Three Pianos by Andrew McMahon Summary
Overview of Three Pianos
In "Three Pianos," musician Andrew McMahon transforms his leukemia battle, addiction struggles, and music journey into a raw memoir where three instruments become powerful symbols of resilience. His poetic storytelling has fans discovering new meanings in songs they thought they already knew.
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Key takeaways
When Six-Year-Old Hands First Touch Ivory and Death Arrives
A piano contains over ten thousand moving parts, each calibrated to perfection, waiting for human touch to bring them to life. When Andrew McMahon's mother unwrapped her birthday gift-a gleaming black piano with keys like a checkerboard matching his incomplete childhood smile-neither could have predicted this instrument would become his lifeline through addiction, cancer, and ultimately, redemption. The piano arrived in their Chicago North Shore home as a symbol of suburban success, but it would evolve into something far more profound: a witness to tragedy, a vessel for grief, and eventually, a bridge back to life itself. While his mother's clicking fake nails danced across classical compositions, young Andrew hid in hallway corners, mesmerized by her musical magic, unknowingly preparing for the day when necessity would bind him to those keys forever. Summer 1991 brought two seismic shifts: a move from Illinois to a shadowy Tudor home in California, and Andrew's first encounter with mortality. His uncle Stuart-the family's buoyant raft-died at thirty-eight from cancer. For a boy about to turn nine, death's machinery was utterly foreign. He slipped a poem into Stuart's coffin lining, believing his uncle might read it in whatever came next. The family moved into their strange new house the very night Stuart was buried, a castle-like structure sitting fifty feet below street level where coyotes howled through Andrew's basement bedroom window. For a month, he cried himself to sleep praying for Stuart's return. Then September arrived with unexpected grace. Sitting before the piano with dangling legs, Andrew formed his first chord-three simple notes a friend had shown him could create six possible combinations. As he stumbled through this progression, something miraculous happened: his voice joined in, completing their circuit. Sunlight poured gold across the trees outside as time both stopped and raced forward. The piano became his sanctuary, music his salvation-a spiritual fire they would tend together on the very best days when songs were born.
Nomad Years and When the Foundation Crumbles
Building Something from the Wreckage
The Diagnosis That Changed Everything
Rebirth Through Stem Cells and Savage Recovery
Solitude, Surrender, and the Road to Forgiveness
Finding Home in the Wings
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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