Praise for A Song to Sing, A Life to Live

"I found warmth, wisdom, and love to be present on every page of this book. Emily and her father, Don, have found a way to have a deeply meaningful conversation about their life experiences and share it with the reader. The result is this beautiful expression of music as many things--healer, gift, symbol of freedom and community, and agent of change."
—Mary Chapin Carpenter

"Don and Emily Saliers trace the songlines of two very different lives through this thought-provoking book. It is full of stories, quotations from songs old and new, and even their personal discussions as they explore the boundaries between their worlds. Their words plumb the depths of human and musical differences: the way song can divide as well, bring us together and its power to bring us 'back to life' from grief or pain or spiritual anguish. May we all be able to find songlines as rich as those uniting this intelligent, affectionate, and musical father and daughter."
—Alice Parker, author, Yes, We'll Gather!, Creative Hymn Singing, and Melodious Accord

"In this sweetheart of a book, Don and Emily Saliers do far more than write convincingly about the healing power of music. They show us how it works by letting their own love of 'deep song' lead them across generational, aesthetic, and religious differences into a place of such holy listening to one another that even the angels lay down their tambourines."
—Barbara Brown Taylor, author, Bread of Angels, Home by Another Way, Gospel Medicine, The Preaching Life, God in Pain, and Speaking of Sin

"Emily and her dad have created a beautiful celebration of how music and spirit connect us all."
—Bonnie Raitt

Author Biography

Don Saliers is professor of theology at Candler School of Theology at Emory University and the author of nine books, including From Hope To Joy (Abingdon, 1984). Emily Saliers is a member of the Indigo Girls, an award-winning folk-rock duo known for their vibrant music and social activism.

Chapter Excerpt (Adobe Acrobat format)