Booktalk: Elvis Presley was the one man who could make black music accept-able for white folks to listen to. Back when Elvis was a teenager in the 1950s, whites didn't listen to black music unless a white singer sang it. But to Elvis he loved all kinds of music. It didn't matter to him who sang it. He grew up in the South listening to the blues, gos-pel, country, rockabilly, even opera. When he was in high school in Memphis, he would go to a black church just to hear gospel being sung at Sunday services. Elvis had serious attitude, too. He wore his hair longer than the other kids at school. He bought his clothes at a black-owned clothing store. When a teacher told him he couldn't sing, Elvis said that wasn't the problem; she just didn't appreciate his kind of singing. Elvis was loner and he didn't care what people thought about him.Maybe it was his attitude that made him a star. Maybe it was the way he created a new sound based on all the types of music he loved. Maybe it was both. Whatever it was, Elvis' stardom was turning the world upside down in a way that people loved...and hated. read 43-44. And that was how the king of rock and roll got the world ALL SHOOK UP.

Summary: This book is all about the life of Elvis Presley. It started with him growing up, getting discovered, Graceland and ended with his tragic death.

Personal reflection: I personally love Elvis and his music so this was a really great read.

Class use: This could be used to teach students about Elvis, Rock and Roll and even the effects that drugs and money can have if they let them over run their lives. ( )