Tuesday, September 26, 2017

This Life I Live by Rory Feek

Book description:

The story she said he was born to write.

Her story. His story. The love story of Joey and Rory.

By inviting so many into the final months of Joey’s life as she battled cancer, Joey and Rory Feek captured hearts around the world with how they handled the diagnosis; the inspiring, simple way they chose to live; and how they loved each other every step of the way. But there is far more to the story.

“My life is very ordinary,” says Rory. “On the surface, it is not very special. If you looked at it, day to day, it wouldn’t seem like much. But when you look at it in a bigger context—as part of a larger story—you start to see the magic that is on the pages of the book that is my life. And the more you look, the more you see. Or, at least, I do.”

In this vulnerable book, he takes us for the first time into his own challenging life story and what it was like growing up in rural America with little money and even less family stability.

This is the story of a man searching for meaning and security in a world that offered neither. And it’s the story of a man who finally gives it all to a power higher than himself and soon meets a young woman who will change his heart forever.

In This Life I Live, Rory Feek helps us not only to connect more fully to his and Joey’s story but also to our own journeys. He shows what can happen when we are fully open in life’s key moments, whether when meeting our life companion or tackling an unexpected tragedy. He also gives never-before-revealed details on their life together and what he calls “the long goodbye,” the blessing of being able to know that life is going to end and taking advantage of it. Rory shows how we are all actually there already and how we can learn to live that way every day.

A gifted man from nowhere and everywhere in search of something to believe in. A young woman from the Midwest with an angelic voice and deep roots that just needed a place to be planted. This is their story. Two hearts that found each other and touched millions of other hearts along the way.

My review:

  I didn't become familiar with Joey and Rory Feek until they made the news because she was dying of cancer. I watched the Facebook posts as she grew weaker and weaker and closer and closer to death. I felt sadness and prayed for those she left behind when she finally slipped the bonds of earth.

  I was interested to read their story, so I requested this book. It was an interesting, encouraging, and sad read. Rory tells of how he and Joey met, and of their marriage and music career, and of course about her fight with cancer. I found myself caught up in their story, and impressed by their unwavering faith as they faced the battle of cancer together. I found tears in my eyes many times, yet found myself wishing I had that kind of faith that they exhibited.

 The book is definitely worth reading, and I highly recommend it.

About the author:


A true renaissance man, Rory Feek is known as one of Nashville’s premiere songwriters, entrepreneurs and out-of-the-box thinkers.  He is a world class storyteller that crosses all creative mediums from music and film to books and the internet.

As a blogger, Rory shares his heart and story with the world through his thislifeilive.com blog that has over 2 million Facebook followers.  The love story of he and his wife, her recent battle and loss to cancer, and his vignettes of unwavering faith and hope in the face of tragedy inspires millions of readers who follow along with each post. 

As a songwriter, Rory’s written multiple number-one songs, including Blake Shelton’s “Some Beach”, Easton Corbin’s “A Little More Country Than That”, and Clay Walker’s “Chain of Love”, and had dozens of other songs he’s written recorded by Kenny Chesney, Randy Travis, Reba, Trisha Yearwood, Waylon Jennings, and many others.

As an artist, Rory is one-half of the Grammy nominated county-music duo Joey+Rory.  He and his wife Joey Martin toured the world, sold hundreds of thousands of records, and have their own weekly hit television show that airs all across the country on RFD-TV. Their latest album “Hymns That Are Important To Us” sold 70,000 copies the first week and debuted at number on Billboard album charts. 

As a filmmaker, Rory just finished directing his first feature-length film, “Josephine”, an epic love story set during the declining months of the Civil War, with a screenplay that he co-wrote with Aaron Carnahan.  Rory has three other screenplays in process.  He also writes, shoots and edits their music videos, and is the creator of the television shows and specials in which he and his wife appeared. 

He and his 2 year-old daughter Indiana live an hour south of Nashville in an 1870’s farmhouse near their family-owned diner, Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse.

1 comments:

Cheryl's Opinion said...

I totally agree with this review. Wonderful reading! So glad I purchased & read this book. I, too, had not heard of Joey+Rory 'til they made the news because of her terminal cancer diagnosis. Now after reading the book & so many of his blogs, I almost feel like I have known them personally. I highly recommend this book!