Ben Folds--as you probably know if you're interested in his autobiography/memoir--is a singer-songwriter who became popular in the 1990s as part of the band Ben Folds Five. He's well-known for his piano skills, vocals, and songwriting. He's also had a somewhat tumultuous personal life, with multiple marriages that ended in divorce. This memoir covers his childhood and his fame with Ben Folds Five and his solo career, up until the relative present.

"This is a book about what I know. Or what I think I know. It's about music and how it has framed and informed my life and vice versa. About the stumbles, falls, and other brilliant strokes of luck that brought me here."

I discovered Ben Folds Five in college via my roommate/best friend, and I've been a fan ever since. I was excited to read this, but I've gotta admit: it was a slog. I basically forced myself to finish. I've always sort of thought of Ben Folds as a bit arrogant, so that may have clouded some of my reading of this autobiography. It certainly didn't help dissuade me of that opinion.

For me, the best parts were when Folds was talking naturally about his life and story. His childhood was interesting and it was really no surprise that he was a musically obsessed, somewhat irreverent kid. It was intriguing to see the various paths that led him to Ben Folds Five and stardom.

I did not enjoy--at all--the part where he felt the need to impart forced, preachy lessons about life and music. Maybe if I was more of a music person (as in, I played it versus listened to it) the music lessons would have been of interest. It felt like an editor said, "Ben, every few chapters you have to make sure the reader learns something." And he diligently and forcefully made sure we did. But the point of the book seemed to be that he was a screw up, who got where he was halfway by accident, so the whole lessons thing seemed awfully preachy and fake.

The better pieces were funny anecdotes--Folds playing as a one-man polka band and winding up doing a private gig for an elderly couple, where the husband had a wooden leg. Folds meeting a then-unknown Keith Urban. How he met Robert and Darren of Ben Folds Five. I was disappointed how much he skipped over as he became a more famous musician. We get a lot about his childhood, his various tries at college, and his musical attempts up until Ben Folds Five. He does talk about the formation of Ben Folds Five and how it felt to suddenly become so famous. But then, so much of the detail dwindles. He alludes to how the band might have had some tension, but the actual breakup, via email, gets a few sentences. Even his many marriages and his associated emotional turmoil gets glossed over quite a bit.

So, for me, I was left wishing for more with this one. It's a good quick brush-over of Ben Folds' life. There are some cheesy, slightly pompous "life lessons" inserted. You get a few funny stories among all this and the backstory behind a few songs: that, to me, was the good stuff. Otherwise, it was a bit of a drag, and I didn't finish really knowing much more about the real Ben Folds than I did when I came in. Rather disappointing. 2.5 stars.

I've been a Ben Folds fan since the earliest days of Ben Folds Five and some of their shows in the Chapel Hill area. This book is a fun biography that's written with Ben Folds style snark and a really big heart. I especially appreciated the early chapters and his emphasis on the importance of arts education.

I can't even begin to count the number of Ben Folds concerts I have attended. I have been a fan since Ben Folds Five showed up on the music map. So when this book came out I just had to read it. I will admit up front that I am not a huge fan of autobiographies. Somehow autobiographies always come off to me as a bragfest of the author's accomplishments. This was not one of those autobiographies. Ben comes off as very humble and nonchalant about his accomplishments. He admits to his faults and mistakes and takes his successes in stride. Even as he works with people like William Shatner and the National Symphony Orchestra, he tells the story without making it feel "braggy". In the end, it's a story about his love affair with music, his stumbles, and falls that have brought him to where he is today. He is not one to sit for very long, so I'm sure we'll see lots more from him in the future. I have received this book free from the publisher for an honest review.

'A Dream About Lightning Bugs' is a marvelous book, a melodic blend of memoir, artistic advice, humor, and life's "cheap lessons." And Ben's journey is documented by a series of captivating photographs throughout the pages [not just a folio stuck in the middle of the book], from Baby Ben to the present-day Paper-Plane-Requests-Whisperer. It's a must-read for Folds fanatics, who will revel in the tales of Ben's formative years and budding musical obsession/evolution, his stint as a one-man-oompah-band, the rise and fall of Ben Folds Five, and many other diverse adventures [hello, Mr. Shatner]. A highly recommended bolt of literary inspiration!

Folds has long been one of my favorite musicians because he crafts memorable tunes and wears his heart on his sleeve. His biography provides insight on his life and seems to find him in a good place. It also has a great last sentence.

I've been a Ben Folds fan for decades and didn't know what to expect from this, I was pleasantly surprised. Instead of a straight chronological autobiography, it has chapters about important music teachers, the story behind "Brick," and it works really well.

I've been a long-time fan of Ben Folds and Ben Folds Five, so I was super excited to get to meet the man behind the piano. His stories of youth were engaging and interesting. Some bits fell flat, but I still very much enjoyed learning more about Folds. I have some readers at my library that will enjoy this one, so I will absolutely be purchasing.

I love Ben Folds' music, so I expected to love this memoir. But somewhere around the halfway mark, it fell flat for me and I had trouble pushing through to the end. I enjoyed his thoughts on music education, improvising, and the importance of taking care of one's health, both physical and mental. Content warning: There is a brief, too-casual mention of trans violence that uses an outdated, offensive, and likely incorrect word.