Elvis Presley, Richard Nixon, and the American Dream [Hardcover]

Connie Kirchberg (Author), Marc Hendrickx (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0786407166 | ISBN-13: 978-0786407163

Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon are two of the most important and controversial figures of the twentieth century. Although fame came to them in very different ways, they rose from very similar backgrounds of poverty to seek the American Dream. These two remarkable men both had to face falls from grace, but while Nixon rebounded from Watergate to regain a reputation as a distinguished elder statesman, Elvis was destroyed by the pressures of fame, only to have his image restored after his death. Here, for the first time, the remarkable parallels in their lives are examined, balanced on the point of their historic December 21, 1970, meeting. Their similarities and differences as American icons are analyzed, and numerous photographs, including all those taken during their meeting, are included. Together, the stories of these two men form part of the essence of American culture.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Connie Kirchberg is a freelance writer specializing in biographies and popular American culture. She lives in Federal Way, Washington. Marc Hendrickx has authored books in Flemish, Dutch, and French covering such subjects as rock music legends and television hits. He lives in Wijnegem, Belgium.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 226 pages
• Publisher: Mcfarland & Co Inc Pub (October 31, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786407166
• ISBN-13: 978-0786407163
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,657,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lot of Nixon in an Elvis-book, June 16, 2000

By 

ElvisNews.com (www.ElvisNews.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elvis Presley, Richard Nixon, and the American Dream (Hardcover)

This book by Connie Kirchberg and Marc Hendrickx examines thelives of two Americans fulfilling the so-called AmericanDream.

Both made it from rags to riches. There are a lot of similarities in the way these two persons made it to the top, but of course also differences. This book handles both. By writing the biographies of these two people who briefly met in December 1970, the authors try to paint a picture of two lives which seem to have a lot more in common then expected. For us, more familiar with Elvis than with Nixon, there were some interesting eye-openers on the last one. Although we couldn't get rid of the idea that some of the comparisons are a bit sought for. More interesting than the exact comparisons between the two man making it to the top in their own field (becoming 'The King' and the president of the USA), are the differences after making it to the top and what happened then.

As we all know Elvis made it to the top and lost his spot at the top because of the addictions that led to his death. The last couple of years only his loyal fans kept him 'on top' by still buying his records and going to his shows (even if they were not the quality they once had).

We also know the story of Richard Nixon, making it to the top of the (Capitol) Hill and tumbling down on the other side as a result of the 'Watergate' scandal. Both persons made a `comeback', and we're not referring to the TV special with the same name. But there are differences. Nixon became a 'respected elder statesman' and was rehabilitated in the eyes of the general public. He lived to enjoy that. Elvis' rehabilitation came after his death. There are three moments most people remember what they were doing when it happened: the first man on the moon, the shooting of Kennedy and the death of Elvis, this does say something on the man and his achievements. Unfortunately he wasn't able to enjoy it.

A great pro of the book is that describing the lives of these two people from birth we also get a lot of information on Elvis parents, something which isn't seen in too many books and a nice extra for Elvis fans to complete their `picture' of Elvis' entire life. Another nice feature of the book is the appendix in which a lot of documents and pictures surrounding the Presley - Nixon meeting are presented...Our conclusion:

'Elvis Presley, Richard Nixon, and the American Dream' is an interesting book since it goes into the backgrounds of the lives of two men we all know, the 'American Dream' is the red line used to tell the stories of these two people. These backgrounds add some interesting views on the youth of Elvis dealing with a lot of rumours surrounding his upbringing. Besides that, the view from which this book is written is different from other Presley-books which makes it also interesting. For those like us, primary interested in Elvis, we must mention there's a lot of `Nixon' in this book about Elvis' life and achievements, but we admit to be narrow-minded...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a fun book!, November 29, 2000

By 

Carrie L Fox (Spokane, Washington United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elvis Presley, Richard Nixon, and the American Dream (Hardcover)

Although my mom wrote this book, don't take my review as biased. It is just a really good book! Anyone who wants to know more about Elvis and Nixon should read this book. Although I am not much of a non-fiction reader, I found this book to be informative, enlightening, and a little bit amusing. The reason I say "amusing" is because picturing either of these so-call "distiguished" men doing the things described in this book is enough to give anyone a good chuckle. This book is a quick read, has great information, and is very well put together. The whole experiance of reading this book is fun!

5.0 out of 5 stars Astounding parallels between the lives of Nixon and Presley, June 8, 2000

By 

Michael Fox (Alameda, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elvis Presley, Richard Nixon, and the American Dream (Hardcover)

This book gave me a great amount of insight into the lives of both Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon which I did not know before reading. The lives of Presley and Nixon, from their upbringing to their metoric rise to fame and success, had many surprising, unseen parallels which this book explained very well. The way the book is written, comparing the lives of Presley and Nixon as they grew and evolved, really illustrated to me how similar the course of events which lead to their rise and fall were to each others. This book is an interesting read as well as a thoroughly researched text which I would recommend to not only the Elvis or Nixon buff, but any person who wants insight into the climate of the late twentieth century