Being Elvis

Beyond his music and movies, Elvis remains with us on postage stamps and coffee mugs. Here, Connolly (Stardust Memories: Talking About My Generation; John Lennon 1940–1980) explores how a young boy from Tupelo captured the hearts and eyes of the world yet ultimately died depressed and alone in a Memphis mansion. Unlike most Elvis biographies, Connolly’s focuses almost exclusively on the lucrative and tortured relationship between Elvis and “Colonel” Tom Parker. Though not exempting Elvis from responsibility, the author centralizes this relationship as the fulcrum upon which the performer miraculously rose and precipitously fell. VERDICT Though not as comprehensive as Peter Guralnick’s Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley and Careless Love, this biographical sketch is more intimate than most written about the King of Rock and Roll. This latest addition to the Elvis literature contextualizes its subject with more empathy than celebrity.