I came across Big Man at a local discount store and noticed it by the front cover picture of Clarence Clemons. If u don't know who Clarence Clemons is, he is a big part of the sound of Bruce Springsteen's music and of the E Street Band. He plays Saxophone REALLY GOOD!!!! And he is very cool. :) If u know who he is that is.
This book is supposed to be an autobiography, but in reality this book takes a different approach from the normal celebrity autobiography. This book presents Clarence's life story through a series of short stories. And those stories of Clarence's are interspersed with other short stories by Don Reo who is the co-author of the book. Don Reo is a long time friend of Clarence Clemons, and an entertainment professional who has created numerous television programs not the least of which was MASH. Don's stories help to present Clarence's life from a bit of an outsider view as though you were actually in the background watching events unfold. And in between the stories of Clarence and Don you will find stories by Clarence on grey colored pages that tend to be stories that are based on dreams by Clarence or that otherwise tend to be of events that never took place but make a point or make u laugh depending on the story's intent.
The stories of Clarence's life take us up to 2009. Near the end of the book the reader learns of Clarence's health problems, about his last marriage, and how Clarence tried to cope with his health problems. I found his stories near the end of the book inspirational as Clarence tried to deal with his health problems while finding happiness in a new love and marriage, and his continued effort to produce his music, and performing for Bruce and the E Street Band.
Clarence died on June 18th, 2011 due to complications from a stroke. For fans such as me, Clarence's legacy is remembered by his music and his close friendship with Bruce Springsteen. The two of them together, along with the rest of the members of the E Street Band have produced a musical legacy that has left a deep impact on American culture and around the world. And will continue to do so for future generations. Reading Clarence's story I got the opportunity to learn about the Big Man himself, get a sense of his personality from his tall tales, and enjoy the experience of learning about his own personal and private legacy.
You can purchase a copy of this book through Amazon at the link below:
You can also visit the book publisher's websites to learn of additional book titles available at the following links.
http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/publishers/grand-central-publishing/
http://grandcentralpub.tumblr.com/
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