknamed it). Beyond that, the memoir (written in second person - fine by me, though I know that‘s off-putting for some) is structured around the author making sense of self/body/identity through the prism of fake vs. real. I wished that part went deeper sometimes but enjoyed overall.

MallenNC I heard an interview with her on NPR. The book sounds great. 6y
Christine @MallenNC Oh fun, I‘ll go find that interview! I really enjoyed the book - she writes beautifully. 6y
MallenNC @Christine I think it was on Morning Edition Saturday a few months ago. 6y
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Reggie Milli Violini.... Lol. Blame it on the rain... 6y
Christine @MallenNC Thank you! Just found it and listened, and enjoyed. I thought she did a great job with Scott Simon‘s questions, one of which was mildly combative (“Are you blaming your personal crisis on politics/George Bush??” To which she basically replies “Well in some ways I did think my problems were caused by George Bush.” 😆). 6y
Christine @Reggie Yes 😂! Funnily enough, one could argue that the music she was “playing” was a version of (pseudo)classical music of similar quality to MV‘s version of pop music. 😜 6y
MallenNC @Christine I forgot about that part! 6y
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ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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Pickpick

Pick!!
The main theme is 20-something college student struggling to pay tuition at Columbia gets hired as a professional violinist. She soon discovers she‘s just for show, and at all the performances the mics are off and a CD is played instead. The audience has no idea.
This memoir also explores the terror of being young and having bursting enthusiasm and no experience, and doing whatever it takes to be noticed.
A 5-star memoir.

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ErickaS_Flyleafunfurled
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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Ack! No! 😱 Homophone gone awry!

rockpools Well I never! Counting myself educated - I would totally have used ‘shoe‘! 6y
Erinreadsthebooks "Shoe, Fly, don't bother me!" ?? 6y
julesG @Erinreadsthebooks 😂😂😂😂😂 6y
42 likes4 comments
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8little_paws
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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Pickpick

Such an odd book. Yeah it's about gigging for an ensemble that air-plays over pre recorded music, but it's also about how deeply americans wanted to bury their heads in the sand in the post-9/11 years. I do like her writing style and the mixing of first and second person, but thought this was edited strangely-- instances of describing a thing that was already described, as if it's the reader's first time coming across it....

8little_paws and not convinced the non-linear timeline completely worked. Still, i was pretty hooked, and it's a breezy read for one cozy reading session. 6y
60 likes1 comment
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lovelybookshelf
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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Mehso-so

I didn't enjoy this as much as I hoped, mainly because the writing style wasn't a good fit (long passages written in second person are like nails on a chalkboard for me). But there's a lot to think about here: post-9/11 life, imposter syndrome, anxiety, honesty and personal integrity, what "success" means, learning it's okay to be "average". And I'd love to chat with other musicians about this, because that would be one interesting conversation.

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balletbookworm
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir | Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
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Pickpick

A strangely fascinating memoir about the author‘s years working with The Composer (who is real - I‘ve figured out who this is) as a violinist in his touring ensemble where all the mics were dead and the music came from a CD. The music sounds as much like the soundtrack of Titanic with out getting sued by James Horner and people LOVE it, claiming that it helps them through tough times. I‘m stuck between FRAUD and he genuinely wants to help people.

balletbookworm Hindman also provides a look into her life growing up in a poor area of Appalachia, her ambition to be a professional musician, her switch to Middle Eastern studies/journalism, and the growing panic disorder that derails those plans. Very well written. (edited) 6y
8little_paws I'm on hold for this at the library so I can get it asap. I'm dying to read this. I think the composer is Giovanni 6y
8little_paws Let me know if i'm wrong!! 6y
balletbookworm @8little_paws It‘s the Tim Janis Ensemble (I found an Amzn review that tipped me off and I checked his website - the music is basically a perfect match for what she describes) 6y
8little_paws @balletbookworm thank you!!! NEVER heard of it. 6y
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