Tender
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Overview
East Tupelo was a sprinkling of poor houses at the scratched-out back edge of Mississippi--and the birthplace of a boy who would become the greatest rock legend of his time.In Tender, novelist Mark Childress has redefined the American epic. He takes us on a wild ride through the last three decades as his fictional hero, Leroy Kirby, makes his meteoric rise to stardom, from the poverty-stricken child of an overprotective mother and absent father, to an icon who stands for everything American--a role that will ultimately consume him. After reading Tender, you will never think about the South, fame, or rock-and-roll the same way again.
Synopsis
East Tupelo was a sprinkling of poor houses at the scratched-out back edge of Mississippi—and the birthplace of a boy who would become the greatest rock legend of his time.
In Tender, novelist Mark Childress has redefined the American epic. He takes us on a wild ride through the last three decades as his fictional hero, Leroy Kirby, makes his meteoric rise to stardom, from the poverty-stricken child of an overprotective mother and absent father, to an icon who stands for everything American—a role that will ultimately consume him. After reading Tender, you will never think about the South, fame, or rock-and-roll the same way again.
Library Journal
Tupelo, Mississippi's Leroy Kirby spends his early years in poverty as his parents move from place to place, one step ahead of the landlord's wrath, in search of work. His only joy lies in a mutually adoring relationship with his mother and the music that feeds his soul. A county fair talent show, his own guitar, and a determination to be famous leads to a recording contract with an obscure local company; the subsequent refinement of his sexy bad boy image brings him a phenomenal success the likes of which the entertainment world may never see again. Few readers will miss the parallels with another guitar-playing truck driver whose military induction became a media event and spelled heartache for the country's female population, but this is no mere roman a clef . The author of A World Made of Fire ( LJ 10/15/84) and V for Victor ( LJ 12/1/88) has written a realistic, moving account of the early days of rock `n' roll.--Judith A. Gifford, Salve Regina Coll. Lib., Newport, R.I.