JOHNNY CASH

In compelling, if occasionally purple, prose—“While his demon pills had power beyond measure, part of Johnny wanted to defy them”—Neimark chronicles The Man in Black’s hardworking youth, meteoric rise to fame and years of struggle with chemical dependency. Because she draws most of her information from Cash’s unusually honest memoirs, readers will come away with not only a sense of admiration for his electrifying talent as a singer and songwriter, but also a vivid impression of his multifaceted character. There are a plethora of adult biographies available already, but this one makes a readable and cogent alternative for younger audiences—though thanks to a scanty selection of photos, it would benefit from being paired with the more heavily illustrated likes of Jason Fine’s Cash (2004). (index, bibliography, source notes) (Biography. 12-15)