Restrung - by Matt Fogelson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Weaving the author's coming of age in 1980s New York with his life as a father today, this Nick Hornby-meets-Cheryl Strayed debut memoir examines father-son relationships, the pain of early parent loss, and the importance of embracing your passions.

For nearly fifteen years, Matt Fogelson didn't recognize how deeply the early death of his workaholic father had affected him. Then he had a son of his own and the floodgates opened, helping him realize that even deeper than the wound left by his father's death were the wounds inflicted by his absence while alive.

Restrung follows Fogelson from his beginnings as a music-loving kid combing through vinyl in Greenwich Village, through his struggles to overcome his grief during young adulthood, and into becoming a man who is startled by the reemergence of his long-suppressed passion for music after becoming a father. Told with humor, grief, and hope, it's the story of a passionate music lover's effort to break free of the real and imagined constraints standing between him and his best life--an effort that ultimately allows Fogelson's son to know his father in a way Fogelson never knew his.

Funny and deeply honest, Restrung is a balm for every father and son fortunate enough to still have each other in their lives. It will inspire readers to try to cross the emotional gulf that seems almost endemic to the father-son relationship and finally break through to one another.

Review Quotes

"Rich in heart and musical soul, Restrung is a moving call to reimagine fatherhood in a new key--one that sings instead of stifles. A joy to read, the viscerality of music in Fogelson's life is a compass we can all use for navigation."--Holly Gleason, New York Times best-selling co-author of Heart Life Music

"Underneath the memoir's twinned reflections on Fogelson's discovery of the rock scene and on his young fatherhood, Restrung throbs with the bassline of what it means to become a man."--Hilary Zaid, author of Paper is White and Forget I Told You This

"A compelling memoir of a young urban music fan diving headlong into the passion and pathos of rock 'n' roll."--Jim White, Pushcart Prize winner and musician

"Written with emotional exactitude and soulful narrative precision, Restrung is a deeply affecting, cross-generational book about fatherhood and loss, but it's also about how music is the connective tissue that binds us all together . . . An engaging memoir about fathers, sons and how the things we never say are louder than the things we hear, this is powerful and unreasonably brilliant work."--Alex Green, Host of Stereo Embers the Podcast

About the Author

Matt Fogelson is a writer and former lawyer whose true passion is music, primarily of the classic rock variety. His Substack, Fine Tuning, blends personal storytelling with a love for the music that makes sense of life, centering on new artists and the intersection of music and parenting. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Scary Mommy, and NPR. Matt resides in Oakland, California.