Mini Book Review

Elvis Aaron Presley: The Man, The Truth

by Baby Bird

Reviewed by Nigel Patterson / Piers Beagley - May 2023

This is a new digital (Kindle) book. It contains 277 pages and is written by an administrator of three Elvis groups on Facebook.

Firstly, the book description is not helpful in understanding its content:

There have been many books written about Elvis, a lot have been sensationalised lies and half-truths, some are total fantasy, there have been a few good ones, but no where near as many as the bad ones. Some written by people he knew some written by people who weren't even born when he was alive and some making extraordinary unbelievable claims from people who have no knowledge of what they are peddling, all they are about is making money. The greed surrounding this kind, gentle man since his death is quite horrific.

The author's introduction also includes, "I want to try and dispel some of the myths and lies and show who Elvis really was on the inside... This is Elvis as I knew him to be, how I saw him.. Nearly everything in this book can either be found on the internet in other books, magazine, and newspaper articles and occasionally things that have been told to me personally by those who knew Elvis.." 

So what is the book about?

The narrative traverses a broad range of prosaic and unusual issues relating to the Elvis Presley story and there is a strong "new age" theme. The content includes Elvis' views on sex, marriage, and his "missing twin", and there are detailed discussions of his relationships with the women in his life.

This is the paragraph on Elvis' thoughts on Abortion. Like all too many sections of the book it includes a supposed Elvis quote with no reference...

I am sure Elvis's opinions about it were tempered when he lived as a child to teenager in Lauderdale Courts, he must have seen what not only women did to themselves in order to end a pregnancy but what happened to unwanted children that some had.
ELVIS ON ABORTION, "Abortion is so misunderstood. I believe women should cherish life - their ability to produce the living bodies that house Spirits - but if they cannot handle the reproductive process, then why force them to do so? I do not see the reason behind that."

When a book's introduction states annoyance about previous publications that include "extraordinary unbelievable claims from people who have no knowledge of what they are peddling" a reader would surely hope for this book to be full of genuine Elvis quotes and facts.   

There is a section on 'Elvis and Reincarnation'. Presley fans would surely know about Elvis' spiritual search as well as the importance of his deceased twin Jesse Garon. However quotes are again used that should be referenced. The book states that facts and interviews are sourced from the "Internet and in other books" but no amount of searching finds these Elvis quotes used in the book. It becomes so frustrating.  

ELVIS TALKING ABOUT REINCARNATION
Elvis was a firm believer in reincarnation and although I do not have the source for this quote, I have no doubt it is real as he said similar things about his ex-wife to several of his girlfriends. Elvis talks about Priscilla..
"I just realized why my first attraction to Priscilla happened — It's reincarnation. How else would a grown man be so drawn to a fourteen-year-old girl? Man .... I used to think she was my soul-mate. Now I know she wasn't the one; at least, not my soulmate. She was only a dress rehearsal and not the real thing. It must be some sort of karma we obviously had together, only I'm sure it's all from another life and another time."

"I tried to mould her into what I thought I wanted. I realized too late that you just can't do that. You can't teach a person to be affectionate. By nature, she's a cold person. She's reserved. She's very disciplined. Very reserved. Very cold.
So, I tried to teach her to be warm, funny, loving, and affectionate. She tried to do it, but you really can't teach someone to be what they aren't."

There are also sections on what Elvis believed in, Elvis as a superhuman, was Elvis Jesus, a shaman, Koot Hoomi, and/or Alexander the Great in previous incarnations?, Elvis' interest in ancient Egypt, Elvis' health, and was Elvis murdered?.... plus a lot more.

There is a chapter on Elvis and 'The Tribe of Dan' ... 
(EIN internet check finds that it was one of the twelve tribes of Israel focused on judging, law and order.. supposedly ''lost'' to history because they were forced into exile and assimilated into other cultures)

This section oddly comes between the chapters 'Elvis Could Fly His Jet' and the straightforward 'Elvis Presley's Employment History'. And apparently Elvis' scarf colours during 'Elvis On Tour' is something to do with Elvis "doing The Tribe Of Dan"... The discussion includes..  "This ring was supposed to be more than one hundred years old .. .. Elvis did not tell much, just that it was old and that it carried within it all the "saints" who had gone before, given their life for their religious beliefs and to save mankind from evil and that it belonged to the master priest-which he was striving to become one of. They gave it to Elvis at his second ceremony and he was to take full charge of all it meant at the 4th but he never completed the 3 or 4th-and they wouldn't take it back as It "belonged with him" the headmaster told him. He ought to have it. But to wear it sparingly as he had not fulfilled his full training and it was "powerful". Elvis said it was the only one, the original handmade and designed by those who formed the society of the brotherhood. He would not say who, what or where. He did not want to talk about it."

The final paragraph of the book is a perceptive observation on how Elvis' attraction to women changed.

Verdict: While 'Elvis Aaron Presley: The Man, The Truth' won't be to everyone's taste, I found it to be an interesting, but frustrating read, and I did have a number of major concerns. Principally, the author's writing style is flawed. It involves very long sentences - often paragraphs of 100+ words are a single sentence!

The author also has strong views on many issues (which is fine), but IMO the basis for many of her beliefs are hearsay /tabloid generated, rather than factual.
Whether or not the book reveals Elvis the real man, and the truth, is for each reader to decide.

The book includes a number of small, color and b&w images.

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