Hear This! A Twisted Tale of Sonic Torment
By Jon Hébert
About the Book
New Orleans rocker Jon Hébert cranked his amp up to ten every night for years. Suddenly, a rare hearing sensitivity disorder turns his amplifier’s lowest setting into a source of agony, sending him spiraling into chronic pain, isolation, and a crisis of identity that costs him the thing he loves most: music. Part dark comedy, part medical mystery, part psychological thriller, Hear This! chronicles one musician’s bizarre quest for relief—and his attempt to find healing, humor, and hope in a world gone completely off-key.
About the Author
Special Agent Jon Hébert can’t believe his cover’s been blown by a simple author bio. He’s a musician, writer, and artist. Aside from comedy, he writes mysteries and thrillers. He lives in New Orleans with his girlfriend and their blind cat, who edits most of his work.
Praise for Hear This!
“With the heart of a musician, the soul of a writer, and the spirit of a survivor, Jon Hébert brings readers through his poignant story with brilliant emotional timing that will keep the pages turning. For anyone who’s ever faced an unwanted diagnosis, an unexpected obstacle, or an unfair turn in life, this one’s for you, especially if you need a little reminder that the song of hope continues, even in the dark.”
–Julie Cantrell, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Feathered Bone
“This memoir captures the very real emotional suffering that can come with tinnitus and hyperacusis—the fear, vigilance, isolation, and exhaustion that so many people experience, often invisibly. At the same time, it offers something equally important: the possibility of healing, adaptation, and finding life again.”
–Dr. Jennifer Gans, psychologist and tinnitus specialist
“With gallows humor and a satiric eye that recalls Vonnegut, Jon Hébert lays bare the pain and the pathos of being a working musician dealing with not one but two catastrophic hearing afflictions. Good thing for him and for us that he can write, too—and that he has delivered this lively, observant, and ultimately hopeful memoir about his struggle, one that is sure to entertain whether you are similarly afflicted or not.”
–Tom Andes, Shamus Award-winning author of Wait There Till You Hear from Me
“As a New Orleans stand-up comedian, I live for seeing struggles turned to comedy, which is just what this book does. Jon’s fast-paced, heartfelt tale gives us the laugh—and cry—we all need when facing modern American healthcare, as well as life and love at large.”
–Tina McCrory, comedian and speech-language pathologist
“A gifted songwriter, novelist, and aspiring comedian, Hébert lives out his dreams until a life-altering hearing condition takes it all away. It’s honest, funny, and quietly devastating in all the right ways.”
–Buzz Jackson, singer-songwriter
“Jon brings his humor, humanity, and artistic lens to this meaningful and helpful guide through a challenging sonic journey—read this book!”
–Nicole Rochat, LMSW, CIHC
“Jon Hébert’s memoir is a 21st-century odyssey of unrelenting trial and recovery, through the streets of New Orleans and his Mid-City neighborhood and beyond: to Mexico, to a blueberry farm, to Heaven and Hell. The brilliant descriptions of not only the medical conditions that inspired the book, but of the world around him, describe a rich and thoroughly fascinating inner life.”
–Gina Forsyth, fiddler and award-winning singer-songwriter
© 2026 Jon Hébert
978-1-959569-37-4 | Paperback | 260 pp. | 6" x 9" | August 4, 2026