Wednesday, April 1, 2015

The Women Who Loved Elvis All Their Lives --by Fleda Brown

Poetry    

72 pages
5 Stars

Somehow, I missed a lot of the Elvis hysteria when I was a kid—probably because my best friend was so freaky over him, I felt honor bound to go the other way.

It wasn't until I was in the military, and stationed in Germany, and met his old Sergeant (Elvis was a civilian again by that time) and learned some tales about him that made me, belated as it was, an Elvis fan. (Did you know he put his military pay, all $78.50 of it, in a mayonnaise jar he brought from the mess hall and kept on his wall locker. He told the guys in his barracks if they needed some, take it, and pay it back as they could. He never counted it, and when he was discharged, he took the jar down to the First Sergeant and told him to use the money for the guys. On holidays, he would volunteer for guard duty or KP duty, to let one of the married guys spend the time with their family.)

My sister read this book, and raved about it, so I had to try it. I'm so glad I did. The poetry flows, from one to the next. I strongly suggest you read it straight through, as it becomes a narrative. Though I never kissed his poster (I never had one), I can remember my girl friend swooning and practicing her fainting onto her bed, every time the radio played one of his songs.

I remember Sputnik, and when his mama died, and the old-time rock and roll songs and singers. There was much in this book, in these poems I could, and did, relate too. Rod Stewart and "Maggie Mae" is here, the Big Bopper and his line, "baby, you know what I like." And, of course, Elvis and the women who love him—still and forever.


This is a fun book, delightful poem, accessible to all, even those who don't normally read poetry.

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