Walk Like a Man: Coming of Age with the Music of Bruce Springsteen


Robert J. Wiersema - 2011
    He's a genuine voice of the people, the bastard child of Woody Guthrie and James Brown, and an elder statesman who has inspired generations of bands. He's won twenty Grammy Awards, an Oscar, two Golden Globes, and is a member of two Halls of Fame.There are dozens of books about Springsteen. What's left to say? Nothing objective, perhaps. But when it comes to music, objectivity is highly overrated. Robert Wiersema has been a Springsteen fan since he was a teenager, following tours to see multiple shows in a row, watching set lists develop in real time via the Internet, ordering bootlegs from shady vendors in Italy. His attachment is deeper than fandom, though: he's grown up with Springsteen's songs as the soundtrack to his life, beginning with his youth in rural British Columbia and continuing on through dreams of escape, falling in love, and becoming a father.Walk Like a Man is the liner notes for a mix tape, a blend of biography, music criticism, and memoir. Like the best mix tapes, it balances joy and sorrow, laughter seasoning the dark-night-of-the-soul questions that haunt us all. Wiersema's book is the story of a man becoming a man (despite getting a little lost along the way), and of Springsteen's songs and life that have accompanied him on his journey.

Elvis and Ginger: Elvis Presley's Fiancée and Last Love Finally Tells Her Story


Ginger Alden - 2014
    With this book, I will try to...” Elvis Presley and Graceland were fixtures in the life of Ginger Alden, having been born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. But she had no idea that she would play a part in that enduring legacy—as Elvis Presley’s fiancée, and his last great love. For over three decades Ginger has held the truth of their relationship close to her heart. Now she shares her unique story, and while a lot has been written about the King, the Elvis we meet in this long-anticipated memoir is a revelation.In her own words Ginger details their whirlwind romance—from first kiss to his stunning proposal of marriage. She details his exploration of Eastern religions, his perception of being a “legend,” his devotion to family and friends, and her attempt to know the insular group surrounding Elvis. And for the very first time she talks about the devastating end of it all, and the 50,000 mourners and reporters who descended on Graceland in 1977, exposing Ginger to the reality of living in the spotlight of a short, yet immortal, life.Above it all, Alden rescues Elvis from the hearsay, rumors, and tabloid speculations of his final year by shedding a frank yet personal light on a very public legend. From a unique and intimate perspective, she reveals the man—complicated, romantic, fallible, and human—behind the enduring myth, a superstar worshipped by millions, and loved by Ginger Alden.INCLUDES PHOTOS