A Perfect Union of Contrary Things
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- Create Date：2021-04-22 14:54:57
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Maynard James Keenan
- ISBN：1617137278
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Summary
（Book）。 New York Times Bestseller A Perfect Union of Contrary Things is the authorized biography of musician and vintner Maynard James Keenan。 Co-author Sarah Jensen's 30-year friendship with Keenan gives her unique insight into his history and career trajectory。 The book traces Keenan's journey from his Midwest childhood to his years in the Army to his time in art school， from his stint at a Boston pet shop to his place in the international spotlight and his influence on contemporary music and regional winemaking。 A comprehensive portrayal of a versatile and dedicated artist， A Perfect Union of Contrary Things pays homage to the people and places that shaped the man and his art。 Until now， Maynard's fans have had access to only an abridged version of his story。 A Perfect Union of Contrary Things presents the outtakes， the scenes of disappointment and triumph， and the events that led him to take one step after the next， to change direction， to explore sometimes surprising opportunities。 Included are sidebars in his own words， often humorous anecdotes that illuminate the narrative， as well as commentary by his family members， friends， instructors， and industry colleagues。 The book also features a foreword by Alex Grey， an American visionary artist and longtime friend of Keenan。 Accompanying the text are photos of Keenan from childhood to the present。 Maynard's story is a metaphor for the reader's own evolution and an encouragement to follow one's dreams， hold fast to individual integrity， and work ceaselessly to fulfill our creative potential。
Reviews
Karen
，
I really enjoyed this book， Maynard is a very interesting man and has lead a very colorful life。 I liked reading about his motivations and how his experiences have shaped his projects。
Paula Murray
，
I had a hard time rating this book as although I found it a tough read（I did not like Sarah Jensens writing style） parts of the book were very interesting。My main issue with the book was that some parts felt rushed and skimmed over whereas other parts went into too much detail。 If you are looking for a book that tells the story of Tool this not the book for you， it goes into much more detail about his dreams of Arizona and the winery he starts there。
Tony Cueto
，
A lot of hate in the reviews lol。 Sounds like typical frustrated Tool fans who are never satisfied。 I can't agree less with them， this was written in the most perfect Maynard way possible。 He tells you what he want's you to know and shares only what he want's， and you get a good idea behind who the man which， at the end of the day， isn't that all that really matters， a deeper understanding of the man， how he got to be where he is and some stories of his past？ If your not a fan of the man or his A lot of hate in the reviews lol。 Sounds like typical frustrated Tool fans who are never satisfied。 I can't agree less with them， this was written in the most perfect Maynard way possible。 He tells you what he want's you to know and shares only what he want's， and you get a good idea behind who the man which， at the end of the day， isn't that all that really matters， a deeper understanding of the man， how he got to be where he is and some stories of his past？ If your not a fan of the man or his work why would you read an semi-autobiography on him in the first place？ People trip me out 。。 Their so disappointed， that at the end of the day he's just a very artistic， hard working， clever talented guy who worked his ass off to get to where he is and leveraged every opportunity he had。 He's not a creepy Satanist or Warlock delivering stories of blood orgies and magic rituals， and I guess that's what most people expected to read， which is sad if you know anything about him and the intention behind his work and art。 That said， this book is excellent。 It has a lot of life wisdom in it， you get a behind the scenes peak at how Tool started， APC， Puscifer， how he met his wife， a look into his family and background， and a lot of the different adventures he had coming up and how he got to be where he is today。 If you like Maynard， if your a fan， this book is exactly what you would expect it to be。 It's honest and you get to understand him more than ever and appreciate things about him you never even knew。 But if your looking for something more sinister or dark， this isn't for you。 。。。more
Renee Templeton
，
I am a MASSIVE fan of Tool and MJK， so was really excited to read his story。 It was pretty much what I expected but the book did give us more insight into MJK than I was expecting， which was a pleasant surprise。 I would have loved to hear more about Tool's artistic processes， how they work together， but that information is readily available elsewhere I guess。 Great insight into one hell of an artist。 I am a MASSIVE fan of Tool and MJK， so was really excited to read his story。 It was pretty much what I expected but the book did give us more insight into MJK than I was expecting， which was a pleasant surprise。 I would have loved to hear more about Tool's artistic processes， how they work together， but that information is readily available elsewhere I guess。 Great insight into one hell of an artist。 。。。more
Dave
，
This biography （autobiography） was a breath of fresh air for me。 I've known who Maynard James Keenan is for a long time because of his band， Tool。 I did not know the history of his accomplishments and the depth of his personal philosophies。 His music and his take on life very much resonate with me。 His music has been described as "Hard Rock for the thinking man"。 Not for everyone， but I really enjoyed the read。 This biography （autobiography） was a breath of fresh air for me。 I've known who Maynard James Keenan is for a long time because of his band， Tool。 I did not know the history of his accomplishments and the depth of his personal philosophies。 His music and his take on life very much resonate with me。 His music has been described as "Hard Rock for the thinking man"。 Not for everyone， but I really enjoyed the read。 。。。more
Vicki
，
I have been a huge Maynard fan， but honestly， didn’t know too much about him。 And I found this book so amazing and I am an even bigger fan now！！ I find this in depth look into his life so fascinating。 He has done so much in his life and is so incredibly accomplished！ Note: I am even more blown away by the negative reviews as I found nothing negative at all。
Bob
，
First， I should clarify I’m not one of those Tool or Perfect Circle mega-fans。 I liked Tool back in the mid 90s but never went much beyond that。 I mention this fact because most 5-star givers to a rock star’s book are really just music fans。 They’re giving those stars to a sound or a lyric or an image。 Not to the actual book。 That’s not where I’m coming from。 But。。。。come to think of it， I may not be giving all 5 stars to the book either。 Probably 4 of those stars are simply accolades to the life First， I should clarify I’m not one of those Tool or Perfect Circle mega-fans。 I liked Tool back in the mid 90s but never went much beyond that。 I mention this fact because most 5-star givers to a rock star’s book are really just music fans。 They’re giving those stars to a sound or a lyric or an image。 Not to the actual book。 That’s not where I’m coming from。 But。。。。come to think of it， I may not be giving all 5 stars to the book either。 Probably 4 of those stars are simply accolades to the life that Maynard has lived。 His spirit。 His accomplishments。 His drive。 This is a truly stunning life story and he’s only 50 when the book ends。 I can only imagine what comes next。 The approach was， at first， jarring。 The author writes Maynards story in a very 3rd person， very removed tone。 What’s weird is it feels like Maynard is looking over her shoulder the whole time。 I mean， he commissioned this author， I’d assume。 Then she acts like he’s not reviewing everything she writes。 His inserted quotes give things a weird 3rd/1st person balance that， ultimately works。 It feels unusual but after a while the reader settles in。 The writing was good but not stellar。 There were times where I frankly didn’t know what was being referred to or who a character even was。 But it was good enough that I didn’t really care。 The life story was the point， not the prose。 A fantastic look inside the life of a unique artist。 No need to be a fan， just be looking for a great ride。 。。。more
Jer
，
What an interesting adventure of life Maynard has been on often ending up in the right place at the right time。 This is the story of his life that has brought him to where he is today and is much more than just a story of the Tool band。
Brett
，
Intelligently written and as fascinating for its telling of MJK's pre-'super stardom' life – which is a large chunk of the book –and the perspective it provides on what came next。 Intelligently written and as fascinating for its telling of MJK's pre-'super stardom' life – which is a large chunk of the book –and the perspective it provides on what came next。 。。。more
Joshua Dumas
，
Personally， this book was captivating。 However I am biased because MJK and I went to the same church and school， Sugar Ridge Church of the Brethren and Mason County Central high school respectively。 It was highly enjoyable reading about his experiences of rural Michigan and how they paralleled mine 25 years later。 I’ve never been a fan of the metal genre， so I didn’t listen to Tool or APC， however being a musician I always appreciated his work。 That being said， I was glad this book wasn’t a behi Personally， this book was captivating。 However I am biased because MJK and I went to the same church and school， Sugar Ridge Church of the Brethren and Mason County Central high school respectively。 It was highly enjoyable reading about his experiences of rural Michigan and how they paralleled mine 25 years later。 I’ve never been a fan of the metal genre， so I didn’t listen to Tool or APC， however being a musician I always appreciated his work。 That being said， I was glad this book wasn’t a behind-the-scenes look at every album and your。 MJK is one of the most interesting artists in the industry。 A Perfect Union of Contrary Things is a fun ride。 。。。more
Reece
，
I really enjoyed this book， not just because I love Tool， APC and Puscifer。 But because of a lot of the things I didn’t expect to learn from Maynard’s story along the way。 There’s a lot about the first two tool albums Undertow and Ænima plus life on tour。 Not as much on Lateralus and no insight whatsoever into the writing process for 10，000 Days。 Other than his music it talks about his vineyard， acting， military， pet store jobs/ careers。 Overall， the guy has good self-discipline and leadership s I really enjoyed this book， not just because I love Tool， APC and Puscifer。 But because of a lot of the things I didn’t expect to learn from Maynard’s story along the way。 There’s a lot about the first two tool albums Undertow and Ænima plus life on tour。 Not as much on Lateralus and no insight whatsoever into the writing process for 10，000 Days。 Other than his music it talks about his vineyard， acting， military， pet store jobs/ careers。 Overall， the guy has good self-discipline and leadership skills which has aided him in his journey as a successful artist and business man。 He’s been able to take the worst of situations and shed light into them so they work in his favour。 This is a good read for anyone who is interested in the life of Maynard James Keenan and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did。 Rating: 5/5 。。。more
Amy
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Outstanding！
Kay Robart
，
See my review here:https://whatmeread。wordpress。com/2021。。。 See my review here:https://whatmeread。wordpress。com/2021。。。 。。。more
John Bruni
，
This was advertised to me as an autobiography。 It's not， though Maynard had a lot of insight as to what went into this book。 It's actually a biography written by one of his closest friends。 I learned a lot about him that I didn't know before。 And it's the good stuff。 For me， when you get to the point in any biography when the subject becomes famous， everything after kind of bores me。 Not so， here。 First， we are spared a lot of those famous periods simply by not having them in the book。But I didn This was advertised to me as an autobiography。 It's not， though Maynard had a lot of insight as to what went into this book。 It's actually a biography written by one of his closest friends。 I learned a lot about him that I didn't know before。 And it's the good stuff。 For me， when you get to the point in any biography when the subject becomes famous， everything after kind of bores me。 Not so， here。 First， we are spared a lot of those famous periods simply by not having them in the book。But I didn't just learn about Maynard's life， I learned a few things about life period。 I'm not going to say that I buy into the sweat lodge/new age/we are all one stuff。 I mean， I dig it， but it's not for me。 And when math and geometry gets involved， I have even less of an inclination to believe in it。 But it clearly works for Maynard。 And there is a passage from his youth pastor about the majesty in nature that leads to a spiritual experience that you absolutely can't explain to anyone else。 I get that， and it's beautiful。 I don't know about spirituality， but I am a man who appreciates nature。 In fact， I read most of this book in various forest preserves。 But I think the best thing I learned was from Maynard's science teacher/cross country coach: "I have 10% for everybody。 The other 90% is up to them。" I have adopted that to my own life。 Over my 40+ years on this planet， I can't help but notice that almost everyone who asks you for advice will not take the advice once given。 I suspect they are either lazy or they want my attention for some reason。 From now on， they only get 10%。I identify a lot with Maynard。 I was kind of an outsider at school。 Very few people understood me despite the fact that I think I was pretty open about what I am。 Once I discovered I wanted to be a writer， that was it。 I dedicated my life to doing that from a very early age。 I was sending submissions out before high school graduation was a twinkle in my eye。 And guess what: I'm a published author。 Granted， I don't make a ton of money at it， but I'm there， and I'm constantly striving to be even better。 That's what Maynard does。 He gets a goal in his head， and he works ruthlessly until he succeeds or fails enough until he figures out how to succeed and then does that。 Granted， I'm just a writer。 He's a multi-talented guy。 He's got three active bands， a vineyard and art projects？ I can't imagine how much work he put in to get there。I was very glad to see Bill Hicks make a few appearances here。 He's my favorite stand-up comedian， and I knew about how he'd inspired Tool's third album。 It was a very sad moment when he died and it was interesting how Maynard dealt with it。The one complaint I have （and it's a minor one， specific only to me） is the part about making wine。 I'm not a big wine guy。 I stick mostly to whiskey， bourbon if I can afford it。 This section bored me and almost put me to sleep。 Your mileage may （and probably will） vary。 。。。more
Tara D'Acci
，
This was a tough one to finish but I hung in there because I'm such a fan of his lyrics， voice and musical talents。 This read like a long-winded resume full of testimonials from co-workers， critics， teachers and advisors。 There was no emotion in it。 There is barely mention of his son and wife and the little that's shared is very matter-of-fact。 I did learn some new things about him that were surprising but this book leaves a lot to be desired。 I was surprised that after he moves in with his Dad This was a tough one to finish but I hung in there because I'm such a fan of his lyrics， voice and musical talents。 This read like a long-winded resume full of testimonials from co-workers， critics， teachers and advisors。 There was no emotion in it。 There is barely mention of his son and wife and the little that's shared is very matter-of-fact。 I did learn some new things about him that were surprising but this book leaves a lot to be desired。 I was surprised that after he moves in with his Dad there is almost no mention of his relationship with his mother until years later and even that is void of any feeling and just sounded like a list of events that took place。 For such a soulful singer this was disappointing。 However， he has always been very private so its not surprising or out of character that his sharing is very guarded。 。。。more
Joshua Padgett
，
I enjoyed this book thoroughly。 It’s exactly what I was hoping for when I bought it。 I wanted to know more about Maynard。 That’s what I got。
Pamella Mitchell
，
Wonderful insight into MJK and his creative outlets
Pelle
，
The guy who now screams in the dark in the back off the stage， has alot to tell！
Blair Cheeseman
，
Love it！ Maynard JIMMY James Keenan。 Herbert。 Mario。 Judith。 Stories about people on his life， and actually written by him！ Sure the things about the hard rock life in Tool， A perfect Circle and Puscifer are great， I was more interested in what keeps him going: making genuine connections， facing reasonable challenges， and pushing back on status quo while being the lead singer in one of the most successful bands of all time: TOOL。 And while I knew he was close with his Mom Judith， his Dad Mike， i Love it！ Maynard JIMMY James Keenan。 Herbert。 Mario。 Judith。 Stories about people on his life， and actually written by him！ Sure the things about the hard rock life in Tool， A perfect Circle and Puscifer are great， I was more interested in what keeps him going: making genuine connections， facing reasonable challenges， and pushing back on status quo while being the lead singer in one of the most successful bands of all time: TOOL。 And while I knew he was close with his Mom Judith， his Dad Mike， it resonated that he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do after high school， so he went and kicked ass getting ready to earn a slot at West Point。 Honor graduate。 Smart。 Fast。 Then， gave up his spot to pursue the arts and music。 Deciding to pursue what meant more to him and ever since: doing things because they’re meaningful， not just “do what you’re good at。” Life is deeper and more meaningful than this if you truly connect with your own inner sport and listen to it！ His take is: if you’re not good at it， learn more about it （winemaking） and then go be amazing at it。 Because you can， and you’re capable。 We are all capable。 Under the puzzling things he says or does， there’s something he is hoping you enjoy learning along the way。 The journey does matter。 Very inspirational。 Every song and lyric for me now means even more。 And he named his dog “Mijo” - very cool。 。。。more
Cass Suarez
，
As a fan of MJK， I looved this book and really enjoyed it。 I ended up highlighting a lot of ideas I resonated with （yes， I write/mark in the books I read）。 I will definitely re-read this book at some point。 Is it just my imagination or words/short phrases from different songs were used throughout the book on purpose？ :）
Paul Michaels
，
Page 98 of 'A Perfect Union of Contrary Things'。"Pedestrians stumbled single-file down snow-choked sidewalks， and commuters shivered while they waited for trolleys delayed by the storms。 A day of warm rain was welcome but short-lived respite that left ankle-deep pools of slush in the gutters—pools that froze overnight to treacherous， slippery sheets。 The cycle of deep freeze and snow， rain， and thaw might continue until April， creating along the street mountains of ice black with exhaust and stu Page 98 of 'A Perfect Union of Contrary Things'。"Pedestrians stumbled single-file down snow-choked sidewalks， and commuters shivered while they waited for trolleys delayed by the storms。 A day of warm rain was welcome but short-lived respite that left ankle-deep pools of slush in the gutters—pools that froze overnight to treacherous， slippery sheets。 The cycle of deep freeze and snow， rain， and thaw might continue until April， creating along the street mountains of ice black with exhaust and studded with yellowing cigarette butts and tattered Dunkin' Donuts。"All of which leads us to the obvious question: "Where's Maynard？" You'd be forgiven for giving up on 'A Perfect Union of Contrary Things' fairly early on。 In the first quarter of the book Sarah Jenson takes one of modern music's most fascinating figures and successfully tells us next to nothing about him。 Think of this as the opposite of a 'tell-all' book， a 'tell-as-little-as-possible' biography， if you like。"Laced with trout-splashed rivers and dotted with shadowy forests where Jim imagined deer and rabbits might live， Indian Lake was an idyllic place to be a little boy。"Did Jim really imagine these things？ Or is Jenson merely filling in the gaps in Maynard's mythology？ These frustrating thoughts linger through every chapter as we're introduced to our favourite frontman in the most distant way possible。 We get Maynard's preferred flavour of ice cream （mango） 。。。 how his Christmas tree was decorated 。。。 the name of his school play 。。。 the kind of kitchen table he had 。。。 the kind of displays he created for his pet shop job。 Minor details that you might include， if there weren't anything better to put in。Thankfully， when Maynard's story takes him to LA， Jenson ditches the long-range approach and brings her subject matter into （semi） focus。 From this point onward we do learn a lot about Maynard's journey， even if it leans heavily on his winemaking adventures rather than his experiences in Tool。 Which means that neither David Bottrill or Sylvia Massy or Cam de Leon get a single mention 。。。 and the recording of both Lateralus and 10，000 Days get skipped in favour of subsurface drip irrigation and submerged cap fermentation。 A real， behind the scenes account of Tool's history （with all member's input） might still emerge at some point in the future 。。。 but I for one will not be holding my breath。 。。。more
Jaz
，
I am a huge Tool， APC and Puscifer fan so I am surprised it took me so long to get this book。I think with Maynard being such a private person I truly wasn't expecting it to go into such detail about his life。 I was honestly so shocked as I was reading it and messaging every Maynard fan I know saying READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW！Very cool， totally loved it and hearing about the magic of the music and how it all came about。The wine section at the end was pretty boring to be honest haha but still， this I am a huge Tool， APC and Puscifer fan so I am surprised it took me so long to get this book。I think with Maynard being such a private person I truly wasn't expecting it to go into such detail about his life。 I was honestly so shocked as I was reading it and messaging every Maynard fan I know saying READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW！Very cool， totally loved it and hearing about the magic of the music and how it all came about。The wine section at the end was pretty boring to be honest haha but still， this book was excellent and a must read for any fan。 It just confirms why this man is so extraordinary。 I also love Bill Hicks so it was heartbreaking yet so special to read about their friendship。Also made me LAUGH for someone so against fans being crazy about him hearing how he totally fangirled when meeting Gene Simmons of KISS telling him all about his KISS shrine haha classic！！！ 。。。more
Fabrizio Pedrotti
，
Muy buen libro。 Hay que tomarlo como una biografía de Maynard como persona， y no como músico。 El problema es que MJK tiene tantas facetas que a veces es tedioso leer sobre vinos o jiu-jitsu， pero también es una parte importante de lo que es él。Es un libro motivador （porque te muestra que no deja de hacer cosas distintas）， aunque no hay tanto insight de lo que pasó para escribir sus canciones， ni demasiados detalles de las grabaciones。 Intuyo que prefiere mantener ese misterio， y es un buen estra Muy buen libro。 Hay que tomarlo como una biografía de Maynard como persona， y no como músico。 El problema es que MJK tiene tantas facetas que a veces es tedioso leer sobre vinos o jiu-jitsu， pero también es una parte importante de lo que es él。Es un libro motivador （porque te muestra que no deja de hacer cosas distintas）， aunque no hay tanto insight de lo que pasó para escribir sus canciones， ni demasiados detalles de las grabaciones。 Intuyo que prefiere mantener ese misterio， y es un buen estratega de marketing。Pero creo que sí se logra hacer un perfil de él como persona， y luego de leerlo podemos escuchar sus discos （de Tool， APC o Puscifer） con otra perspectiva。Lo recomiendo bastante si les interesa entender al ser humano detrás del personaje。 。。。more
Ashley Gleiter
，
Well。 I have to say， this book was so much more than I could have hoped。 As a Tool fan of 25 years， and a fan of basically anything that MJK touches， I was interested to see how Sarah would treat such a complex character， and felt cautiously optimistic。 At the very least， I hoped， i’d come away with some interesting anecdotes; if I ended up with a better appreciation for Maynard， and a better connection to the art of it all， then even better。 Well。 I got all of that - and so much more。 How does Well。 I have to say， this book was so much more than I could have hoped。 As a Tool fan of 25 years， and a fan of basically anything that MJK touches， I was interested to see how Sarah would treat such a complex character， and felt cautiously optimistic。 At the very least， I hoped， i’d come away with some interesting anecdotes; if I ended up with a better appreciation for Maynard， and a better connection to the art of it all， then even better。 Well。 I got all of that - and so much more。 How does one successfully address the diverse personal and archetypal components of any life story in under 300 pages， let alone Maynard’s？ I don’t know how Sarah pulled it off， but she did an amazing job。 While the first three chapters started slow and felt almost stiff at times， I am impressed with the way the narrative style mirrors MJK’s own journey。 By the time he assumed the identity of Maynard， leaving Jim behind and figuratively becoming his own person， the narrative voice has also come into its own。 The writing， much like its subject， almost immediately becomes more natural and self-assured， and this trend continues through to the end of the story。 As a Tool fan， and most of all， a Maynard fan， I’m fascinated with the way he approaches and perceives the world， always have been。 Reading this has made someone larger-than-life seem accessible， relatable， and （dareI say it？） even approachable。 I did not expect that。 As far as the story’s entertainment value is concerned， cannot think of many fictional epics more intriguing than this non-fiction account has been。 While it probably helps to be a fan of the music and art associated with MJK， the story itself is pretty incredible。 If we all shared MJK’s beliefs on creative responsibility; if we all felt his willingness to get uncomfortable in the name of our dreams; if we all sought to look beyond our selves in the name of creating the same way he has， the world would be a very different， and- I believe - an infinitely better and more interesting place for all of us。 Oh， and - this isn’t a book about Tool or about music。 It’s a book about Maynard James Keenan。 So， yeah， there are some people who will want more of the rock star’s story， or who will think the book wasn’t interesting enough the way it was written。 My response is this: IMO， the real human being that is Maynard is more interesting than most fictional characters manage to be。 。。。more
Jackie
，
Of course memoirs are hard to rate。 Of course maybard’s life is a 5-star story。 The writing was a little difficult to follow at times。 And by the end， i was exhausted just reading all that he has accomplished。 What a man。
Killer_Wolf
，
I’m a big fan of Tool and A Perfect Circle and music memoirs。 This was interesting enough。 Much of it smacks of self-importance but MJK is a multi-layered talent so it’s tolerable。
travis
，
Good， enlightening， and entertaining。。。 but also over glossy， self aggrandizing， and a bit heavy on the repeated adjectives。 Would recommend， but only for folks that are already fans of his。 I wish it were more。。。 from the heart？ Unfiltered？
Lynzi Morrison
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I love Maynard。 I love Tool， A Perfect Circle， and Puscifer。 I've been to several shows， and loved every second of them all。 I've even had wine from his vineyard。 As you can imagine， I was beyond thrilled to hear this book was out， and I couldn't wait purchase this book and start reading it。What a let-down！ It's been over a year since I read it， and I've read a ton of books since then。 I rarely write reviews， but this is still stuck in my head as a terrible read， and I have to get it out in writ I love Maynard。 I love Tool， A Perfect Circle， and Puscifer。 I've been to several shows， and loved every second of them all。 I've even had wine from his vineyard。 As you can imagine， I was beyond thrilled to hear this book was out， and I couldn't wait purchase this book and start reading it。What a let-down！ It's been over a year since I read it， and I've read a ton of books since then。 I rarely write reviews， but this is still stuck in my head as a terrible read， and I have to get it out in writing。 Here's a fictional（？） account of how this book came to be: A Perfect Union of Contrary Things was written by an old friend of Maynard's （Sarah Jensen）， but she doesn't really know him so well now。 Maynard， feeling reminiscent， called her up one day while he was feeling down， and Jensen got the idea to write a book about Maynard- a book to cheer him up。 She presented the idea to Maynard， and he agreed to provide about a page's worth of actual commentary to quote， in exchange for having final say over what was to go into the book。 This final say actually meant that any possible substance- anything beyond the superficial- would be wholly left out。---The entire book basically consists of accolades to Keenan。 There's no depth to it， excepting the few minor mentions of Keenan's mother's illness and eventual death。 Basically， Keenan has a remarkably boring， easy-going childhood （again， excepting the mother issue， which is only glimpsed at） and his genius shined early on， as Keenan was great at everything he tried。 And Jensen wants to make sure you know it。Here's the best example I can show you， to give you an idea of how trite this book is。 In high school， Maynard had numerous accomplishments， including being awarded more varsity letters than anyone else previously。 At the high school senior dinner， his school failed to publicly announce that no one had ever received as many letters as Maynard did that year。 That's it。 That's the example。 Now， Maynard was 53 years old at the time of publication， which means this dinner was THIRTY-FIVE YEARS AGO。 Not only is this insignificant factoid remembered by Keenan and/or Jensen， but it's presented in a book as though the reader should feel SORRY for this man， because his ego wasn't stroked this one time back in high school！The other take-away？ Did you know Maynard has a vineyard？ Because he does。 It's very successful。 Do you know his vineyard is successful？ Pretty sure he's planted every single seedling himself， removed every single grape himself， and between the vine and the bottle， not a single other person has so much as looked upon his glorious products。 Maynard does it all！Beyond that， A Perfect Union is a timeline of Maynard's whereabouts and accomplishments over the years。 If you're hoping to get to know this genius （and I use the term sincerely）， look elsewhere。 If you're hoping to learn a juicy secret， look elsewhere。 Want to know how in the hell he comes up with his vocals？ It all just comes naturally to him。Maynard's music speaks to my soul。 I can listen to one track over and over for days on end。 I'm fine admitting I'm a major fangirl。 I wanted desperately to like this book。 It could have been SO much more， but sadly， it just doesn't deliver。 。。。more
Dave
，
I connect with some of his music。 I get his upbringing in Grand Rapids， MI， I get he’s a brilliant misfit。 But there’s not enough music in the book， plus blatant bookish pandering - little，big？ It’s the worst audiobook I’ve ever suffered Thru when Mr wonderful himself chimes at a fast talking whisper。
Alex Thornton
，