The Man Called CASH: The Life, Love and Faith of an American Legend

by Steve Turner

Johnny Cash is one of the most influential figures in music and American popular culture today. While he was an icon to people of all ages during his life, Cash's legacy continues after his death. His remarkable story is captured in this exclusive authorized biography, addressing the whole life of Johnny Cash-not just his unforgettable music but also his relationship with June Carter Cash and his faith in Christ. His authenticity, love for God and family, and unassuming persona are what Steve Turner captures with passion and focus in this inspiring book. Different from other books written about him, The Man Called CASH brings Cash's faith and love for God into the foreground and tells the story of a man redeemed, without watering-down or sugar-coating. The Man Called CASH will be a huge success with his millions of fans and will draw in many new fans with this inspiring story of faith and redemption.

Genres: Biography, Music, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, Christian, History

352 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 2004

About the author

Steve Turner is an English music journalist, biographer and poet, who grew up in Northamptonshire, England. His first published article was in the Beatles Monthly in 1969. His career as a journalist began as features editor of Beat Instrumental where he interviewed many of the prominent rock musicians of the 1970s. He subsequently freelanced for music papers including NME, Melody Maker and Rolling Stone.

During the 1980s he wrote extensively for British newspapers and magazines on a range of subjects as well as producing his study of the relationship between rock music and religion, Hungry For Heaven, and co-authoring U2: Rattle & Hum, the book of the film. In the 1990s he began devoting himself to full-length books, the first being a best selling biography of British music star Cliff Richard, Cliff Richard: The Biography, in 1993, which stayed in the Sunday Times bestseller list for six weeks. At the same time he has written a number of poetry books for both adults and children. The first of his books for children, The Day I Fell Down The Toilet, has now sold over 120,000 copies, and total sales for his children's poetry collection now exceeds 200,000.

His published poetry books for adults are Tonight We Will Fake Love, Nice and Nasty, Up To Date, The King of Twist and Poems. His published poetry collections for children are The Day I Fell Down The Toilet, Dad, You're Not Funny, The Moon Has Got His Pants On, I Was Only Asking and Don't Take Your Elephant To School.

He now combines his book writing and journalism with poetry readings, lecture tours of America and Europe and consultancies. He lives in London.
Hungry for Heaven: Rock and Roll and the Search for Redemption(1988)
Van Morrison: Too Late to Stop Now (1993) Van Morrison
Cliff Richard: The Biography (1993) Cliff Richard
A Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song (1994; updated in 1999 and 2005)
Jack Kerouac: Angelheaded Hipster (1996)
Trouble Man: The Life and Death of Marvin Gaye (1998)
Imagine: A Vision for Christians in the Arts (2001)
The Man Called Cash: The Life, Love and Faith of an American Legend (2004) Johnny Cash
Amazing Grace: John Newton, Slavery and the World's Most Enduring Song (2005)
The Gospel According to the Beatles (2006)
An Illustrated History of Gospel(2010)
The Band That Played On (2011)

Reviews

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars for The Man Called Cash (audiobook) by Steve Turner read by Rex Linn

This is a really in-depth look into the life of Johnny Cash. He was a wonderful entertainer and songwriter. This book covers all of his ups and downs throughout his life. I was most interested in hearing what it was like for him to working with the music producer Rick Rubbin. This collaboration went on for several years and ultimately came up with the amazing song and video of Hurt, the NIN song that Jonny made his own.

[Una Tiers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book presented the religious, fanatical side of Cash. It was informative but seemed to skip over the relationship with June and his son.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 *
A well researched and detailed book. My only qualm with it is that it didn't go into much detail of his relationship with his second wife, June Carter.
However, it was interesting to read all about the man who I have listened to for years and who my father loved. I still remember my father constantly playing his 45 of "A Boy Named Sue", and explaining it to me when I was about 8 or 9. I am still lucky to have the vinyl and some of Cash's LPs on vinyl too.
I love the fact that there is great detail given to the appendix at the back of the book, such as; discography, bibliography, year by year details of what occurred in his life, etc.
Well written, just would have like a little more about his relationship with June.

[Jennifer Spiegel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pretty much loved this book.
It is a biography, but it's really for those especially interested in the religious angle of the Man in Black. It's very authentic, not skirting around the deep or hard stuff, and still full of all of the other info too. I appreciated the perspective that did justice to the entirety of Johnny Cash.
A few details:
--I love Johnny Cash.
--The main guy character in my novel AND SO WE DIE, HAVING FIRST SLEPT is named Cash after Johnny.
--My husband and I visited the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville this summer, and we both loved it.
--I feel a new appreciation for many people mentioned in this book, but especially Kris Kristofferson.
--I finished it and thought to myself that Johnny Cash really was an extraordinary human.

[Marco G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book. I had been a casual fan of Cash's lyrics and a few of his songs, but as years went by I learned of his impact on many people due to his generosity, his views on social justice, his compassion, his kindness, and his influence on artists over many generations. All this drew me to wanting to get to know the man better, and I am glad I did. This book made me cry a few times. His life was hard, from picking cotton as a little kid to dealing with the ravages of time and getting older. He was a flawed man who indulged and lived life to its fullest and, later, found spirituality and his soul mate. In between, his story arks over Elvis, the birth of rock and roll, serving in our military, becoming a star, drug addition, infidelity, redemption , and grace. All the while, music and writing were always foremost to him, and kept his creative juices flowing up to the very end.

This book is not so much a chronological encapsulation of the events of his life, but more of a journey through the arc of his spiritual life, within the framework of a retelling of the major events of his history. The writer's style really flows and his book is incredibly easy and quick to read.

One of the things that really moved me was the imagery of a lyric in the book about crossing the river to meet your loved ones (IE death and the life thereafter). The image of his wife, extending her hand as she crosses the Jordan to meet John half way and make it across together, for eternity, was so beautiful to me. To quote the Beatles, "the love you make is the love you take" and I hope they are happy together waiting for the rest of us to make our own journey across the Jordan to be reunited with our loved ones.

Some quotes form the book that I wanted to share:

"I learned social consciousness from John," says (Kris) Kristofferson. "I learned concern for your brother and independence—doing what you believe in spite of what other people tell you."

Bono. "I'm talking of my own life as a believer. People were selling God like a commodity, and I couldn't relate to them. Then I met Johnny Cash and I felt like him. You read the Scriptures and you realize that he's actually like these guys in the Scriptures. He's not like these weirdos."

When asked about liking heavy metal, Cash responded: "It feels good. I like the way it feels in your liver. The vibrations!"

Cash on compassion: "The heart is all that matters in the end." Follow your heart. That's what I do. Compassion is something I have a lot of, because I've been through a lot of pain in my life. Anybody who has suffered a lot of pain has a lot of compassion. Maybe I don't have enough."

[Kenneth Garrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished my second time through this (this time, listened to it on Audiobook), and was again fascinated with masterful telling of Johnny Cash's life story. This book is really more of a spiritual biography than a recounting of days, dates, times, events, and such. It travels along the rocky, dangerous road of addiction, relapse, failure, restoration and forgiveness, often followed by....relapse, failure, restoration, forgiveness, etc. The author made a great attempt at explaining the life of faith--including its many failures and tragedies, along with the persistent, relentless belief that at the end of the day, a loving God remains in love with His children, despite their failures. This book presents a real-life tale of sanctification that no theology text that I have ever read comes remotely close to describing. It's shot through with Romans 7.
If you want to understand what compels people to Christ, and what often repels people from Christianity--which is why I re-read this book, you'll find some answers in this biography. Enjoy the feast!

[F.R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Given the remarkable nature of Johnny Cash's life, it would be immensely difficult to write a dull biography of the man - and Turner does a good job in taking the reader through the highs and lows of this great twentieth centry life. I just wish that:

a. he had a more exciting prose style.
b. he'd taken a more thorough approach.

Two hundred and fifty pages just feels like a skate through what is a big life and a big story. I would have liked Turner to stop occasionally and fully describe the world he was writing about, to put it into a wider context. Peter Guarlnick's 'Last Train To Memphis' is a touchstone for the kind of nuanced and detailed biography that really captures a lost time and place, and hopefully one day Cash will have a similar biography which really does him justice.

[Tracey Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love all things Johnny Cash. However, I'm thinking the audio just didn't work for me.

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes the more broken we are, the more God has to break us to set us right. Johnny Cash was broken by his brother's death and his father's failures. He broke himself more through his own sin. And finally, his health broke from multiple maladies and his heart broke from the loss of June. But behind all of this breaking was the God whose ultimate goal is to set right. He made Johnny what he was by the end of his life -- a humble, grateful, repentant man. And He made Johnny what he is now and will be for eternity -- a sanctified, glorified, and completely whole man.

The narration was OK -- didn't love it, didn't hate it.

[Carlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like biographies and this one was good. I thought Turner did a great job of condensing a man's life, through all kinds of eras and stages into one cohesive and interesting story. I liked Johnny Cash already so didn't need to be convinced that he was a meaningful figure in American musical history. Truth be told, I didn't know the half of it. Cash was far more influential and important than I ever imagined. The man was the living link between folk, country and rock...not to mention gospel.

I loved the understanding way that Turner covers Cash's Christianity: clear, objective and almost perfectly spot on. Factually explaining the bones of his beliefs but also never condescending or dismissive about the role it played and what it all really meant while somehow also avoiding the lofty, holier-than-though blather that usually comes through in "written for Christians by Christians" literature. I am not sure how the author managed to hit right down the center like that but he did it with aplomb.

I liked the book but it didn't change my life and I won't be telling everyone I know to read it. It's great for music geeks or people who already think The Man In Black was a living legend but there's not a lot in there to compel a person who is outside of the genre in some obvious way. Good but not great which almost explains my take on Cash himself as well. Clearly in many ways the man was a gold rimmed stand-out but in others I left feeling a lot of "almost." He had huge record sales but ultimately he was a bit of a down-and-outer who kind of self-hated a lot and even his Christianity is of the extreme stripe. "Love Jesus out loud, all the time or nothing and while you do it, bang a Bible on the pulpit and holler a bit." kind of faith practice. I wish he could have learned to really live on his own two feet instead of leaning on June, learn to live beyond being the dark and brooding man with all the cool scars and live a faith filled with quiet love and less self-berating.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it took me nearly a month to finish this book, I enjoyed reading about Cash. A man who struggled with drug addition and infidelity, he offered no excuses for his wrong doings nor did he turn himself into a victim. What he did instead was use has faith to help him become a better human being. He was never self-righteous and so full of judgement that he could not identify with anyone. On the contrary, his faults made him approachable because he was honest about them. His marriage to June had their hardships, however, because they were determined to be devoted to each other, the marriage endured the test of time. Whether one is a country music fan or not, this book will help people appreciate what grace is.

[Amber Launstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt summarized. The last book I read about him was much longer. But I liked that this one was read by kristoferson.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book of 2023!

(Does it count if I read half of it in 2022?)

Johnny Cash is frequently my answer to the question, “if you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?” It’s not just because I love his music; he is an absolutely fascinating person. This story, near the end, exemplifies the genuine nature of Cash:

“That same year, Cash met Bono, who came to Hendersonville during a trip across America with U2 bass player Adam Clayton. When they sat down for a
meal, Cash intoned a long and elaborate grace, thanking God for his wonderful
provisions and asking him to bless the food to their bodies. Then he opened his eyes, winked at Bono, and said, "Sure do miss the drugs though." The demonstration of piety coupled with the admission of weakness endeared Cash to the young Irish musicians. In May 1989 Cash recalled the meeting: "We sat around and played some songs afterwards and then we started writing a song together ["Ellis Island," which was never completed]. We were going to finish it off by fax, but that didn't work out. I hope to go and see him when I get to Dublin."

This biography is not nearly as in-depth and detailed as Robert Hilburn’s. I’d say this one is a bit of a quicker and easier read. It’s also more of a spiritual biography. This one is a must-read for any Cash fan; Hilburn’s is sort of next level.

Overall, 4.5 stars.

[Joshua Reitano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the abridged Audio Book with the reading done by Johnny Cash's close friend, Kris Kristofferson. I loved everything about the audiobook experience, all the way down to the part where I cried in the car when Kristofferson would get choked up over June's death, or some great act of love Johnny had shown him. I really recommend this way of interacting with Steve Turner's great biography of Cash.

Since my experience is limited to the audio book, I copy my friend Ray Cannata's review of the written book below.

Johnny Cash was a man of baffling contradictions. Turner relays an event that is illustrative: Cash goes shooting and wounds a crow. He is so moved with compassion for the bird that he goes to great lengths to nurse it back to health. Turner writes, "...it encapsulated Cash's contradictions. Here was a man, though capable of destruction, who became overwhlemed with the desire to repair what he had destroyed; a nonviolent man who had a love affair with guns; an artist who could cause suffering and tehn turn that suffering into art..."

Turner tackles this wild, passionate, brilliant enigma and gets him to tell his story. It is everything you;d want in a biography: infromative, disciplined, crisp, fast-paced.

Turner is a seasoned music journalist, with previous books on the Beatles, Van Morrison, Marvin Gaye, and the hymn Amazing grace. He has written for the London Times, Rolling Stone, and Mojo. And the quality of his writing is excellent. So much music journalism -- take for example Dave Marsh's awful biographies of Springsteen etc. -- is so earnest, so bloated with self-importance, so cheesy. Not Turner. He clearly is a Cash fan, this is the "authorized" bio., but he has a cool maturity and grace that makes this a standard for future music bios.

Turner is especially insightful on Johnny Cash's complex Christian faith.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unsurprisingly, given the length of his career and extensive body of work, there are number of biographies (auto or otherwise) about Johnny Cash. "The Man Called Cash" was intended as another autobiography, told from the twilight of his career but, sadly, Cash passed away mere weeks before writing was to begin. That said, given the timing, it still allows for the most chronologically complete look at the man and his music.

Those looking for a lot of details about studio sessions and collaborations are probably going to be disappointed, for "life, love, and faith" really are the focus, here, especially the last. Turner does an excellent job framing Cash's life, not just as the evolution of an artist, but of a man's evolving relationship with himself and his religion. Much like the man, himself, the book never comes across as preaching, just honest.

The other major plus in this book's favor again stems from its timing: the inclusion of a good deal of material about Cash's career resurgence during the American Recordings period while working with producer Rick Rubin. That was the point where I really discovered the music, so the journey from the Sun Studio days to his covers of artists like Nick Cave and Neil Diamond was a fascinating one.

[Nick Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. It was truly amazing to read about the life of one of my favorite music artist. It has given me a deeper appreciation of his music and a new admiration of who he was as a man. I was first introduced to the music of Johnny Cash by my Grandpa when we made a long voyage from Florida to Michigan. Grandpa had a lot of old country music cassettes and I was becoming hopeless of being entertained by his music collection until we came across Johnny Cash. During those two days, I became a Cash fan as we listened too many of my grandpa’s cassettes. There are many things to admire about Johnny Cash, but what I admire most was his realness about life and who he was, the struggle and failure of moral values, the desire for redemption from God, and his faith and faithfulness to God. These values came out in his music which is what made his music transcend time and music genre. It is easy to see how he is considered an American legend by many people of all generations.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if you are not a Cash fan, it is still a great story about faith, hope, love, addiction, unfaithfulness, the cutthroat music industry and finally, personal redemption.

I confess, I was never a fan, but I enjoyed this book immensely. I occasionally stopped to listen to songs mentioned in the text. His collaboration with dozens of other musicians had me checking out their history too.

[Craig Amason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never been a big fan of Johnny Cash, which in some circles brands me as a heretic. I didn't enjoy hearing him sing. No one ever credited him with being a skilled musician, and he likely would not have argued the point. I did not agree with so many musicians, critics, and fans who thought his song lyrics were profound. There were a few that rose to the occasion, but most of them were rather simple. This book almost paints him as a scholar -- I have my doubts. I also thought the whole "man in black" persona was rather cheesy and contrived.

I do, however, recognize the impact he had on so many other musicians and entertainers. In fact, I didn't realize how many musicians collaborated with him, especially later in his career. I know he is a bit of a legend in the entertainment world, a reputation he spent a good deal of time cultivating. He was certainly a man of conviction, and on multiple levels.

I also didn't know how close he was to evangelist Billy Graham, and how the minister apparently admired Cash for his public testimony about his faith. Cash devoted much of his creative output to gospel music, often times at the risk of falling out of favor with record labels, producers, television executives, and some of his fans. He loved deeply, believed passionately, and endured incredible heartache and pain at times, including the physical kind. I don't think he was as much of an outlaw as he portrayed himself to be or as the media painted him to be. But he was definitely an outlier.

This biography was authorized by his estate, so it is definitely a sympathetic look at his life and career, but Turner manages to present a balanced portrait of his subject, complete with character flaws, addictions, infidelities, mental instability, and constant inner struggles. Cash comes away as a troubled soul who clung to the faith of his Christian upbringing, even though it seemed impossible for him to follow a righteous path. The vices always seemed to get the best of him, even by his own admission. I suspect guilt played a huge role in his religious convictions, especially the death of his brother at a young age and the fact that his father blamed him for the unfortunate accident that took his brother's life.

This audiobook was worth my time because, even though I rarely listen to his music, Johnny Cash is a name that is as immediately recognized as Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, or Willie Nelson. He is indeed a legend, a celebrity who crossed multiple genres in the world of entertainment.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

”And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder
One of the four beasts saying, ‘Come and see’
And I saw, and behold a white horse”

I thoroughly enjoyed this authorized biography on The Man in Black, Johnny Cash by Steve Turner.

Turner pens a good portion but not overly so to Cash’s religious devotion, revealing a soulful and spiritual deepness I’ve not read in awhile.

Especially enjoyed the chapters, American Recordings and The Man Comes Around.

In them, Turner explains how producer Rick Rubin and Cash met, essentially reviving Cash’s dying career.

After their first together, American Recordings, a departure from what country music and Cash’s career usually created, was critically highly accepted and commercially successful, Cash played Glastonbury Festival in England 1994, in front of fifty thousand fans with roaring adulation, bringing Cash to tears. He was back!

Next… The Man Comes Around.

If you’ve not listened to American recordings and the collaboration that Rubin and Cash did towards the end of his life, I highly recommend it.
American Recordings
American II: Unchained
American III: Solitary Man
American IV: The Man Comes Around
American V: A Hundred Highways
American VI: Ain’t No Grave

Listening to them now.

🎶 The wise man will bow down before the throne
And at his feet, they’ll cast their golden crowns
When the man comes around🎶

“And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts [...]
And I looked, and behold a pale horse:
And his name that sat on him was Death
And Hell followed with him”

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

UNDERSTAND THE MAN
Not many performers can claim accolades from diverse entertainers, from country to rock to folk to gospel, even rap. Johnny Cash transcends all forms for all times. He reinvented himself not simply to stay relevant. He stayed relevant because he reinvented himself.

He began as a rockabilly artist with a characteristic “boom-chicka-boom” sound. After he left Sun Records to join Columbia Records, his circle of acquaintances widened. By the time of his demise, he would be asked to perform with dozens of artists with solid reputations of their own: the Carter Family, Bob Dylan, Larry Gatlin, Merle Haggard, Bono and U2, Willie Nelson, to name a few.

Along the way, his life resembled one train wreck after another. An addiction to amphetamines caused the derailment of his marriage, his health, his career, and almost his life. His early belief in Jesus, tenuous at best at this time, became a lifeline. He ditched the pills and redirected his focus. He got off track from time to time, but never for long. He would later claim, “I fight the beast in me every day. I’ve won a few rounds with God’s help.”

A life as full as one lived by Johnny Cash belongs in a multi-volume set, but if you’d rather spend time listening to him than reading about him, you can’t do wrong with this handsome book. He never wore a suit of white, and he wouldn’t authorize a whitewashed version of his life.

[Colin Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like many others I guess I got into Johnny Cash via his American recordings series of albums produced by Rick Rubin and released from the mid 90s onwards. This part of Cash"s career is detailed pretty well in poet and journalist Steve Turner's biography about Cash and it's fascinating how Rubin reintroduced him to a whole new audience but it looks at so much more than that.

It was a really interesting read that concentrates a lot on Johnny Cash's faith and how that influenced his life and music as well as looking at the well documented struggles he faced with addiction particularly with amphetamines.

Cash may be seen by some as a contradiction but I don't think that's the case. He's a picture of redemption and restoration and a reminder that struggle doesn't negate a life of faith.

He was always a rebel and that came out in how He was always so open about his Christian faith in an industry in which that was far from thr norm to him it was never forced but naturally came out.

This book doesn't gloss over Johnny Cash's weakness and failures and in particular the way he treated his first wife wasn't good.

In his final years he struggled with his health and grieved the loss of his wife June. Some of his final work in the American recordings series shows a man nearing the end and that can be heard in his voice. This book covers that well.

It's a great and insightful read that has been well researched.

[Gordon Fuglie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Authorized Biography," however, is not the most insightful biography. To Steve Turner's credit, he gained access (thanks to the Cash family) to numerous surviving people who knew and worked with John R. Cash from the beginning of his career up to his final years. He began his biography in the early 2000s with the plan of working with Cash himself. But the singer/songwriter died in 2003, leaving Turner alone to finish the task.

The biography is constructed via the many observations from Cash's associates and family. These are presented frequently and repetitively in an anecdotal format, dotting the narrative flow of Turner's account. Some are helpful in understanding the songwriter/performer's legacy. But many other comments seem geared to or selected for their appreciative tone. Not that there isn't much to appreciate about Cash - there certainly is, but I felt the need for a deeper and more contextual understanding of the artist within the evolution of American popular music from the mid-1950s to 2000.

This means that Turner would've been better served by reaching a synthesis about Cash's MEANING in his musical place and time. I found the un-synthesized tidbits to not add up to a holistic account.

[Lindsay Duffy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My grandmother loved Jonny Cash and had a well-worn copy of The Man In Black. She always told me that his life story, struggles, and faith were one of the reasons reasons he was one of her favorite musicians. I got into Johnny's music after he died. I always wanted to read his biography but I could never find it. Then I stumbled upon this book on Hoopla and had to check it out.

Hoopla only had the audio book not the print version. Maybe it was because of how the audio book was recorded or maybe it's just how it was written, but I found it boring. The guy that reads the book has one of those droning voices that makes everything sound boring. Thankfully, if you increase the speed a little bit you don't have that problem. But there are several parts of the book that feel dry and dull. I enjoyed learning about Johnny Cash's faith and struggles.

[Cat Rayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kris Kristofferson said it best, that Johnny Cash was like the Father of Country. Given that we learn how influential the Man in Black was to Kristofferson, that is acceptable.

As biographies go, Steve Turner delivered a good overview of Johnny Cash. It seemed to briefly skim many formative years and then stall on occasion. Some editing issues were distracting, not the fault of the author.

For a complicated, talented man, it managed to give insight to his competitive time with Elvis, his drug use, and his intense faith. His love for June, unparalleled.

It certainly covered his musical catalog extensively, and his love and faith more a side bar. Still, a good quick read that caused me to dig out the Johnny Cash albums.

[David Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this book four stars instead of five because it suffered from editing problems.

I really enjoyed the winding narrative Turner wove about Johnny Cash's life.

He doesn't mythologize Cash or tarnish Cash's character. Rather, Turner writes plainly about Cash's saintly qualities and his struggles with different vices. In the end, he focuses on Cash's faith and the people in his life who helped him through the tough times.

But the book suffered from problems with editing. At least once sentences were repeated verbatim back-to-back, for example.

Five stars for a great story. Three for poor editing. I'll split the difference and give it four stars.

[RaeAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was really enjoyable to read about the man, Johnny Cash. It was a great historical account of his life and achievements and struggles, but also took such a deep dive into how it must have felt to be John. The autobiography really focuses on his faith and how he identified as a sinner in need of a Savior. That dependence was central to his life and all his decisions. His journey to become, was one he fought for every day of his life. You can pick and choose from the highlights, and the lows, but it is his collective journey that really is a treasure to celebrate. May we all choose to journey well!

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best biographies I've read. I like a book that shows the humanness of the subject, and this one surely does. From how his Christian beliefs formed his early years, to his redemption from his failure to live up to them, this biography shows the life of a highly-complicated man in a compelling way.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's musicians and then there's artists whose mediums are the fusion of words, angst, notes, present moments, future hopes and rhythm. In this book, we see how the artist Johnny Cash navigated all those layers of his existence and transformed them into tangible works for the world to enjoy and to be uplifted by while also finding his own path to peace.

[Francesco Rende · Rating 4 out of 5]

La biografia racconta di un perdonaggio complesso, un uomo buono, più che un uomo in nero, a cui la religione ha purtroppo mangiato il cervello. Dai campi di cotone dell’Arkansas ai Nine Inch Nails il cammino è lungo e accidentato, ma Johnny, pur meno influente e meno dotato, ha il pregio di morire di vecchiaia e non in una vasca da bagno, oramai redento e pacificato.

[Anastasiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's my first Johnny Cash biography, so I don't have much to compare it to. It is well-written, spans the entire lifespan, and hits on all the major milestones. I would say it's a good and objective introduction to the life of Johnny Cash - I look forward to reading his autobiographies and seeing how they differ in perspective.