Eminem: Crossing the Line (Paperback)

by Martin Huxley (Author) "Though he's sometimes described as an overnight success, Eminem-who was just twenty-four years old when The Slim Shady LP went platinum-spent nearly a decade honing..." (more)
Key Phrases: Kid Rock, Los Angeles, Rolling Stone (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
This is the latest book by Huxley, author of several musician biographies. Skimpy and superficial, it's little more than an attempt to cash in on the popularity of rapper Eminem (n? Marshall Mathers). Huxley's tendency to focus on Eminem's rise to fame, leaving the majority of his youth untouched, begs the question of whether this book is really necessary; two major label albums and a few hit singles do not an icon make. Similarly questionable is Huxley's biased prose. While he does mention the uglier, well-publicized side of Eminem's character, these instances are rare and tempered by ridiculous descriptions of him as a "mischievous man-child" and "a sensitive soul whose confidence can still be bruised by a careless callous comment." On the plus side, the discography, which lists every record that Eminem has ever performed on, will be helpful to true "Em" fanatics. Overall, however, this biography is little more than a piece of merchandise to reside next to the CDs, all of which have infinitely more heart and soul invested in their creation.AVincent Au, "Library Journal"
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Minions of overweening decency, arise! Eminem's biography is here, and in case you haven't heard, Eminem is the latest parental nightmare--a foul-mouthed white gangsta rapper. Huxley suggests that Eminem, who veritably drips authenticity as long as his producer, rap wiz Dr. Dre, hovers nearby, is the ultimate honky gangsta. Optimists looking for hope in a time of rampant teen angst probably won't be heartened by such mellow Eminem sentiments as "'Faggot' to me doesn't necessarily mean gay people. 'Faggot' . . . just means you're a sissy, you're a coward." And all the fuck-this and fuck-that bluster won't be too encouraging, either. This slim volume with big print covers Eminem's relatively short career in fine style, though, showing that, like Jim Morrison and countless other rockin' Satans before him, Eminem isn't quite as scary as his publicists want you to think--he's close, though! To get the skinny on this latest pop harbinger of apocalypse, blow an hour on this wee life. Then hand it to the kids. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (September 19, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312267320
• ISBN-13: 978-0312267322
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,333,053 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sorry, not good!, September 25, 2000

By	L. Brown (N E England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Having just read "Crossing the Line" by Martin Huxley I would like to say, "Don't waste your time!". I'm a huge Em fan and this book told me absolutely nothing that I didn't already know. It appears all the author has done by way of research is watch the same MTV interviews that we all have, and regurgitate Em's lyrics from the CD's. I waited ages for this book to be published, but was really disappointed. The only few pages of the book that are worth looking at are the photos of the man himself.

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars only ok, November 8, 2000

By A Customer

I didn't like this book much because I already knew most of the things in the book. But I am a huge Eminem fan and there isn't much I don't know. To me it seemed like Martin Huxley just read Rolling Stone and Spin, and watched some mtv interviews and then wrote a whole book. But if your someone who doesn't know much about Eminem, then you may like this book.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I almost thought Aldus Huxley penned this masterpiece!, January 11, 2001

By	"male_pattern_b" (Sunny, sunny Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews

Martin Huxley is a brilliant writer. So much so, I looked up online to see if he was related to Aldus Huxley, the brilliant novelist (they're not related). Still, he paints a fabulous and easy to read picture of Emminem. Huxley skips the boring stuff and focuses on how Marshall Mathers grew into the rap mogul superstar hip hopper we know as Emminem. Hard core fans may clammor for more in-depth reporting but I think Huxley manages to stay on that fine line of giving the reader all the important details of Em's life while not getting into the sordid or too-personal details that really aren't the reader's business. I love this book! Long live Emminem, he sure rapped his way into my heart after reading this book!!