28 - Trying to Get To You: The Reading Life of Elvis Presley

On our first episode of 2018, we mark the birthday of Elvis Presley with the story of his life as a reader. Fans may know Elvis from his music, movies, iconic fashion, or even from his famous home, Graceland. What can we learn about Elvis from considering his life as a reader? Elvis read voraciously, and travelled with suitcases full of books when he toured. In this episode, we’ll hear from his spiritual advisor, Larry Geller, and learn about the role books played in Elvis’ spiritual life. Elvis wanted to know why he’d been chosen to live such a singular life, and turned to books for answers. This was not a search without challenges, however. We’ll hear about an alleged book burning at Graceland, ordered by Elvis’ manager to put an end to Elvis’ spiritual quest, and Geller’s influence. His search for meaning and for answers continued until his untimely death, however. Though he kept no diary, some measure of his life as a reader remains scribbled in the notes he left in the margins of his books. To see some of Elvis’ marginalia, check out Larry Geller’s book, The Leaves of Elvis’ Garden: http://amzn.to/2m7v2XX To tell you story on Chapters, visit our website: www.chapterspod.com

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