The author's youthfulness helps to assure the inevitable comparison with the Anne Frank diary although over and above the sphere of suffering shared, and in this case extended to the death march itself, there is no spiritual or emotional legacy here to offset any reader reluctance.

I disliked the artificial conversations used a lot in Last Train, which seemed to diminish the authenticity of the story. Last Train to Memphis takes us deep inside Elvis' life, exploring his lifelong passion for music of every sort (from blues and gospel to Bing Crosby and Mario Lanza), his compelling affection for his family, and his intimate relationships with girlfriends, mentors, band members, professional associates, and friends. When I became a music fan myself, I couldn't hear Elvis Presley's music, either, coming as it did through my ideas about it as embarrassing kitsch. Careless Love merely confirms these feelings, with Elvis paralleling Hamlet's manic depression, surrounded by wheelers and dealers. After Guralnick graduated from Boston University in 1971 with a master's degree in creative writing, he began writing books chronicling the history of blues, country, rock and roll and soul.I was almost expecting Guralnick to confess to writing under a pen name and actually being one of Elvis' cousins or friends. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality. This book does a great job of identifying the prevailing paradigm in music and the change Elvis wrought. Patterned as a classic rise and fall, the great American Dream and its undoing, this is the triumphal part of the story, with volume 2 charting the darker underbelly of the second two decades of Elvis' life which I'll be reading next. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.

It was there in Memphis that Elvis combined his country roots with the fashion and flair of Beale Street. Peter Guralnick is a master of his craft in putting together the complexities of Elvis Presley's early life and career and presenting the information in a compelling, and engaging manner. I was particularly facinated in the details of Elvis' first long-term relationships; both women were interviewed extensively. The author meticulously lists every live concert date, every record and every film made, but that is not all the book is about. That book delves into the darker side of his life -- the bad choices, the drugs, the women, the entourage of sycophants with their hands out, the ego run amok.The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. They said that Elvis always felt like he had to live the lives of two people and you can see that in this book. Still, the story is what counts, and when it is allowed to upstage the weak writing, this book is worth a read -even if you aren't a fan of Elvis.