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Just loved this book it was fascinating about Gladys and Vernons background. How poor they were and the sadness of the birth of Jesse Garon and Elvis it's to much to tell every Elvis fan needs this book. You will be amazed on how much understanding of the Presley family you will have after reading this book. This is why Elvis had such a kind and gentle way about him and a giving heart it hurts me to know that the people he loved the most used him for there own fame and fortune. All i can say is buy this book you will not be disappointed and you will come to know Elvis a lot better than before it's a must for every Elvis fan.
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I've read quite a few books about Elvis and this one is excellent. The author spent a lot of time with people who knew Elvis back then and uncovered some very interesting and heart-warming stories. I learned a lot about his childhood and school days that I hadn't heard before. I'd recommend it for any Elvis fan.
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The author, Elaine Dundy, not only tells the story of Elvis and his mother, she traces back several generations into the history and psyche of Elvis' ancestors: the Scotch and Irish who settled the Southeast and tamed the Mississippi Delta. Although she is British, her extensive research and comments about post-Civil War Southern society, customs, lifestyle, and mindsets are dead-on. I grew up in the rural Deep South and many of the influences peculiar to the South that Dundy sites in this book were still a part of my mid-20th century experiences.
The reader closes the book with one thought about Gladys (and Vernon) and that is that these two parents loved their son more than life itself and that they simply did the best they could. They were handicapped from the beginning by poverty, ignorance, and also quite possibly genetic pre-dispositions towards depression, obsessive/compulsive disorders, and addictions. It was not uncommon throughout the 19th century and into the 20th that first cousins would marry and have children. The inter-marriages within the Smith and Presley families were pervasive and no doubt exacerbated genetic tendencies.
Gladys' relationship to Elvis was very close in that she put his needs above everything else in her life. She was the only person who could have ever "saved" Elvis from his excesses. But unfortunately, she succumbed to her own drinking habits early on. Once she was gone, his life spiraled out of control.
Elaine Dundy leaves the question unanswered: If Elvis had such a close relationship with Gladys, why wasn't he ever able to form an equally enduring and intimate relationship with a lover? The answer comes from the reader's personal conclusion that the mother-son relationship was close to the point of crippling to Elvis. Just as he reached young adulthood his fabulous success story began. He was stretching out for independence and Gladys figuartively and literally abandoned him -- through death. Elvis was always able to keep the "enduring" part of a relationship going (i.e. he could never let Priscilla go) but his love affairs seemed to mirror his relationship with Gladys in bizarreness, obsessions, and misery.
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What impressed me most was the account of Elvis' intense, enduring interest in performing beginning at an early age. She cites his participation in school shows, contests and courthouse jamborees, his involvement with entertainer Mississippi Slim, and his 240 mile hitch hike to compete at the Jimmie Rogers Festival. Elvis's association with Bill Black, his first bass player, occurred long before that famous Sun session that produced his first hit. Those who think that Elvis was just a truck driver that lucked up on a record hit are sadly mistaken. Elvis was into the music scene from the get go. He may have been lucky, but like they say, you make your own breaks. He was there, prepared, looking for the opportunity and taking the initiative.
The life of Gladys and her influence on Elvis are well documented. I've read several Elvis books, and none provides a better description. Gladys had her own dreams of stardom which filtered through to Elvis.
The author does a thorough, excellent job of researching and developing her own independent conclusions. For the most part, her logic rings true. In a very few instances, she may infer too much.
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Elvis & Gladys is a very thoughtful book. I liked this book alot. It's almost like a history book. Not only does it tell a story of Elvis & his mother, but it paints a a vivid picture of the Southern culture that Elvis grew up in. The book also traces his mother's family coming to America (approx 200 yrs before Elvis was born). I thought it was a very interesting book to read.
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