Faith Hill: Piece of My Heart [Paperback]

James L. Dickerson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 23, 2001

From humble beginnings in Star, Mississippi, Faith Hill has soared to the top of the country and pop charts, becoming one of the most successful female recording artists in history. she has had eight number-one singles and ten number-one videos, and her albums have sold millions. She is country music's hottest star and America's newest sweetheart. Everything she touches turns to gold.

Faith Hill: Piece of My Heart tells the inspirational story of the Grammy-winning singer's rise to stardom. Drawing on interviews with Faith Hill, her childhood friends and teachers, music professionals, and fans, James L. Dickerson chronicles her storybook life from birth to the present.

This intimate portrait of Faith Hill examines her Huck Finn-like childhood, her first marriage and divorce, her hardscrabble years as a struggling artist in Nashville, her love affair with the man who became her husband (country superstar Tim McGraw), her thoughts on marriage and motherhood, and heartbreaking search for her birth mother.

Complete with photographs and insider information, here at last is the whole story behind the life and music of Faith Hill-country music's darling and pop superstar.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James L. Dickerson, a veteran journalist and author, is the coauthor of Scotty Moore's life story, That's Alright, Elvis, and the author of nine other books, including biographies of the Dixie Chicks and Colonel Tom Parker. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (June 23, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312281951
• ISBN-13: 978-0312281953
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #958,140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A native of Mississippi, James L. Dickerson is the author of twenty-six books, and over 2,000 magazine and newspaper articles; he has worked as a magazine editor and publisher, newspaper editor, reporter, columnist, book critic, and social worker.
Dickerson's book, The Mojo Triangle, was the winner of a 2006 IPPY award (Independent Publisher Book Awards) in the non-fiction category. Two other books, Goin' Back to Memphis and That's Alright, Elvis, were finalists for the Gleason Award. Reprint rights to Dickerson's books have been sold to publishers in Australia and China, where two of his books have been translated into Chinese.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shedding the fandom for an honest look, June 15, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Faith Hill: Piece of My Heart (Paperback)

Watch out Faith Hill fans. You might get a little more than you bargained for with this biography of the country music glamour queen. But then again, you might gain appreciation for her. The author tosses away the layers of glitz and fan worship for an honest, thorough look at her life and it's not always so glamourous. Childhood, marriages, and her climb up the gold ladder of the country music industry are detailed here from an honest, healthy distance. The interviews are concise and relevant and while some of her fans may not like hearing the revelations about her road, others will appreciate what a resourceful and now powerful woman has emerged. Pulling no punches brings out the best in many cases and Faith Hill's bio shines in its honesty and thoroughness. Seems she's to be admired for her survival skills as well as her beauty and music. Not to be missed.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Just a Pretty Face, June 8, 2001

By 

Amanda (Amarillo, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faith Hill: Piece of My Heart (Paperback)

Isn't it great when an author actually pulls off what he promises us readers? Dickerson starts out "I defy you to read parts of this intimate story without shedding a tear or two." Not being a country music addict, this avid biography reader scoffed. Much to my pleasant surprise, Faith Hill: Piece of My Heart was a thoroughly researched, compassionate read. I've read another Dickerson book (Colonel Tom Parker) and am amazed at how he seems to unearth so many never-heard-before facts. Especially with his take on Faith Hill, this works to make her totally three-dimensional. Did this skeptic shed a tear? I'm embarrassed to say that the tissues came out when the door was slammed in Faith Hill's face (and on her heart) for the umpteenth time. And I thought she was just a Barbie doll.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't Place Any Faith In This Book, February 2, 2003

By 

Daniel Dean (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faith Hill: Piece of My Heart (Paperback)

As a fan of Faith Hill's music, I wanted to probe the exterior of her career and delve into the beginnings of her success. Reading more like a book report, this text does an adequate job of summarizing Faith's life up to the debut of her album Breathe. That's about as far as I'll go. I think the book really suffered on three fronts: 1) there were no interviews between Faith and author James Dickerson. If Dickerson had conducted those interviews (he cites past interviews with Faith and other journalists), he would have established his credibility. This is the biggest problem I have with this book--Dickerson just wrote a 150-page report; 2) The resources used and way Dickerson presented Faith's life seemed storybook-like. Although it does mention them, this book does a poor job at probing how Faith's roadblocks ultimately shape her course to success; 3) this is only a minor criticism, but for me, the writing was too simplistic and didn't really challenge me at all. A celebrity biography isn't supposed to have the same flow as a presidential bio, for example, but the writing could have certainly been cleaned up to make it a little more interesting.
If you're interested in Faith Hill's life, leave the book at the library and watch Faith's feature on the Biography channel. It goes quicker and is more entertaining.