The inner elvis
Inner Elvis: A Psychological Biography of Elvis Aaron Presley
October 3, 2007
When I revealed some of the sordid details from Elvis' life as I read about them in this book, my mom commented, "Who gave this guy permission to write about Elvis's life? I wouldn't want anyone to write about me like that!"
I think the legacy of his fame and the spiraling trajectory that ultimately ended in Elvis's death only peaked the public's interest about the mysterious legendary performer. i know it did mine. after reading all those other elvis biographies, i felt i had more questions than i did answers. this book serves to clarify some of the more peculiar characteristics that elvis presented to the public, especially in his last few years of life when his performances became more and more delusional.
or maybe some people don't want to know. it's a pretty sad story. this book is meant for inquisitive minds who can withstand the harsh truths about a man turned demigod. i had read other customer reviews before reading this book myself, so i was prepared for some of the more outlandish-sounding theories that whitmer discussed.
the premise of elvis' psychopathology is based on the stillborn birth of his twin, jesse. throughout all 427 pages of the book, whitmer constantly refers back to elvis' desire to be reunited with his twin brother. it's a compelling theory, and whitmer is a vivid story-teller for a psychologist (this book is far from a dry read which i appreciate), but it's also fraught with limitations.
see, the problem with psychoanalysis is that a lot of it just sounds so farfetched. then again, i'm not an analyst. i admit, whitmer does incorporate a lot of theory such as the oedipus complex (which, in elvis' case, is so textbook it's freaky) and family systems into the case conceptualization of elvis presley, so i see a lot of legitimacy in that sense.
however --and this is where my critique of the book as a piece of psychological literature comes in-- whitmer's use of theory falls flat due to his lack of reliable references. for all we know, the literature he is drawing his claims from may be grossly outdated. and not only that, but he has never met elvis himself, yet the way he writes about elvis sounds as if he knew the star personally.
it is a very intriguing read, but begin the book with the above limitations in mind. even though whitmer tends to make absolute conclusions about elvis' psychological makeup, it can hardly be regarded as such. the first sentence in the book sums it up:
"Kafka once described the search for 'truth' as similar to the difficulties of a blind man in a room with no light looking for a black cat -- that is not there."
even if you were close to the guy, i don't think there is any way anyone could truly know him. but at least this book gives us some inkling as to what he goes on in the mind of a legend.
I think the legacy of his fame and the spiraling trajectory that ultimately ended in Elvis's death only peaked the public's interest about the mysterious legendary performer. i know it did mine. after reading all those other elvis biographies, i felt i had more questions than i did answers. this book serves to clarify some of the more peculiar characteristics that elvis presented to the public, especially in his last few years of life when his performances became more and more delusional.
or maybe some people don't want to know. it's a pretty sad story. this book is meant for inquisitive minds who can withstand the harsh truths about a man turned demigod. i had read other customer reviews before reading this book myself, so i was prepared for some of the more outlandish-sounding theories that whitmer discussed.
the premise of elvis' psychopathology is based on the stillborn birth of his twin, jesse. throughout all 427 pages of the book, whitmer constantly refers back to elvis' desire to be reunited with his twin brother. it's a compelling theory, and whitmer is a vivid story-teller for a psychologist (this book is far from a dry read which i appreciate), but it's also fraught with limitations.
see, the problem with psychoanalysis is that a lot of it just sounds so farfetched. then again, i'm not an analyst. i admit, whitmer does incorporate a lot of theory such as the oedipus complex (which, in elvis' case, is so textbook it's freaky) and family systems into the case conceptualization of elvis presley, so i see a lot of legitimacy in that sense.
however --and this is where my critique of the book as a piece of psychological literature comes in-- whitmer's use of theory falls flat due to his lack of reliable references. for all we know, the literature he is drawing his claims from may be grossly outdated. and not only that, but he has never met elvis himself, yet the way he writes about elvis sounds as if he knew the star personally.
it is a very intriguing read, but begin the book with the above limitations in mind. even though whitmer tends to make absolute conclusions about elvis' psychological makeup, it can hardly be regarded as such. the first sentence in the book sums it up:
"Kafka once described the search for 'truth' as similar to the difficulties of a blind man in a room with no light looking for a black cat -- that is not there."
even if you were close to the guy, i don't think there is any way anyone could truly know him. but at least this book gives us some inkling as to what he goes on in the mind of a legend.
The dead are arising The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X is an informative, detailed look at the life of Malcolm X. Les Payne worked on the research for this book for almost 30 years, which his daughter Tamara completed following his death in 2018.