Review: A Fan's Heartfelt Perspective on the "King"
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 21, 2013
I follow all of James Hoag's "Legends" series of books, and have been anxiously awaiting the release of Legends of Rock & Roll - Elvis Presley.  Like his other books, Hoag's meticulously researched details of Elvis' life reveal facts that I either did not know or had forgotten about.  I've read many books on Elvis through the years, but loved this fans heartfelt tribute to Elvis.The book covers Elvis' early life, which I had not read a lot about. I did know that Elvis had a twin that died at birth, but I never knew that Elvis felt lonely his whole life because of the loss of that twin.  Being a twin myself, I can relate to that feeling.The book then goes on to cover everything from his early recording life, to his time in the army, to his reluctant movie career, to how he met Priscilla, to his many "comebacks," to the end of his life. I never realized some of the things that went on in the Presley marriage that Hoag reveals in this book and that his separation from Priscilla was really the beginning of the end for Elvis.  I never realized how Elvis was betrayed countless times by his friends and family, both before and after his death.While there have been a lot of books written on Elvis, what I liked most about this book is that it is not just another "rehashing" of the life of Elvis, but the author offers his own personal reflections on the facts of Elvis Presley's life - as someone who grew up with Elvis, as a fan and as someone who can see past all the controversy and conflict and see the heart of the man Elvis really was.A very heartfelt tribute and one I would recommend because it has been written from a unique perspective.