Carlile shows rugged resilience in ‘Broken Horses’

“Broken Horses,” Brandi Carlile (Crown)

Armed with a powder-blue cowboy hat bedazzled by her mother, a homemade vest and a turquoise bolo tie made by her great-grandfather, Brandi Carlile gave her first solo performance at the Northwest Grand Ole Opry Show at 8 or 9.

In Carlile’s memoir “Broken Horses,” she shares the story of how a “shy and quiet but very clever” kid who grew up in a “run-down single-wide mobile home up on top of a mountain” in Washington went on to become close friends with her childhood hero Elton John, win multiple Grammys and produce country icon Tanya Tucker’s last album.

Thirty-nine may seem a little young to write a memoir, but in Carlile’s opinion no one is too young, too old or too uninteresting to write their own story.

“Your life is in fact twisted and beautiful and you’ll find that as you peel back the layers, the unexpected side effect is that it feels wonderful to be known,” she writes in her acknowledgements. “Even if it’s just by you.”

“Broken Horses,” shines for this very reason. It’s clear that through writing the full arc of her story, not only does the reader get to better know the Americana singer, but she begins to better understand herself.