Customer Reviews

Elvis' Search for God

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All that time that we were enjoying Elvis' music, films, and personality, we never had an inkling that the spiritual life was important to him. Maybe this fact was deliberately withheld for the sake of his career. In any case, it is too bad that we did not really know him while he was alive. This book describes the real Elvis.

At the time he was born, a blue light surrounded his home. This was a sign that the spiritual would be important to him. It began in blood and thunder churches that he quickly rejected. Then he found gospel churches, where he learned to naturally move his body to exciting music. Then, after his career began, Larrry Geller entered his life. Of course, you never heard of Larry Geller, but he was Elvis' best friend and spiritual confidante for many years. Larry was a student of what is called metaphysics, a very broad field that Shirley MacLaine helped popularize. The author of the book, Jess Stearn, has also popularized it. The book describes Elvis' long interest in this field, from numerology to astrology to pre-Christian spirituality to Christ himself. For Elvis, it was a lonely path, as his friends and wife were not interested.

The book, like Out on a Limb, is a good introduction to metaphysics, and describes what a typical (if Elvis could be called typical) student experiences. His study helped him to face death with no qualms, and the book explains the real cause of his death (not drugs)

This is a curious book. It gives an overview of Elvis' spiritual search as seen through the eyes of Larry Geller, his personal hairdresser and self-proclaimed Guru. Geller got Elvis to explore his spiritual side mainly through New Age readings and meditation, and his own conversations with him. But the book seems to be a series of anecdotes, and bits and pieces of information thrown together. It was interesting, but did not give the kind of insight into Elvis' spirituality that I was expecting from Mr. Stearn. Perhaps I am expecting too much - Elvis the mystic?

this book is rather clumsily ghostwritten by Stearn, based on the input of Larry Geller, Elvis' hairstylist and spiritual guru for 13 years.

This book was written in about 1980, and has been published under two other titles, The Truth About Elvis and Elvis' Spiritual Journey. The contents and anecdotes are OK, but the book is written in a sort of rambling, non-narrative style. Should be called "Elvis the Nice Guy Anecdote Grab-Bag."

Anyway, Larry Geller got it right five years later when he joined with two better ghost-writers and put out the riveting and excellent If I Can Dream - now out of print, but available used here on Amazon. Do yourself a favor and read that instead of this.

Larry Geller introduced Elvis Presley into the massive literature of the occult, popularly known as New Age. While driving through the desert Presley was enlightened when a cloud in the shape of the face of Joseph Stalin changed itself into the face of Jesus. Elvis' strange rantings drove Priscilla into hysterics. A drugged Elvis went spiritually bananas. Recognizing the danger this literature posed to Elvis' sanity Colonel Parker had it removed. After they were married Priscilla persuaded Elvis to burn these books. A very strange story.

This book has aprox. 20 black + white FULL PAGE PHOTO'S! Some I had never seen before. I really, really liked this book. It was written honestly and from the heart in my opinion. It is earnest and YES I am going to say it..sweet. I bought it for a friend that is a EXTREME FAN. I was intrigued
with it so I thought I would look through it first. I wound up reading it before I gave it to him! Since he is has been collecting Elvis "stuff" for awhile, I was surprised he did not have it. HE LOVED IT ! Buy it if you are looking for a "different" type of Elvis book. I don't think you will be disappointed.You can always take the pictures out, frame and sell them ONLINE! Ha!..But here's betting you won't.

I was hoping to find out more about what Elvis had on his bookshelf in regard to spiritual books, his own beliefs, where his upbringing came in, etc...

This seemed like a quickly done book of stuff we already knew.

I preferred "If I Can Dream."