I Came All This Way to Meet You

Writing Myself Home

By: Jami Attenberg

Narrated by: Xe Sands

Named a Best Book of the Year by: Time * New Yorker * Sunday Times (UK)

From New York Times bestselling author Jami Attenberg comes a dazzling memoir about unlocking and embracing her creativity—and how it saved her life.

In this brilliant, fierce, and funny memoir of transformation, Jami Attenberg—described as a “master of modern fiction” (Entertainment Weekly) and the “poet laureate of difficult families” (Kirkus Reviews)—reveals the defining moments that pushed her to create a life, and voice, she could claim for herself. What does it take to devote oneself to art? What does it mean to own one’s ideas? What does the world look like for a woman moving solo through it?

As the daughter of a traveling salesman in the Midwest, Attenberg was drawn to a life on the road. Frustrated by quotidian jobs and hungry for inspiration and fresh experiences, her wanderlust led her across the country and eventually on travels around the globe. Through it all she grapples with questions of mortality, otherworldliness, and what we leave behind.

It is during these adventures that she begins to reflect on the experiences of her youth—the trauma, the challenges, the risks she has taken. Driving across America on self-funded book tours, sometimes crashing on couches when she was broke, she keeps writing: in researching articles for magazines, jotting down ideas for novels, and refining her craft, she grows as an artist and increasingly learns to trust her gut and, ultimately, herself.

Exploring themes of friendship, independence, class, and drive, I Came All This Way to Meet You is an inspiring story of finding one’s way home—emotionally, artistically, and physically—and an examination of art and individuality that will resonate with anyone determined to listen to their own creative calling.

An excellent memoir

Attenberg weaves stories of her life and how they relate to how she became a writer and how she became who she is today. It is an enjoyable memoir if not a meandering one. But perhaps as a wanderer, she means it to be this way. While it isn’t a book that you “can’t put down” it is a pleasurable listen. The narrator’s voice can be lulling at times and I found my mind wandering a bit.

an honest and moving book

A wonderfully rich and honest look into the life and heart of a modern woman writer. I listened with gratitude and great respect. Well read also.

So so story

This story shows that you can fulfill your dream of becoming a novelist and still lead a sad and lonely existence. I did not find. the author's life story especially interesting and certainly not enviable. I kind of felt sorry for her in the end because she is describing a kind of Life on the D list. She gets her novels published but is still overshadowed by the big names in the industry. She hinted at some mental issues and it would have been interesting if she had delved into those more deeply because the entire book was pretty superficial. Wouldn't recommend. But the narration was good.

So beautiful!

The writing is fantastic - specific and full. The reflections not cruel to her past self, but honest. The observations throughout such a clear indication of the joy she has in her craft. Xe Sands narrates this masterfully - with the idiosyncratic messiness of an amazing performance that I could easily think was an author narrating their own book. Pick it up, you won’t regret it and it will help you see something in yourself and the world around you!

What a insight into the heart of a writer

What I loved about this book was the long difficult slog of becoming a writer. Especially the challenges to authenticity only women face. I loved the breath and adventure of experiences she's had in her life.