Product Description

I've learned that not all poetry lends itself to music--some thoughts need to be sung only against the silence. These are softer and less tangible parts of ourselves that are so essential to peace, to open-heartedness, to unfolding the vision and the spiritual realm of our lives, to exposing our souls.
-- Jewel from the Preface

Jewel has been writing poems and keeping journals since childhood. A Night Without Armor, her first collection of poetry, explores the fire of first love, the fading of passion, the giving of trust, the lessons of betrayal, and the healing of intimacy.

She delves into matters of the home, the comfort of family, the beauty of Alaska, and the dislocation of divorce.

And then there are the images of the road, the people, the bars, the planes, places exotic and mundane, loneliness and friendship.

Frank and honest, serious and suddenly playful, A Night Without Armor is a talented artist's intimate portrait of what makes us uniquely human.

Careless editing permitted Jewel to misspell the names of Tom Waitsand Charles Bukowski and the word "peek." Most young fanswon't notice, and the very poems about love troubles that olderreaders will find gratingly obvious will strike them as headline newsto be taken to heart. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Customer Reviews (417)

An Autobiography Told in Poetry
I'm not a fan of poetry, but I have recently fallen in love with Jewel as an artist. I came upon this collection of poems and decided to take a chance on them based exclusively on the poet. I found in Jewel's poetry the same elements that I have come to appreciate in her songs. Some of the poems could be excerpts from a memoirs; others are the kinds of thoughtful, outside-looking-in perspective on the human condition that make her as much a sociologist as an entertainer.

Jewel's poems are largely stripped of the kind of pretentious symbolism that I find alienating in other poets' work. Instead, she employs an accessible (if deliberate) language. Some poems are ephemeral; others are pregnant with imagery, practically begging to be developed into a longer story. Feminimity is not a dominant theme, but it is certainly present. Rather than repeat any kind of nearly militant doctrine, Jewel explores the issues specific to women simply through her own experiences, as she struggles to make sense of her own identity as a woman. There is a quiet, thoughtful dignity to not only the poet, but the poems as well.

I've read some of the Amazon reviews, and it appears that poetry fans condemn this collection as pedestrian and uninspired. I suspect they reject the very qualities that attract me to these works. Then, I consider the chief objective of the arts--and language--to be the act of conveying ideas. Perhaps I'm just confused because the pro-poetry crowd typically cries as loudly as possible about how poetry is an art form that can disregard any and all conventions; blasting Jewel for a prose-centric style seems to me somewhere between ironic and hypocritical.

Rather than compare Jewel's poems to those of others, I suggest taking them simply for what they are: brief excerpts from the thoughts of one of our generation's most empathic artists. In the intervening decade since this collection was published, however, we have become accustomed to profile updates and micro-blogging on Twitter. I see A Night Without Armor in that vain; these are not full-length stories, but rather specific (if sporadic) observations from Jewel. Form notwithstanding, it sounds like poetry to me.

The Rekindling of my Faith
I stumbled upon this book in a Good Will when I was trying to find a tie to match my best flannels, I knew it was a sign from the God I had long since written off. It took me until the third read to realize her clever use of "night" instead of "knight" in the title, which is when I knew that I had found a work of true genius.

I went directly home, made some bowls of Kraft Easy Mac and spent hours which seemed like a lifetime pouring over the words of this lost soul. Her constant use of hand imagery made me realize that I too had hands, which maybe, just maybe, were meant for more than just making instant macaroni dishes. When she described the sausages shivering from a gypsy woman's pockets, I was finally able to cry over the loss of my father some three years ago.

I was completely engrossed in this fountain of words and honesty that I canceled all my appointments for the week, figuring that my friends at the shuffleboard hall would understand and that Steve, the seventeen year old lacrosse player I work with at Olive Garden could cover all of my shifts. I read this book every minute of every day for a week, and on the seventh day I rested.

My body was wrought with emotion, my eyes could cry no more. I had a new faith in the world around me, and I was bursting with the need to share it. I was confident enough now to try out for the actual shuffleboard team, and in tryouts, I scored higher than even some of the captains!

One of the recruits offered me a spot on the team saying that I was a real "diamond in the rough."

"No," I replied. "I am a jewel in the rough."

5 stars.

A very personal & sincere poetry collection
Jewel is very poetic and her lyrics just roll off the tongue. If you've never heard her sing, she has a certain twang to her song that you'll either adore or not. I personally love her singing and if you do too, you will want to get this sweet, and sometimes bittersweet collection of her simple yet memorable poems. I was inspired to make a few of my own after reading hers, and play around with words the way she does. This book is the cat's meow fans ;) Thanks for reading!

A good effort
There were quite a few poems I did like. But overall, this collection was boring. I think she should stick to singing.

"I am in love with a man who is gone now..."
A Night without Armor by Jewel is an excellent and under-rated book of poems. Ok so she's not Shakespeare but most writers aren't. These poems have been highly-criticized in the past, and it's a shame that Jewel was unfairly mocked by critics and so-called fans. I got this collection of poems the first week it was released and I fell in love with the book instantly, the poems are sensual, seductive, sensitive, and incredibly funny as well. Some of my favorites are: The Bony Ribs of Adam, Sara Said, The Strip Parts 1 and 2, New Moon, Someone To Know Me, Christmas in Hawaii, Red Roof Inn, Boston, and You Are Not. So with that being said, get this great collection of poems by Jewel today. ... Read more

Product Description
Welcome to a world set to the ever-changing rhythms of an artist's life

In Chasing Down the Dawn, recording artist, actress, and bestselling author jewel opens her intimate journals to create a vivid montage of the people, places, and relationships that colored the life she came from and have marked this past magical, turbulent, and ultimately transformational year of her life.

Drawn from her remarkable chronicle of life on the road during the Spirit World Tour, this unforgettable collection of freeze-frames captures unusual images from jewel's childhood in Alaska, her beginnings as a struggling artist, and her challenges as a daughter, sister and woman. jewel paints an unblinkingly honest picture of the exceptional journey that carried her to the world's stage.

With acutely observed, elegantly written depictions of the musicians, lovers, strangers, celebrities and other characters that inhabit the singer/songwriter's world, Chasing Down the Dawn is more than a collection of, vignettes, observations and stories. It is a finely wrought mosaic in prose and poetry, set to the rhythm of life.

Customer Reviews (39)

Love it
I am a huge jewel fan and this is a great book I have all her CD's and now both her books and I'm in love with her writing it's so poetic and so real:)

Jewel opens up.
Chasing Down the Dawn: Stories from the Road by singer/songwriter Jewel is an intimate look of her life. Jewel is a terrific writer, this is sort of a memoir, she reflects on her poor but happy childhood, learning to sing, write, and play guitar as a teenager. Her struggles and why she moved into her van as a young adult. Her rise to stardom and how it changed her life. Jewel is a fascinating creature, can't wait for her new album in June. Chasing Down the Dawn is a good read, buy it today!

Brutal Candor
When I think of how Jewel has slipped in the public's perception from a fresh, innovative voice on the neo-alternative music scene to something of a joke only a decade later, it makes the '90's seem very far away. Back when this book was written she was still taken seriously and the confidence widespread acclaim gave her shows. I'm not sure she would or even could produce this work today.

I admire Jewel for writing this book. It isn't an exercise in self-flattery, nor is it a place-by-place memoir of her life. What Jewel created is almost more a confession than an autobiography. She tells of what it was like to grow up in rural poverty in Alaska, the only girl in a family of boys, and describes the hardships she faced in that life. A gifted performer and musically talented from a young age onward, Jewel and her family would perform concerts at bars and on stages through her home state. She tells of this part of her life, and moves forward into an adolescence spent homeless and living in a car. She talks about relationships and friendships, loss and the influences behind many of of her most personal songs, including the real life story behind her sad ballad Adrian. This is not only a book for fans of Jewel, it also works for anyone interested in reading a frank, unpretentious life story.

An Intimate and Enchanting Mosaic
My best friend Jacque, used to say, "Sleep beneath the stars and you will wake with more answers than you have questions to." ~Jewel

From the first page, you enter Jewel's magical world of snow and ice in Alaska. Jewel is on a private jet, writing about her life.

Jewel's "Chasing Down the Dawn" is an intimate, timeless and enchanting mosaic. Jewel creates a world where the main elements of life and the magical experiences are woven into her daily existence. Her experiences are processed through her self-analysis and then woven into words.

While not organized in a chronological order, memories dance playfully with stark reality, unique vignettes give insight into the inexorable connection between Jewel's music and the way she views life. She becomes the guitar, her music is her gift, she is grounded in purpose, yet living in the stars with dreams she eventually manifests into reality.

The story of her life is temporarily tragic and eternally beautiful. We read about the tragic loss of her mother as a child (the divorce), how she struggled to live in a world of men (no privacy), her childhood in Alaska and the sharp contrast between frontier life and traveling on a private jet. It is as if Jewel has lived two lives, one in the distant past and one in the dreamy future. Her vivid recollections are especially beautiful to read and there is a sacred side to her writing. She is not just experiencing her dream, she is creating each moment through conscious decisions.

Jewel is a multitalented artist. She excels as a musician, poet and skilled writer and then her artistic nature also comes out in her photography. I loved the three pictures of the grain barn with the horse and rider shadows. She also shows us her honest comedic side in stories of how she "borrowed" a few items from a friend. She then concludes that stealing was a "manifestation of my lack of faith in myself."

Chasing Down the Dawn gives insight into Jewel's songs and what inspired her to write "Who Will Save Your Soul?" Her songs then reveal their history in her childhood memories, ideas about love, love of horses and nature, memories of people she has loved and lost and her world travels and life experience. Throughout this book Jewel and her father are on a journey to accept each other as souls and when her father sings her a sweet sixteen lullaby the circle is complete.

To me, Jewel is a magical angelic singer who was sent to our earth to remind us of the magnificent creations we are, to remind us to love and to contemplate our deeper existence. The existence of our souls, how we can change the world for the better through our lives and how we can survive this earthly and temporary solitude within a physical body subject to emotional pain and ethical conflicts.

Reading Jewel's short stories, vivid recollections and songs make the world seem a little less lonely. Her writing draws us into her magical world of experience and leaves us wanting to read more.

If you love Jewel's poetic writing style, then I think you will love her poems.

~The Rebecca Review
Listening to Pieces of You and Spirit

Jewel Fans Will Enjoy This Book
This books is a compilation of experiences and stories from Jewel's childhood up through adulthood, as well as experiences from the road.I find her childhood and upbringing in Alaska fascinating so I had a hard time putting the book down.She shares with the reader bits about her relationship with her family and friends, the glamour and gloom of being on tour, and how she became the artist she is today.As you'll read from the book you'll see her talent was in her genes.There are wonderful photographs from her childhood up through adulthood and her writing seems to come right from her heart.I really enjoyed the book and insight into her life and recommend the book to fans who enjoy Jewel's music. ... Read more

Product Description
Book of poetry inspired from the author's childhood in Alaska. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Some of her poems touched me when I read them.
There are a few poems in this book which really touched me at the time that I read them. Others did not appeal to me at all. That's the great thing about poetry it either speaks to you or it does not. It is a very personal thing. I give Jewel credit for pouring her heart into her poems and then releasing them for the world to see, I do however prefer her music to her writing.
... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Jewel Kilcher, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 926 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Product Description
James Branch Cabell (1879-1958) was an American author of fantasy fiction and belles lettres. He worked from 1898 to 1900 as a newpaper reporter in New York City, but returned to Richmond in 1901, where he worked several months on the staff of the Richmond News. In 1902, seven of his first stories appeared in national magazines and over the next decade he wrote many short stories and articles, contributing to nationally published magazines including Harper's Monthly Magazine and the Saturday Evening Post, as well as carrying out extensive research on his family's genealogy. In the early 1920s he became the leader of a group of writers known as "The James Branch Cabell School", which included such figures as H. L. Mencken, Carl Van Vechten and Elinor Wylie. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1937. Amongst his best known works are: The Eagle's Shadow (1904), The Cords of Vanity: A Comedy of Shirking (1909), and The Rivet in Grandfather's Neck: A Comedy of Limitations (1915).
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Product Description
She has been called "one of the most richly idiomatic female pop singers of her generation" by Rolling Stone magazine. Translation: Jewel speaks to millions of fans of all ages through her award-winning music and bestselling poetry books.

Now, get to know this supertalented performer for the down-to-earth, savvy, and unpretentious person she is -- a dynamic young woman who, her friends all agree, is "too normal to be a rock star." Revealing Jewel pieces together a remarkable portrait, through the words of those who know her best: her family and close friends, her band, and her colleagues on the road, in the studio, and on the movie set -- including Moby, producer Arif Mardin, actor/director Billy Bob Thornton, Jewel's father, singer/ songwriter Atz Kilcher, and her mother and manager, Lenedra J. Carroll. This one-of-a-kind compilation gets up close and personal on:

Jewel's childhood...the hard times...her rise to fame...paying her dues...the recording experience...the touring life...superstardom...artistic pursuits...her passions...her causes...her friendships...her love life...her personal style...her sharp wit and hard-won wisdom.

Also included are trivia questions, candid photos, and sidebars in Jewel's own words. Delve into Revealing Jewel and celebrate the heart and soul of an artist who constantly challenges our assumptions and defies our expectations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

an interesting little book
This is an interesting little book. I'll admit it is only for the fans, and the hardcore fans at that (those like me, who might have a little obssession for Jewel). The book isn't even written by her. What it is is various remarks made by those who know Jewel. Nothing great, but it has a great cover photo.

Good for fans
Yes, I know I just gave this book 3 stars, but despite the rating, I like this book and I enjoyed reading it. It's not a personal book, though, so don't expect a biography or memoir.

This book is set up in a "did you know?" fashion. Let me explain. This book is 90% a compilation of quotes and commentary from the people who know Jewel personally. The other 10% comprises of responses from Jewel to various questions (i.e., "What were your worst performance experiences?") This is why I say it's more of a "Did you know?" foundation under this book. It's full of insights and facts we never knew about her. This is a book about what the people who surround Jewel think and know of her.

You really have to have an interest in not just Jewel's music, but Jewel herself to appreciate this book. That's why I rated this item 4 stars instead of 5 because of its limited appeal. I am a long-time Jewel fan, so I loved this book. It's too bad, though, that non-Jewel fans probably won't be attracted to this book, because it reveals so much about her character that fans have known for a while, but the public is oblivious to. For instance, Moby talks about how she has the most twisted, blackest sense of humor, and how contrary to popular belief, she'd fit in with the kids in South Park perfectly. He also mentions that Jewel's told him the most disgusting jokes he's ever heard and has the mouth of a sailor that "would make Eminem blush." (I have to admit that I was giggling all throughout Moby's commentary.) Another bandmate admits that "[he has] sarcasm coming out of [his] pores, but she's worse." Another roadie comments, "Jewel hawks the biggest loogies."

Plenty of attention is given to the side of Jewel's personality the public is familiar with, though, such as her honesty, integrity, and kindness.

What impressed me the most about this book is how more attention was given to her "boyishness." After reading this, you see that she's definitely NOT the simpering, wilting flower so many people believe her to be. In fact, most her friends are amazed that she hasn't been butchered by the media for her jokes (which can easily come across as offensive by those easily offended by direct sarcasm, and many, many people are).

I'm not going to say non-fans are going to be interested in this book, because that really depends on how they feel about Jewel. If you're a fan or just someone wanting to understand the woman who is Jewel better, then this is the book for you.

I think, also, that this book is a wonderful addition to anybody interesting in learning about a very modern and complex woman. Jewel is sexy, smart, kind, and possesses a very sharp wit. She's a paradox in that she's an honest individual who is uncomplicated, yet very complex at the same time. She's feminine yet is definitely "one of the boys" and can stand her own with men. She's definitely kind, yet she's probably the most sarcastic person I've ever read of. On top of that, she's optomistic yet her humor can be very dry. This book covers all of these facets and has been an absolutely delightful read for me.

Shows the many facets of Jewel's personality. Great Book!
This book gives a very fresh and surprising view of who Jewel really is and the many fascinating aspects of a very complicated yet simple person. By that, I mean she has many complicated ways about her but she needs the basic things to make her happy in life (This book will explain what I mean by that and more!) The book has little trivia tidbits,interviews with people who know jewel, and many new pictures. Did you know that Jewel has a dark and twisted sense of humor or that she was friends with Moby? Find out this and lots more in this excellent, in depth book! A+ Plus don't forget to check out Jewel's newest album 0304! It's great! ... Read more