Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story

The book covers Lewis’s life from his upbringing in Ferriday, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mississippi, through his meteoric rise to fame with hits like "Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Great Balls of Fire.” It delves into both his musical genius and the controversies that followed him: his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin, his tumultuous personal life, struggles with substance abuse, legal troubles, the loss of family members, and the ways he persevered through personal and professional hardships. 

Rick Bragg draws on two years of interviews with Lewis to give the reader more than just the public persona — the voice, thoughts, motivations, regrets, and revelations of Jerry Lee Lewis himself. The narrative is rich with Southern atmosphere, musical history, fame’s highs and lows, and the contradictions of a man both revered and reviled.