No comments about The 11th Wisconsin in the Civil War: A Regimental History.

4 comments about Lee.

1. As the previous reader wrote, this book is a homage to Robert E. Lee which exactly don't make it a very good biography if the author was too much in love with his subject. Certain sense of objectivity goes out the window. It doesn't helped that the author proves to be rather pro-southern in outlook which heavily tainted his approach. The book read very well though but much of the author's work sounds very dated compared to the newer works on Lee - that reduced Lee into something more human. I think authors like Clifford Dowdey seem to be outdated as the Civil War moves into a more objective outlook.



2. An excellent, thorough, effecting biography of a great American. There are many individuals in our nation's history who commanded armies and adulation during their lifetimes which we would be hesitant to call "Hero" - often times these individuals serve their own interests first, inspired by their own egotism (as contemporaries to Lee, Beauregard and Sheridan come to mind). R. E. Lee was of a different mold, born into a proud family humbled by the financial misfortunes of his father, Revolutionary War soldier "Light Horse" Harry Lee (who served time in prison for debts), R. E. Lee's entire life was conducted out of a primary sense of duty: Duty to his family, his God, and his country. Throughout this work, Dowdey convincingly argues that Lee's position must be interpreted within the framework of the Virginia society in which he was raised. When Virginia seceded from the Union (unwillingly, the majority voted to remain in the Union until Lincoln called for force of arms to march on Virginia's soil) Lee saw it as his duty, as a Virginian, to go with his native state and family. This despite the fact that Lee was strongly in favor of working within the framework of the Republic and in favor of an emancipation plan, even after General Scott had offered Lee command of the newly forming Union Army. This work by Dowdey is much more than a biography of one of our great historical figures - it is also a convincing commentary on the politics of the time. Lest we forget, Northern Radical Republicans shared the responsibility for committing the country to the catastrophe that was the American Civil War - in many cases, worked to achieve that end. Even at the point of firing on Fort Sumter, a reasonable, compromise approach (keeping the same objectives in mind) could have retained the key Southern and border states of Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee in the Union (or at least out of the Confederacy). However, Lincoln, acting on behalf of the Radical Republicans, committed the country to a fratricidal war that degenerated into a four-year atrocity committed on the native population. Sumner, Stevens, Stanton - these men cared nothing about preserving the Union or bettering the human condition. They cared about subjugating one section of the country to serve the interests of the Northeastern financial-industrial complex. Dowdey convincingly argues that the ACW was the end of the federated Republic envisioned by the founding fathers and the beginning of the special interest group Democracy that persists to the present day. The majority of the nation (including Lincoln and Lee) was in agreement on the slavery issue - an evil existed which had to be eliminated in a controlled manner over time. In fact, the Virginia state government was on the verge of approving an emancipation plan in 1832 - only to be foiled by fears generated by Northern abolitionists promoting violence (conveniently enough, calling for action in sections of the country far from their own families). The Radical Republicans played the slavery card to stain the South, ensuring that sectional strife would continue to divide the country for as long as possible, providing opportunities for political exploitation. This is a great read, and stands the test of time in answer to more recent works (e.g. Nolan's Lee Considered) which seek to denigrate Lee's status in history in order to cast a more favorable light on Lee's opponents. Any question as to Lee's motives, especially his "decision" (in reality, there was no decision to be made) to continue fighting through the siege at Petersburg and the retreat to Appomattox, are thoroughly answered. Lee's life was consumed by his sense of duty. Lee trusted wholly to the Providence of God and his life was service for the public good - anything else was not worthy of consideration. Consider Dowdey's work on Lee well before considering later attempts at revisionism.



3. An excellent, thorough, effecting biography of a great American. There are many individuals in our nation's history who commanded armies and adulation during their lifetimes which we would be hesitant to call "Hero" - often times these individuals serve their own interests first, inspired by their own egotism (as contemporaries to Lee, Beauregard and Sheridan come to mind). R. E. Lee was of a different mold, born into a proud family humbled by the financial misfortunes of his father, Revolutionary War soldier "Light Horse" Harry Lee (who served time in prison for debts), R. E. Lee's entire life was conducted out of a primary sense of duty: Duty to his family, his God, and his country. Throughout this work, Dowdey convincingly argues that Lee's position must be interpreted within the framework of the Virginia society in which he was raised. When Virginia seceded from the Union (unwillingly, the majority voted to remain in the Union until Lincoln called for force of arms to march on Virginia's soil) Lee saw it as his duty, as a Virginian, to go with his native state and family. This despite the fact that Lee was strongly in favor of working within the framework of the Republic and in favor of an emancipation plan, even after General Scott had offered Lee command of the newly forming Union Army. This work by Dowdey is much more than a biography of one of our great historical figures - it is also a convincing commentary on the politics of the time. Lest we forget, Northern Radical Republicans shared the responsibility for committing the country to the catastrophe that was the American Civil War - in many cases, worked to achieve that end. Even at the point of firing on Fort Sumter, a reasonable, compromise approach (keeping the same objectives in mind) could have retained the key Southern and border states of Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee in the Union (or at least out of the Confederacy). However, Lincoln, acting on behalf of the Radical Republicans, committed the country to a fratricidal war that degenerated into a four-year atrocity committed on the native population. Sumner, Stevens, Stanton - these men cared nothing about preserving the Union or bettering the human condition. They cared about subjugating one section of the country to serve the interests of the Northeastern financial-industrial complex. Dowdey convincingly argues that the ACW was the end of the federated Republic envisioned by the founding fathers and the beginning of the special interest group Democracy that persists to the present day. The majority of the nation (including Lincoln and Lee) was in agreement on the slavery issue - an evil existed which had to be eliminated in a controlled manner over time. In fact, the Virginia state government was on the verge of approving an emancipation plan in 1832 - only to be foiled by fears generated by Northern abolitionists promoting violence (conveniently enough, calling for action in sections of the country far from their own families). The Radical Republicans played the slavery card to stain the South, ensuring that sectional strife would continue to divide the country for as long as possible, providing opportunities for political exploitation. This is a great read, and stands the test of time in answer to more recent works (e.g. Nolan's Lee Reconsidered) which seek to denigrate Lee's status in history in order to cast a more favorable light on Lee's opponents. Any question as to Lee's motives, especially his "decision" (in reality, there was no decision to be made) to continue fighting through the siege at Petersburg and the retreat to Appomattox, are thoroughly answered. Lee's life was consumed by his sense of duty. Lee trusted wholly to the Providence of God and his life was service for the public good - anything else was not worthy of consideration. Consider Dowdey's work on Lee well before considering later attempts at revisionism.



4. I enjoyed this book very much, as it gave a good overview of the entire life of Robert E. Lee and not only the war years. It included quotes from letters that he wrote to family members, as well as things other people wrote about him at the time, and that added to the flavor of the book and gave a good sense of what kind of man he was. I especially enjoyed reading the brief biography of his father and how the book included commentary on what was happening elsewhere to give a well-roundedness to the life of Lee. However, I felt the author's commentary on reconstruction went on a bit too long. The author's tone was very "pro" Lee and, in that vein, he criticized others, which I don't think was necessary to get the point across. Altogether, I enjoyed this book and it has inspired me to want to seek out more information, not only about Robert E. Lee, but about the Civil War in general, and about other leaders during those times.

3 comments about Trainsong.

1. Ellensburg, Washington is famous for it's world-class rodeo, a mention in the song "I've Been Everywhere" and fortuitously, the memoirs of Jan Kerouac. I was there too in the early seventies, living out my Charlie Daniels fantasies when we met this girl who boldly proclaimed to be the only child of the famed beat writer. No one believed her. She gravitated towards two young runaways from New York City who operated a used bookstore downtown. We would bump into them at parties, bars and the other seedy affairs that punctuated our young lives back then. She was known as a "space case" and her life revolved around one near disaster after another. After reading this book, I believe Jan now. She portrays those times and the existence of "us" with the brutal honesty of very few. But unlike us, she failed to survive it and find solace in a normalcy that now comforts some knocking on retirement's door.



2. In the late seventies I worked for my next door neighbor (a friend I had known since birth), at his ceramic studio in the Hollywood Hills. We made ceramic coffee mugs in his garage (later moving into a studio in Burbank). Over the years he employed many colorful characters but no one compared to Jan Kerouac. She kept us amused and somewhat scepticle of her stories that she told about her life on the road and with John Lash. She was living in a room in a home above the Hollywood Bowl and later moved in with my friend. Although this must mean nothing to you as a reader, I can assure you after getting to know Jan that she wrote the truth as she lived it. I will remember her forever and possibly longer and think of her often and miss her daffy ways and silly high-jinks. She mentions her time at the ceramic studio but does not mention my friend (they lived together for about 1 year). As far as the title is concerned, while working at the studio I would bring in cassettes to listen to such as Bowie/Eno and Can and other electronic music .One song in particular was done by a friend of mine at UCSD who was a music major.The song was an ambient sort of tune with train like whistles that he called trainsong.Jan would often ask to here that song and I guess it left its mark. Those were the days....Anyway as far as this book is concerned Im no literary critic but I loved every page and I can say the same for Baby Driver.They sparkle with a bittersweat reality that few authors can bring to life. She influenced me in many ways and opened up a love of the ordinary and often mundane and certainly the absurd. I always looked up to Jan and will forever cherish her books as tatterd as they have become.



3. This book is stunning. A far better read than "Baby Driver". Brutally and poetically honest. The reader finally gets a soulful look into the life of the daughter of Beat luminary Jack Kerouac--a father whom she hardly knew. By fate, she finds herself eternally walking in his shadow. By doing so she then becomes an entity unto herself. After many years of searching for this book, I was glad to see it was being reprinted again with the addition of previously unpublished interviews. In the beginning of the book there are also poems written by Jan in which it is not difficult to see that she had inherited her father's talent for extemporaneous wordplay. A must read for anyone interested in the Kerouac legacy.

4 comments about Eleanor And Harry: The Correspondence of Eleanor Roosevelt and Harry S.: The Correspondence of Eleanor Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman.

1. He was a farm boy, the descendant of Missouri pioneers. She was a debutante of the New York aristocracy. On April 12th, 1945, her husband and his boss, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, died in office. Mrs. Roosevelt summoned Vice-president Truman to the White House and said, "Harry, the president is dead." "Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked, and Mrs. Roosevelt replied, "Is there anything we can do you? For you are the one in trouble now."
   
   Thus begins a correspondence that will last until their deaths, here collected by editor Steve Neal to give the reader a top-of-the-heap, behind-the-headlines look at the end of World War II, the Marshall Plan, the creation of the state of Israel, public versus private schooling, Eleanor's opinion of the British (not high, wait till you see how she tells Harry to handle Churchill), Harry's opinion of American hate crimes against Japanese Americans (he's damn lucky this letter wasn't released to the public back then), and much more. Eleanor is at first a little patronizing, a little arrogant, and more than a little disingenuous in many protestations of "oh you don't have listen to little old me, but as long as you are..." Harry is at first a little defensive, a little impatient, and more than a little dismissive of Eleanor's opinions, particular of people she wants in office and he doesn't. By his second term, Harry has grown into his new job, Eleanor has grown into hers, and they both grow into what eventually reads like a friendship of sincere mutual respect and even affection.



2. This book is a compilation of letters exchanged between Harry Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt during Truman's presidency. The book has an easy-to-read style largely because the author adds dialog to explain the situations, events, and results of what the letters mention. By using this dialog-letter combination, a great deal of history is presented in an entertaining manner.

   I would highly recommend this book as a followup immediately after reading the biography Truman, by David McCullough. With a little bit of Truman history, not only will you find this book a great source of behind the scenes information, you'll also discover that the letters written by Eleanor Roosevelt are a joy to read. She was truly a gifted writer with the ability to put emotions and thoughts into the written word in a manner that could be described as artistic.




3. I read this book in no time. In the good old days of great letter writing, these two protagonists enjoyed a rich and historic friendship. Although sometimes on the opposite sides of issues, the friendship betwen former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and President Harry Truman was a rich and ultimately fascinating exercise in camaraderie and mutual aid.
   From reading these fascinating letters, it is obvious that these two old friends actually enjoyed talking and exchanging ideas and opinions.

   This book, as edited, weaves a moving and extremely interesting story, reading very much like a good biography.
   I highly recommend this book, a good example of history making exciting reading.




4. Steve Neal has compiled some 250 letters between Eleanor Roosevelt and Harry Truman when he took office after the death of Franklin Roosevelt. In this small but thoughtful book, Neal combines commentary pertinent to the times or to the letter itself. While they disagreed on many things, he repeatedly asked her to write to him with her thoughts on events of the day, which she did and with great candor. President Truman was the first to call Mrs. Roosevelt "First Lady of the World." I heartily recomment this book to those who wish to know these two great people a bit better.

No comments about Johnny Appleseed: A Pioneer Hero.

5 comments about The General's General: The Life and Times of Arthur MacArthur (History & Warfare).

1. General Arthur MacArthur was a colonel in the US Civil War. He served in the Spanish American War and the Phillipne Revolution. He helped create the modern US Army. If you are at all interested in this period of history this is a must read. It is the only biography of MacArthur.
   If you were looking for the other General MacArthur, this is his father. Any student of WWII or Korea that wants to understand MacArthur this is a must read, also.



2. The General's General is an interesting and entertaining life of one of the 19th Century's most influential soldiers. Although little remembered today, MacArthur was an heroic lieutenant, an influential middle level officer and eventually the leading General in the U.S. Army.

   The book touches on several aspects of U.S. history. In reading the story of the General's father, Arthur MacArthur, Sr., the reader gets a peak into the 19th century politics of Wisconsin in particular and the U.S. in general.

   As a young man MacArthur joined the 24th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry as an adjutant, a position for which his youth initially proved a distinct disadvantage. MacArthur's first glory came with the assault on Missionary Ridge south of Chattanooga on November 25, 1863. After taking the first level of Confederate rifle pits, which was the objective of the charge, MacArthur led his men on an unordered charge up to the top of the hill, gaining the admiration of all who observed him, from Generals Grant and Sherman on down.

   In the post war army, MacArthur made two significant contributions. While commanding at Fort Selden, New Mexico, MacArthur compensated for the absence of a suttler by establishing an enlisted men's canteen, which became the forerunner of the PX system. As a staff officer, he later obtained a change in Army policy which permitted the award of medals to officers. This change in policy resulted in MacArthur being awarded the Medal of Honor.

   MacArthur's moment in the sun came with the advent of the Spanish American War. Surprised by his assignment to the Philippines, MacArthur made the most of the transfer to Asia. Over a three year period, MacArthur played a major role in the conquest of the Philippines which had begun with the destruction of the Spanish fleet by Adm. Dewey. The battle began with an defeat of the Spanish troops followed by a long war, first conventional and then guerrilla, against the Philippine Republican troops.

   After his appointment as Military Governor of the Philippines, MacArthur began to experience difficulties with the civilian officials sent to rule the Islands, primarily William Howard Taft. The dispute with Taft eventually led to MacArthur's dismissal as Military Governor and his retirement from the army.

   In telling this story the reader is introduced into the many stages on which the war was played out. The effect on the political situation in the United States is well developed. The foreign policy debates incited by the conquest of the Islands are explained. The war on the ground bears an uncanny resemblance to the situation which later Americans found in Vietnam.

   The introduction of the MacArthur family to Asia is well covered. The initiation starting with the war in the Philippines continues with the Grand Tour of Asia and is capped during MacArthur's role as military observer to the Russo-Japanese War.

   This book sheds much light on the development of Arthur's son, Douglas. In it we read of the desolate western outposts in which Douglas spent his youth, the society into which he was introduced and the role his mother played in his development. It was on the Grand Tour of Asia that Douglas claimed to have learned to understand the Asian mind. Douglas' familiarity with Asia would come to play a role in his influential involvement in American policy toward Asia in the middle of the 20th Century. The similarities in the careers of both Arthur and Douglas are laid before the reader. At the time of the writing of the book, the only Father-Son Medal of Honor winners, both would have their careers marred by major conflicts with civilian superiors and would end their days in virtual exile from the services to which they had devoted most of their lives.

   The General's General is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in the story of this remarkable man and in the Army's role in U.S. history the Civil War through the period before World War I.




3. Mr. Young has given us an excellent account of the life of Arthur MacArthur and his turbulent world from the Civil War (where he won the Medal of Honor) to the rugged West to the Phillipines. Well researched and well documented. Never a dull moment and his information of the brutal and deadly war in the Phillipines aroused my curiousity to seek more knowledge of that conflict. The text captured the desolate and often bloody campaigns as well as the rough life of a soldier and his family. A top notch read.



4. Mr. Young has given us an excellent account of the life of Arthur MacArthur and his turbulent world from the Civil War (where he won the Medal of Honor) to the rugged West to the Phillipines. Well researched and well documented. Never a dull moment and his information of the brutal and deadly war in the Phillipines aroused my curiousity to seek more knowledge of that conflict. The text captured the desolate and often bloody campaigns as well as the rough life of a soldier and his family. A top notch read.



5. Arthur MacArthur is one of this countrys most forgotten heros if you enjoyed reading Old soldiers never die: The life and times of Douglas MacArthur, you will be astonished by the career simularitys he had with his father. Arthur MacArthur was the son of a judge, he was a hero of the civil war, Millitary Governor of the Philippines, and like his son rose to be the top millitary officer of his generation. History has all but forgotten this soldier, statesman, and father of one of the most unforgetable persons in American history.

4 comments about The Myth of Nathan Bedford Forrest (The American Crisis Series).

1. We all know that some fictional characters become "real"...James Bond...Sherlock Holmes...heck, you'll never convince me that Nero Wolfe isn't real, and that if I go to 918 West 35th. Street, I won't find him. Conversely, sometimes real people, who lived real lives, become so shrouded in myth and legend that they become "fictional"...Houdini...Babe Ruth...Patrick Henry [a Nurse once engaged me in a hot arguement about him; I never did convince her]... Nathan Bedford Forrest......
   
   This book is an attempt to show him in both aspects. This is NOT a biography of the greatest Cavalry officer who ever lived, and doesn't pretend to be. There is a good, basic, sketch of the high points, and that's sufficient here. Forrest was well and truly real, but a lot of myths have grown up around him. A good portion of those are addressed. For example, the stories of his semiliterate English are exaggerated. Unlike Yogi, he really said the things he said, but not nearly as badly as we've been led to believe. Several novels have used him as a fictional character, but, interestingly, he's never made it to the silver screen. [the portrayl in "Birth of a Nation" is so far off as not to count].
   
   The Civil War continues to generate passions; many of us think if its personages as a living presence. Nathan Bedford Forrest remains controversial, and real, to this day. If you want a full biography, there are several good ones. If you want to look at some aspects of his life that you hadn't thought of before, this volume is a good place to start.



2. Let me attempt to tell you something about this book without trying to make it yet another episode in the continuing (after 140 years) saga of the Civil War, which, obviously, in some minds (the world's bloodiest battlefields by far) still rages as ferociously today as it did, say, on a hillside outside a once-peaceful little town in Pennsylvania on a warm July afternoon in 1863.
   
   The book tries to explain how Nathan Bedford Forrest, the man and some of his exploits, became mythologized by various forces (newspaper accounts, biographies, personal reminiscences, popular histories, novels, and movies) down through the years[...]
   
   The first half of the book is by far the best. Where the first half looks carefully at how Southerners and Northerners both looked at Forrest and took from his life-story what best suited them (the South: his fearless personal bravery, his victories in battle, his backwoods reputation and man-of-action personality, his defense for the Lost Cause; the North: his racial butchery at Ft. Pillow, his hate-filled association with the KKK, his guerrilla warfare tactics rather than the "manly, honest" standard tactics practiced by the "better" generals), the second half becomes just a cursory summary of all the books and movies that featured Forrest as a main character.
   
   It's obvious that Forrest still has the ability to touch nerves in this country, especially in the South. The authors attribute Sherman as saying there would never be peace in Tennessee until Forrest was dead; maybe there's still some truth to that. Forrest had very little impact on the outcome of the war (ironically, his own generals shunned him), and the claim that if Forrest had been leading the Southern Armies instead of Lee, the South would have won is wishful thinking that borders on the ludicrous. But that's what myths can do to people - give hope where no hope has any right to exist. Of course in a negative sense myths can also house and comfort bad decisions and poor choices. Forrest's mythology continues to do both, good and bad.



3. New Yankee Doodle
   
   Yankee Doodle had a mind
   To whip the Southern traitors,
   Because they didn't choose to live
   On codfish and potatoes.
   
   Yankee Doodle, doodle doo,
   Yankee Doodle dandy,
   Aand so to keep his courage up,
   He took a drink of brandy.
   
   He was the best Confederate general of the entire Civil War, according to his superior. Born in Chapel Hill, Tennessee, into a well-to-do family, he was a Southerner born and bred for greatness. After the war, he had ties in Memphis, (a world away from the values and customs of Middle Tennessee) where a park including a statue of him is in existence. There is an unusual statue of him outside Nashville on I65; look for the Confederates flags and you'll marvel at this site created and paid for by a prominent lawyer. This slanderous book (all Myths) was devised by two UTK English professors with false information from Memphis sources.
   
   I can't fanthom why this review was not listed on my site. It is a sore spot for me as I personally told one of the writers that what they had researched is not true. After the book was printed anyway, I told the other one on the phone the same thing. He said the nasty part about Fort Pillow which they based their myth on was in Memphis documentation. That does not make it right or true. None of us at the meeting had heard about what happened at that place, and yet they based a slander about what might not have happened.



4. Let me see if I can clear up some of the misinformation floating around about this book:
   
   1. This book is not, nor does it claim to be a history of Nathan Bedford Forrest. It is an always-compelling, often-convincing retelling of the emergence of an American myth. The authors are at places concerned with "facts" and "truths," but more to the point they focus on how something seemingly as concrete as "fact" or "truth" morphs into mythology. In this quest, they've chosen their subject well, as hardly a figure in American culture lends itself so favorably to such an effort.
   
   2. The authors use well-known literary devices to draw out their subject. They do not call Forrest a comic book character but use the analogy to illustrate a point. They do not liken him to Forrest Gump but merely note the power of NBF's legacy, a legacy so enduring that many a Southern lad has been named "Forrest" in tribute.
   
   3. There is no "bias" against Forrest in this book, nor is there a "bias" for him. For many Southerners, this is a cardinal sin in and of itself. An earlier review claimed the book is full of "manufactured lies." To the contrary, Ashdown and Cawdill are deft in their handling of "facts." They are careful to note where historic information on Forrest is conflicting and describe how this disparity is used to feed competing myths. But, full of lies? Such a claim should always be accompanied by direct quotes from the book.
   
   4. The first-half of the book is indeed the better half, as the second part seems rushed and largely superfluous. Forrest's fame and infamy prevail. We hardly need a laundry list of books and movies to confirm this fact.
   
   Anyone who comes to this book with an agenda - to either praise or bury Forrest - is likely to be disappointed and possibly even incensed when they find nothing to feed their zeal. Objective readers, however, will be well-rewarded.

No comments about John Wesley (Ambassador Classic Biography Series).

No comments about Harold S. Bender 1897-1962.

5 comments about Down at the End of Lonely Street: The Life and Death of Elvis Presley.

1. Those looking for an intensive, in-depth analysis of his Music are in for a disappointment. This book is about the Life and Times of a musical legend, not his songs, or his accomplishments! The man was not a God and people need to get over that fact. If you're looking for a hero-worshipping book, don't buy this one.



2. I picked this book of just to have something to read and it floored me. The book gives you ALL of Elvis's life and not just the sanitized versiion. I would highly recommend it to anyone seeking the TRUTH about Elvis. From his greatest moments to his lowest.



3. If Peter Guralnick's mammoth two volume biography didn't exist, this book might serve more of a purpose. But compared to the Guralnick books this is downright flimsy. There is excruciatingly little new here though there are a few early anecdotes and some interesting interviews with marginal players in the Presley story like co-stars Deborah Walley and Mary Ann Mobley who don't get interviewed in connection with Presley very often. There is also extensive interview time spent with the infamous Dr. Nick. Otherwise the book seems like a collection od press clippings that have been trotted out dozens of times before. To make things worse, it seems that in the photo sections the authors deliberately went out of their way to find the most familiar pictures available.
   You would think that there wouldn't be anything new to write about Elvis but the Guralnick books were filled with revelations. He didn't stop at the familiar and wound up turning up dozens of forgotten gems just from information that had been in the public domain but had never been gathered in a contemporary work about the king.
   This book has other problems besides familiarity. Elvis' music gets glossed over. For example Elvis' 1969 memphis sessions, that produced From Elvis in Memphis and "Suspicious Minds" perhaps the artistic height of his career, get a page and a half. While the authors have an appreciation for Presley's achievement they don't always appear to have the greatest understanding of it. Reading authors like Guralnick, Dave Marsh, Greil Marcus and even Ernst Jorgenson you can feel and hear the music as you read. In their descriptions the music sets off a universe of ideas. That's not the case here. There is a discography, a filmography and a list of Elvis' TV appearances in the back but these have been done better (sometimes in entire books)many times before. In fact, the discography, because of its arbitrary selections and factual errors, is useless.
   So, unless you have to read every single word that has ever been written about Elvis you can miss this one.



4. A lot of work went into this book, but it lacks objectivity. It is pro-Elvis, though not excessively so, but it seems entirely too kind to Dr. Nick and Priscilla.

   Dr. Nick no doubt curbed Elvis's overall drug consumption and minimized the careless peaks that would have occurred had he not been present. However, Dr. Nick was still party to the drug excess. It is difficult not to believe that his interest was primarily money at the expense of caring for Elvis. Despite receiving a hefty income, he found it necessary to borrow $200,000 from his very volatile patient. And then there was the racquetball misadventure resulting in legal estrangement. Still, I received a better appreciation for Dr. Nick's effort by reading this book. He did have a daunting task.

   As regards Priscilla, the authors seem to have bought the image she has been trying to project. Finstadt's book on Priscilla presents a more plausible picture.




5. Bad taste as most of the poor writers against the man and his huge musical talents. No matter how much they try to trash him he will be the One and Only forever. I wasn't a fan of Elvis before the 1997. Yeah, twenty years after his death! Then I started getting interested on him. Watched all his movies, read all or most of his books, and he captured, not only my heart, but my mind too! What a phenomenum! Incredible!