Deena Kaye Rose’s autobiography Some Days Are Diamonds: The Trans. Journey of Nashville Songwriter Dick Feller is not only a chronicle of an extraordinary career in music but also a deeply personal account of self-discovery, struggle, and triumph. The book tells the story of one of Nashville’s most successful songwriters, once known as Dick Feller, who penned timeless hits like East Bound and Down for the Burt Reynolds film Smokey and the Bandit and Any Old Wind That Blows for Johnny Cash. Yet behind the acclaim, the publishing deals, and the packed halls of country music, there lived a person wrestling with gender identity, carrying a truth that could not remain hidden forever.
What makes this memoir remarkable is the candor with which Rose narrates her transition from Dick Feller, the well-known male songwriter, into Deena Kaye Rose, the woman she had always been. She writes with unflinching honesty about the years of confusion, fear, and hesitation that preceded her decision, as well as the peace and joy that came once she embraced her authentic self. Her voice is not one of bitterness or regret but of courage and humor, offering readers a glimpse into the human side of a journey that is too often reduced to headlines or stereotypes.
