{"id":176,"date":"2018-12-31T11:04:17","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T11:04:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=176"},"modified":"2018-12-31T11:04:17","modified_gmt":"2018-12-31T11:04:17","slug":"texas-reads-archiveglenn-dromgoole-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/?p=176","title":{"rendered":"Texas Reads>> archiveGlenn Dromgoole"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/span><\/span>Texas Reads<\/span>>> archive<\/span><\/a><\/span>Glenn Dromgoole<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n

6.14.15\u00a0\u00a0 Willie Nelson says “It\u2019s a long story”<\/h1>\n

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<\/a><\/span>Willie Nelson<\/span> begins his 375-page autobiography with \u201cThe End\u201d and ends it with \u201cThe Beginning,\u201d and in between there is certainly plenty of straight talk about the various ups and downs and highlights and sidelights of his fascinating life.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a Long Story: My Life<\/span><\/a><\/span> (Little Brown, $30 hardcover) is at least the third book about Willie (and the second by Willie) to hit the shelves in the last five years.<\/p>\n

Joe Nick Patoski<\/span> penned the award-winning biography Willie Nelson: An Epic Life<\/span><\/a><\/span> in 2008, and Willie came out with the raucous Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings from the Road<\/span><\/a><\/span> in 2012.<\/p>\n

This new book is Willie\u2019s own story, from end to beginning, told in Willie\u2019s own language, with help from co-author David Ritz.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy head is filled with memories,\u201d Willie writes, \u201cand my heart, while filled with love, also retains the memories of loss and hurt. \u201cMemories remind us that every moment of our lives, even the most tragic, have contributed to our strength. We\u2019ve gotten through. We\u2019re still here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, Willie is still here and still going strong at 82. If you like Willie, you\u2019ll love his story.<\/p>\n

* * * * *<\/p>\n

Former Houston Astros pitching ace J. R. Richard<\/span> writes his compelling life story in Still Throwing Heat: Strikeouts, the Streets, and a Second Chance<\/span><\/a><\/span> (Triumph Books, $25.95 hardcover).<\/p>\n

With co-author Lew Freedman,<\/span> Richard tells how he was at the top of his game at age thirty in 1980. At 6\u20198\u201d and 220 pounds, he was an intimidating presence on the pitching mound, racking up back-to-back 300-strikeout seasons and starting the 1980 All-Star game for the National League.<\/p>\n

But on July 30, 1980, he suffered a stroke, and his life would never be the same. After several comeback attempts, he found himself out of baseball, unsuccessful at jobs, marriage, and investments, broke, depressed, and eventually homeless, living under a bridge in Houston. Friends rallied around him and helped get him back on his feet. He worked with the homeless, became the associate pastor of a church, married his third wife, Lula, and got back in touch with baseball through the Senior League and personal appearances with the Astros.<\/p>\n

* * * * *<\/p>\n

All About Cars: Richard Rawlings,<\/span> star of the popular Fast N\u2019 Loud<\/span> automotive restoration series on the Discovery Channel, has written a book about his life with cars \u2014 Fast N\u2019 Loud: Blood Sweat and Beers<\/span><\/a><\/span> (William Morrow, $25.99 hardcover).<\/p>\n

Co-authored with Mark Dagostino,<\/span> the book is divided into three parts: Rawlings\u2019s \u201cauto\u201d biography; a behind-the-scenes look at his TV show; and a how-to section on restoring and reselling \u2014 or flipping \u2014 cars. Rawlings, a native of Fort Worth, is owner of the hot rod shop Gas Monkey Garage and the spin-off Gas Monkey Bar N\u2019 Grill, both in Dallas.<\/p>\n

* * * * *<\/p>\n

Glenn Dromgoole<\/span> is co-author of 101 Essential Texas Books.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Contact him at g.dromgoole@suddenlink.net.<\/p>\n

>> <\/span>Read his past Texas Reads columns in Lone Star Literary Life here.<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Texas Reads>> archiveGlenn Dromgoole 6.14.15\u00a0\u00a0 Willie Nelson says “It\u2019s a long story” Willie Nelson begins his 375-page autobiography with \u201cThe End\u201d and ends it with \u201cThe Beginning,\u201d and in between there is certainly plenty of straight talk about the various ups and downs and highlights and sidelights of his fascinating life. It\u2019s a Long Story: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=176"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/176\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.etypegoogle10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}