Bennett's book nook !!
by: Ashanta Parker
Top Ten List
1. "During the last weeks of that summer they were in the studio every spare moment trying to get songs together." - pg. 69
Elvis and the other two members were work-a-holics that loved doing what they do. Not only did they love doing what they do, they weren't in it for the money. They were simple dream chasers.
2. "At the end of the show Pappy Carrington told Sam that he would like Elvis & the Trios to be regulars on the Hay Ride." -pg. 74
The money finally starts rolling in, along with the fame and all of the fans to show off all their talent. The demand to see Elvis's performance increased highly.
3. "Elvis paid $175 for a guitar and gave up his old one for a trade." -pg. 75
As a gift to himself he took the money he earned and went to upgrade his guitar. The store retailer threw his guitar that he traded in, into the trash in Elvis's face, which hurt his feelings.
4. "Elvis three appearances on the Ed Show earned some of the highest ratings in TV history." -pg. 91
He brought more rates to the TV show, His music made improvements on many things.
5. "In January 1957 he made his last appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show." -pg. 117
He got more into acting.
6. "The death of Elvis's Mother, Gladys, shattered Elvis and his father."-pg. 131
He cried on her casket that everything he had was gone now. Elvis then got hooked on drugs which ended his life short.
7. "In the finale of his spectacular 1968 Comeback Special, Elvis poured his heart and soul into performing "If I Can Dream"." -pg. 178
He put every thing he had into that performance.
Thematically Speaking
Best Seller
UP CLOSE: Elvis Presley by Wilborn Hampton is a great book that I would recommend to an audience who is interested in Elvis's biography or that needs inspiration. Everyone who knows a little facts about Elvis knows that he was rock legend and influenced many teenagers with his sound. On the second page of the book the author wrote to his son "For Douglas, This was how your Dad learned to rock and roll." Elvis almost single-handedly changed the musical culture not only for America but of the world. As John Lennon of the Beatles once said, "Before there was Elvis, there was nothing."
Elvis was a shy and polite man, Tom Parker was money hungry and didn't care at all about true music, he was just a manger in it for the money, Priscilla Beaulieu was his wife and mother of his daughter Lisa.
"B" SIDES
Reviews:
"A deeply engaging biography written by someone who clearly loved Elvis. Young people who want to know who the King was will find out and grandparents will rediscover their sorrow that 'Elvis had left the building.'"
βKirkus
"(Hampton's) enthusiasm and passion for his subject are evident throughout this appealing biography, yet he remains objective about the performer's virtues as well as his tragic flaws."
βSchool Library Journal
"With compelling and thoughtful chapters, Hampton serves up a wealth of information on Presley's hardscrabble childhood, his skyrocket start in the music business, his brief army stint, his B-grade movie career, and his busy love life."
βHorn Book Review
"My opinion on "Up Close Elvis Presley is ghat I think that Elvis was a hard working person that never gave up on his dreams. He also didn't care what other people think about him. He just wants to be him and not care what other people think and I think that is spontaneous. The writing was powerful because it told us readers that we can accomplish anything if we just put our mind to it. I would recommend this book to a classmate because this book will show them that hard work really does pay off. If this book had a series to it then I would definitely read it because I think that it's interesting to how famous rock legends came to be."
- Annisa
Awards:
βNew York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
Anderson, Nancy. "Elvis by His Father Vernon Presley." Good Housekeeping, January 1978.
Booth, Stanley. "A Hound Dog to the Manor Born." Esquire, February 1968.
Burk, Bill E. Early Elvis: The Humes Years. Memphis: Red Oak Press, 1990.
Chadwick, Vernon, editor. In Search of Elvis: Music, Race, Art, Religion. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1997.
Dundy, Elaine. Elvis and Gladys. New York: Macmillan, 1985.
Elvis: '68 Comeback (DVD). BMG Heritage, 2006.
"Farewell to Priscilla, Hello U.S.A.: Sergeant Elvis Comes Back Home to the Girls He Left Behind." LIFE, March 14,1960.
Goldman, Albert. Elvis. New York: McGraw-Hill,1981.