Sara Evans released her debut album ‘Three Chords and the Truth’ in 1997 and she’s gone on to establish herself as one of the most successful artists in the Country music genre. In 2017 she left her long-time label home RCA Records to set up her own label Born To Fly Records, through which she’s release two albums. With the 20th anniversary of her iconic 2000 album ‘Born To Fly’ this year it’s fitting that Evans has decided to release her first memoir with the same title.
If you’re expecting a straight-forward tell-all autobiography then you might be surprised as that’s not really what ‘Born To Fly’ is. The book could really be split into two parts; the first selected stories from her life and career and the second life advice drawing on the ups-and-downs that Evans has experienced in her life. Written in an engaging and often humorous style, ‘Born To Fly’ really gets Evans’ personality across, which makes the book an addictive read that’s hard to put down.
Known for her honesty and upfront nature, Evans isn’t frightened to speak her mind and reveal deeply personal moments from her life. She talks openly about her divorce, she shares her frustrations with how hard it was to win over Country music with her first two albums, and she tells personal stories from her childhood including the horrendous car accident that could very well have killed her. Through it all though, Evans remains reflective and in good spirits, acknowledging that her life and career have had ups-and-downs and her determination has always seen her through them.
When the book moves from stories to advice, Evans’ words shine warmly from the page. You can tell how much she cares for her family by the way she speaks of them. As a child of divorce myself, I appreciated her candid honesty about how hard it is for children whose parents divorce and also how difficult it is for the parents trying to move on with a new relationship. Evans frequently speaks from the heart and her life lessons could well prove useful to her legions of fans. She’s also unafraid of sharing her own struggles in an image obsessed industry that places unrealistic expectations on women.
‘Born To Fly’ is a chance to get to know the real Sara Evans and her fans will undoubtedly love it. Personally I would have been interested in hearing even more about her career in the music industry but Evans intimated in our recent interview that she wasn’t ready to do a full autobiography at this stage of her life. ‘Born To Fly’ is heartwarming, funny, honest and compelling, and it’s definitely worth a read!
Publisher: Howard Books Release date: 8th September 2020 Buy ‘Born To Fly’
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