Review: Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley

Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you are a fan of Elvis, this is your book. This is the first of a two-part series on the King of Rock and Roll. Guralnick goes into painstaking detail on Elvis' life from the time he was a young boy getting his first guitar through the death of his beloved mother and shipping off to Germany as PFC Elvis Presley. It is clear that Elvis was his own person. He was at times naive and humble while at other times he was rambunctious and rebellious. Everything he did, he did for his family. His love for his parents, especially his mother was both sweet and heartbreaking. He was inconsolable when she passed away.

This book truly is a deep dive into Presley's life. Where I am a fan of his (I saw him in concert just a couple months before he died), I don't know that I needed details to the level that Guralnick noted. For superfans, this is definitely a book worth reading. It was entertaining and interesting and I will read the second book in the series. This book does not cover his life with Pricilla or eventual decline in health.

The Kindle version that I read included audio clips of some of the interviews that Guralnick conducted with some key people in Elvis' life. It is worth the purchase if you are a Kindle user.

View all my reviews

Review: Rosa Parks: A Life

Rosa Parks: A Life by Douglas Brinkley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is one of the very few biographies on Rosa Parks that has been written for adults. Brinkley does a fine job of covering the life of Parks from childhood through death. His focus is on her work with the NAACP and the fight for civil rights. It all culminates with her iconic refusal to move to the back of a bus in the segregated town of Montgomery, AL. That stand, or sit in this case, is but one small part of her contributions to civil rights. Her work throughout her life earned her the moniker "mother of the civil rights movement."

It is obvious, by Brinkley's description of Parks, that she was a wonderful, kind woman who could seem shy and meek but had gumption when it was needed. I am surprised that so little has been written about her. She was about more than just that one defiant moment on a bus. She worked hard and spent her life fighting for voting and civil rights for African Americans. Her contributions should not be ignored.

View all my reviews

Review: A Century of American Icons: 100 Products and Slogans from the 20th-Century Consumer Culture

A Century of American Icons: 100 Products and Slogans from the 20th-Century Consumer Culture by Mary Cross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fun look at iconography through advertising. Each chapter is dedicated to a decade starting with 1900 picking out about 10 or so brands that were iconic to that time. Each brand has a bit of history to the company and / or brand as well as notable advertising campaigns. Most brands are still known today like Campbell's Soup and Morton Salt that made their debut in the early 20th century. Some, including more recent brands like Hathaway shirts, are curious inclusions because they don't seem to be nationally popular. Each chapter is introduced with a short history of life during that decade, giving the reader an understanding of how advertising and brands would impact consumers at the time.

An overall fun read. I would have liked more pictures, but interesting enough. I mostly sat at my computer while reading, looking up the ads mentioned in each chapter.

View all my reviews

Review: The Story of American Freedom

The Story of American Freedom by Eric Foner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a concise review of American History, particularly looking at the theme of "Freedom". Foner starts with what he considers to be the birth of freedom, 1776, and covers specific eras of time in America's past noting what freedom has meant and its continued presence in politics and society. He ends the book with the late 20th century when George H. W. Bush and Clinton were in office. Many historians will find this to be a good reference on the freedom theme, but I found it to be on the dry side and somewhat unengaging. I will likely keep this copy as a reference for future research projects.

View all my reviews