I recently read the book Beautiful Mess by the members of the country band Diamond Rio, written with Tom Roland. This book tells the personal stories of each of the 6 musicians in the band, as well as the story of their coming together as a band and their ups and downs through the years. Each of the band members stories are interesting, beginning from their childhood and progressing up to the time they connected as part of Diamond Rio. Woven throughout the book is the larger story of the faith and integrity which is very evident in each of their lives.
I am a lover of biographies, and this book is a dream for someone such as me, with 6 individual biographies as well as the story of a band. And anyone who has been a fan of country music in the last 20 years will recognize many of the songs that are mentioned and appreciate learning the stories behind each of them.
Beautiful Mess chronicles not only the high times of the band, including their rise to fame and their megahits such as "One More Day", but also their difficult times, such as when lead singer Marty Roe stuggled with vocal issues. There is a lot of honesty about their problems, which I truly appreciated. You feel reading this book as if you become friends with the musicians and get to know them much better.
I became slightly confused in the beginning, trying to remember which guy was who and how all the pieces fit together, but as I read on, especially beginning where all six band members lives converged, I found myself drawn into the story, pulling for these guys. Once the story of the band got rolling, I had a hard time putting it down.
I was already a fan of Diamond Rio, but learning about the heart each of these band members has caused me to see them in a new light. I was inspired by their faith and challenged by their honesty. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.
