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Book Review By Susan D. Minkalis
The Man Called Cash by Steve Turner

This authorized biography provides blunt details of country singer Johnny Cash's life.
His father's stringency and his religious mother's approach helped Cash endure his poverty stricken childhood in Dyess, Arkansas during the depression.   When Cash was a pre-teen his older brother Jack was killed by a circular saw that just about severed him in two. Cash felt immense guilt for his brother's death and thought his father blamed him as well since Cash went off fishing while his brother was left alone to work.
As a young man Cash joined the army and was sent to Germany. It was there he had formed his first band and got addicted to music. After his return from the army Cash married Vivian Liberto, moved to Memphis and became an appliance salesman. He hated the job and knew music was his calling. His time to shine came in 1957 after many attempts for a hit when he made the album “Folsom Prison Blues”. The most famous single from that album, “I Walk the Line” went to number five on the charts and his career took off.

As Cash's musical career progresses his marriage starts to fail. He now had three small daughters and an unhappy wife due to all the time away from home. Cash paved his road to fame with his deep manly voice, black clothes and the storytelling songs he played. As Cash became more famous the demands became more powerful and his weakness to take amphetamines overtook him. He struggles throughout intensely from the addiction of uppers and pain medicine but country singer June Carter help Cash battle his habitual drug habit. Now divorced from Vivian, Cash pursues for years June Carter's hand in marriage and finally succeeds when he proves he is rehabilitated.



Plot & Themes
job/profession:
Job/profession/poverty story Yes
Story of entertainer? - Singer/Dancer
Period of greatest activity? - 1950+

Subject of Biography
Gender - Male
Profession/status:
Ethnicity - White
Nationality - American

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 5 ()
United States Yes
The US: - Southeast
Century: - 1960's-1970's

Writing Style
Book makes you feel? - encouraged
Pictures/Illustrations? - More 6-10 B&W
How much dialogue in bio? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life? - 26-50% of book
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