Biography & Memoir

Music writer Peter Guralnick has written volume two of his biography of Elvis Presley. "Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley." (Little, Brown and Company). Part One of his biography is, "Last Train to Memphis."

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "Fanny Trollope: The Life and Adventures of a Clever Woman" (Viking) a biography of the mother of novelist Anthony Trollope.

First violinist Arnold Steinhardt is one of the founding members of the Guarneri (Gwa-NAIR-ee) String Quartet, which has been playing together for 35 years. He's written a new memoir, "Indivisible by Four: A String Quartet in Pursuit of Harmony" (Farrar Straus & Giroux). The Quartet is considered to be one of the finest string quartets performing today.

Book critc Maureen Corrigan chooses her favorite reads from this past year.

Cooper helped popularize the Hammond B3 organ as part of rock music, performing on recordings of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, and The Who. He was a member of the legendary Blues Project, and later founded the group Blood Sweat & Tears. Now he teaches at The Berklee College of Music in Boston, and writes a monthly column for EQ Magazine. His autobiography, "Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock 'n Roll Survivor" (Billboard Books) which was first published in 1977 has just been updated and reissued.

Holmes has written a new autobiography, "Against the Odds" (Thomas Dunne Book) about how he came up through poverty, and his training as Muhammad Ali's sparring partner.

In 1980, Debbie Morris was a 16 year-old high school junior who was kidnapped, raped, and beaten by Robert Lee Willie. Willie's story was portrayed by Sean Penn in the film "Dead Man Walking." She has written about her life in "Forgiving the Dead Man Walking." (Zondervan)

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the 50th Anniversary edition of Thomas Merton's spiritual autobiography, "The Seven Story Mountain" (Harcourt Brace).

The soul musician has written his autobiography "Truly Blessed" (Putnam). Pendergrass was a popular soul singer in the group "Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes". He went solo in 1976. In 1982, he was paralyzed after a near fatal car accident in Philadelphia, his hometown. Since then he has returned to the studio and produced several albums.

Robert McCrum suffered a stroke in 1995 at the young age of 42. He has written in detail about his experience and his recovery. Terry Gross talks with McCrum and his wife Sarah Lyall who was key in his recovery. His new book is "My Year Off: Recovering Life After a Stroke."

Walt Disney Company CEO Michael Eisner talks about his new memoir "Work in Progress," which has been published by Random House. Eisner took over as head of Disney in 1984. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Jane. They have three sons. Disney is now a global entertainment giant. It owns ABC TV, A&E Television, Touchstone Pictures, Miramax Films, ESPN, Lifetime, and nine television stations, ten radio stations, seven daily newspapers, theme parks, housing developments and even a cruise ship.

Dickey has written a new memoir about his relationship with his father, the late poet and novelist James Dickey. It's called "Summer of Deliverance: A Memoir of Father and Son" (Simon & Schuster). Dickey writes that his father was "a great poet, a famous novelist, a powerful intellect, and a son of a bitch I hated." But Dickey writes that he also loved his alcoholic, abusive father. And as an adult, he picked up his relationship with his father again, after a 20 year absence.

Born in 1937 in Littlefield, Texas, Jennings was a disc jockey at 14, and had already formed his own band at the age of 12, making guest appearances on local station KDAV's "Sunday Party," where he met Buddy Holly in 1955. Jennings became Holly's bass player. It was Jennings who gave his seat up to the Big Bopper on the plane which crashed later killing Buddy Holly.

Mills has written a new memoir, "Let's Get It On: Tough Talk from Boxing's Top Ref and Nevada's Most Outspoken Judge" (Crown Publishers). This fall he will have a syndicated court TV show.

While writer Fred Haefele's re-evaluated his life's priorities during middle-age, he put together an Indian motorcycle from parts. His memoir is called "Rebuilding the Indian."

Emily Colas has written her first book, a memoir, "Just Checking: Scenes from the life of an obsessive-compulsive." (Penguin-Pocket books). She writes about her many worries and fears about germs, and food poisoning, and her compulsion to trace the design of a star in her head, while having conversations with people. Colas eventually was treated for the disorder.

Writer and housecleaner Louise Rafkin. Her articles have appeared in "The New York Times," "The Utne Reader," and "Los Angeles Times." Her new book about cleaning is "Other People's Dirt: A Housecleaner's Curious Adventures" (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill).

The boxing writer and former agent talks about his new book "This Bloody Mary is the Last Thing I Own: A Journey to the End of Boxing." (Ecco Press). Kendall boxed in college and later became an successful agent for Colin "Sweet C" McMillan who won the World Featherweight Champion. Rendall now writes from his home in Suffolk, England.

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews "Florence Harding" (Morrow) the new biography of First Lady Florence Harding by Carl Sferrazza Anthony.