Music has brought humanity together for centuries. Whether it plays in the background at a party or compiled into a playlist created for a specific person, music can define a life in a way that nothing else can. Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield explores the importance of music in his memoir: Love is a Mixtape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time. Sheffield documents the mixtapes that defined important parts of his life and how music guided him through the curveballs life threw his way. In one of the most compelling memoirs I have read, Sheffield writes about love, loss, grief, and the awkwardness of middle school dances in a stunning composition of essays.
Sheffield’s writing is very easy to fall into. I had already been familiar with some of his writing before reading Love is a Mixtape, but this memoir was still very different from the reviews I am used to reading by Sheffield. He writes with so much clarity and simplicity that it makes it easy to imagine every setting he describes. Starting every essay off with a mixtape from his past creates the perfect introduction to each essay, allowing the reader insight into the general tone before it even begins. It is a clever way of storytelling, and it was one of my favorite aspects of my reading experience with this memoir.
The way Sheffield writes about Renée, his wife who unexpectedly passed away after five years of marriage, is something to behold. With every word, his love for her shines through. Reading Sheffield’s words about Renée and her passing was one of the most heartbreaking pieces I have read this year. His documentation of grief was so real and raw. I had never seen grief talked about that way before, which only added to my admiration of his writing style.
My favorite essay was earlier on in the memoir. Sheffield documents the time he was supposed to DJ his eighth grade dance. He spoke to various kids in his grade to craft the perfect mixtape for the dance, which ultimately backfires. The essay is hilarious and heartwarming, taking me back to my days in eighth-grade and the importance of middle school dances for me at that point in my life. I picked up Love is a Mixtape on a complete whim. I was at Barnes and Noble a few weeks ago, looking for a different novel when I came across it. It was the only copy on the shelf, and I found myself drawn to it for whatever reason. I am so glad I read this memoir because it reminded me of how important music is in my everyday life. From my upbringing in a household full of music lovers to the silly playlists I make on Spotify to the music I blast in the presence of my friends, my life would never be the same if I did not appreciate music as much as I do. Music is a feeling we cannot define, and Sheffield was right in saying that love is, indeed, a mixtape.