DOC Her Own Life: Autobiographical Writings by Seventeenth-Century Englishwomen by From Routledge in Arts-Photography

Review

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Mason On Elvis: An American TragedyBy Foster CorbinBobbie Ann Mason is the person who should have written this book on Elvis. Born in 1942; she grew up on a dairy farm in Mayfield; Kentucky; she and Elvis then are from the same time and part of the country. It is obvious from every page of this work that Ms. Mason likes Elviss music and understands what his contribution to America and the world was. There is no substitute; as some of us remember; to being alive when Elvis literally burst on the music scene and shook us from the Eisenhower 50s. Of course Ms. Mason; one of our best living fiction writers; says it better than I: "For me; Elvis is personal--as a Southerner and something of a neighbor. I heard Elvis from the very beginning on the Memphis radio stations. Many parents found Elviss music dangerously evocative; his movements lewd and suggestive--but when my family saw Elvis on THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW; singing Ready Teddy; my father cried; Boy; hes good!"My problem with this book is the same I have with the other books in this series-- their required brevity makes any in-depth study of the character impossible. This series works best; I think; in Douglas Brinkleys book on Rosa Parks since no bio of her except one for children had ever been written so he was covering new ground rather than rehashing previous material. Ms. Mason lists her sources; saying she relied heavily on Peter Guaralnicks two books on Pressley that I have not read. I did read; however; the awful book by Albert Goldman whom I believe Ms. Mason alludes to in her introduction: "In 1980; a scurrilous biography portrayed him as a redneck with savage appetites and perverted mentality; and of no musical significance to American culture." Ms. Mason provides the ultimate insult by not giving the name of the biographer.Ms. Mason discusses briefly Elviss movies and his interest in books. I didnt know he read books or that Priscilla got him to burn them. Ms. Mason also says that by the end of 2000 Graceland had become the most visited private home in the U. S. When I visited his grave a few years ago-- Graceland was closed that day-- I was saddened so see that out of hundreds of "floral arrangements" there was not one real flower. I suppose as the Lorettta Lynn character says in "Cold Miners Daughter;" that the plastic ones last longer.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great readBy RoupThis was very eye opening. I did not know much about Elvis before reading this book. The author delves deep into the life of Elvis; working throughout to try to determine what caused his eventual fall from grace. The author also discusses why Elvis made the decisions he made and offers explanations for his ridiculous behavior; especially later in life. I save 5/5 for things that floor me. This book is not perfect; but it is great and very entertaining.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Elvis; Me the Locust Point BoyohsBy Bill HughesHe was a mommarsquo;s boy. Born piss poor in the poverty-stricken Deep South (Tupelo; MS). He was also shy and fearful. His twin brother; Jesse Garon; was delivered stillborn. About a half hour later; he made his appearance on the world stage. His name was Elvis Aaron Presley. The date was January 8; 1935. I; too; was a twin; but my entry into the world wasnrsquo;t quite that dramatic. I appeared a few years after Elvis; at the South Baltimore General Hospital; on Light near West Streets. Brother Jim said ldquo;hirdquo; first to everyone. Then; after surviving a sharp kick from him to my right shoulder; (which he continues to deny to this day); I was able; slightly bruised; to introduce myself. It was the middle of ldquo;The Great Depressionrdquo; and my Irish-born mom told the treating physician; Dr. Aaron Sollod; to put his bill ldquo;on the ticket.rdquo; That wasnrsquo;t a problem with the good doctor. He knew that when work picked up on the waterfront for my father; a member of Local 953 of the ILA; his bill would be paid in full. When Elvis emerged as the ldquo;King of Rock Rollrdquo; in the late 50s; I; too; was working on the waterfront as a longshoreman out of ILA Local 829 on Hull Street in South Baltimorersquo;s Locust Point. My prime dance buddies; William ldquo;Dukerdquo; Brown and George Washington Kelly; also neighbors and fellow longshoremen; like myself; didnrsquo;t quite know what to make of the dude with that funny accent and wild gyrations. We wondered: ldquo;Is he for real?rdquo; Also in the 50s; Bill Haley his Comets were then dominating the music scene for the younger set with their popular fast dancing tune; ldquo;Rock Around the Clock.rdquo; Chuck Berry was in this mix; along with Little Richard; the off-the-wall Jerry Lee Lewis and the rhythm and blues man himself; the incomparable Fats Domino. In fact; I recall how we Locust Point boyohs went out to hear Fats and Little Richard; performing in a concert on April 5; 1956; at the now-defunct Baltimore Coliseum. These legendary recording artists were then at the top of their game. The arena; also used for sports events; was located at 2201 North Monroe Street. When we first heard Elvisrsquo; rendition of ldquo;Thatrsquo;s All Right (Mama);rdquo; everything started to change for us. It was clear a new star was being born; especially for jitterbug aficionados like us. When he came out with with his hip-jarring hit ldquo;Jailhouse Rock;rdquo; we were sold on the phenomenon that was Elvis. In between; he had released that haunting single; ldquo;Heartbreak Hotel.rdquo; Elvis followed up that success quickly by releasing his acclaimed recordings of ldquo;Donrsquo;t Be Cruel;rdquo; ldquo;Hound Dog;rdquo; and ldquo;All Shook Up.rdquo; Growing up in the 50s; our favorite jitterbug dancing venue was called the ldquo;Advent.rdquo; It was located on south Charles Street; near Ostend. It was a church hall; and the younger crowds from both Locust Point and neighborhoods around the ldquo;Adventrdquo; enjoyed it. The music was played on a juke box. The hall on Friday nights was always packed with high-energy teenagers. Duke was the best jitterbug dancer of the three of us; Kelly was second and I came in a close third. But; I had my niche: I had mastered the cha cha. I loved to dance it to Paul Ankarsquo;s ldquo;Diana.rdquo; The best jitterbug dancer out of that ILA Local 829 hall was a gang carrier; Larry ldquo;Perchrdquo; Holman. He liked to show off his talent around town; particularly in taverns that had a dancing space. One of his fave stops; as well as ours; was Sledgersquo;s Bar in Locust Point. Getting back to Elvis. In the area of popular rock and roll; blues; country and gospel music; I submit there was no single entertainer - before and since - who embodied so creatively all four of these styles like he did. This brings me to this question: ldquo;Who was Elvis?rdquo; One of his biographers; Bobbie Ann Mason; (ldquo;Elvis Presley; a Liferdquo;); also a Southerner; said that he had become a ldquo;super star like the world had never seen before.rdquo; She added: that his ldquo;style of musicrdquo; would dominate the world for the rest of the century.rdquo; Elvis helped; she continued; to launch the ldquo;youth culture.rdquo; Elvis dad; Vernon was a share cropper and had a ldquo;strong mellow voice.rdquo; His mom; Gladys; who had some Cherokee blood in her; was known as a good ldquo;buckrdquo; dancer. They were from the wrong side of the tracks in East Tupelo. Life was centered around the church. Mason said that they didnrsquo;t ldquo;have a pot to piss in.rdquo; Vernon did a stint in prison for forging a check. When Elvis was eleven; Gladys bought him a guitar. (He was angling for a .22 rifle.) When they moved to Memphis; Elvis was thirteen. Elvis loved gospel music and idealized black musicians; such as Muddy Waters; Sleepy John Estes and Arthur Crudup. They were his prime inspirations. Mason said that because of his background; Elvis ended up ldquo;making music that was the voice of the Southern poor - both black and white working classhellip;rdquo; She said that they shared a common heritage that ldquo;stamped them as outsiders.rdquo; Before stardom arrived; Mason explained Elvis was ldquo;self-conscious; awkward; nervous and often mumbled.rdquo; One day in the summer of 1954; he went into the office of Sun Records in Memphis to make a record for his mom. By a quirk of fate; the gal who manage the session; Marion Keisker; liked what she heard. She let her boss; Sam Phillips know about Elvis. This opened the door to his performing ldquo;Thatrsquo;s All Right (Mama).rdquo; The rest; as they say; is history. Elvisrsquo;s blazing star burned out in Memphis; TN; on August 16; 1977; at his beloved ldquo;Graceland.rdquo; He died much too young. He was only forty-two years old. Elvisrsquo; daughter; Lisa Marie; was nine years old at the time of her dadrsquo;s tragic passing. In any event; Elvisrsquo;s tremendous; and often brilliant musical legacy; continues to live on in the memory of tens of millions of his grateful admirers around the globe; including me; and many of my boyhood friends from my Locust Point days. So; I leave you with these words from one of Elvisrsquo; earliest and finest ballads - ldquo;Heartbreak Hotelrdquo;: ldquo;Well; since my baby left me; I found a new place to dwell. Itrsquo;s down at the end of lonely street at Heartbreak Hotel.rdquo;