THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Elvis Presley’s fiancée and last love tells her story and sets the record straight in this deeply personal memoir that reveals what really happened in the final years of the King of Rock n' Roll. Elvis Presley and Graceland were fixtures in Ginger Alden’s life; after all, she was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. But she had no idea that she would play a part in that enduring legacy. For more than three decades Ginger has held the truth of their relationship close to her heart. Now she shares her unique story… In her own words, Ginger details their whirlwind romance—from first kiss to his stunning proposal of marriage. And for the very first time, she talks about the devastating end of it all and the fifty thousand mourners and reporters who descended on Graceland in 1977, exposing Ginger to the reality of living in the spotlight of a short yet immortal life. Above it all, Ginger rescues Elvis from the hearsay, rumors, and tabloid speculations of his final year by shedding a frank yet personal light on a very public legend. From a unique and intimate perspective, she reveals the man—complicated, romantic, fallible, and human—behind the myth, a superstar worshipped by millions and loved by Ginger Alden. INCLUDES PHOTOS

Elvis, I wish the world really knew you... as I knew you. I remember everything about you: Your laugh, your smile, your shyness, your gentleness, your sincerity, your honesty, your sensitivity, your clumsiness, your temper, your teasing, your eyes and most of all your love. I feel that I loved you more than any other women except your dear mother. You were my soul mate, my friend, and my heart. Although the time we shared together was short, I have no reservations in my mind that it should have been for eternity. Elvis, you were always my inspiration with your blessed understanding of God and His Son. You are my gift from Heaven. I wish the world had really known you... as I knew you.

One of the most admired Southern historians of our time paints an intimate portrait of Elvis Presley, set against the rich backdrop of Southern society, that illuminates the zenith of his career, showing how Elvis himself changed—and didn't—and providing a deeper understanding of the man and his times.

Elvis Presley was a virtual unknown when, in 1956, he strutted his stuff in front of a national television audience for the very first time. By year's end, following a dozen TV appearances, he was an international superstar. Over the next two decades, Elvis turned to TV whenever his career required a boost or a complete makeover. "Channeling Elvis: How Television Saved the King of Rock 'n' Roll" peers through TV's unique lens to take a close-up look at his 20-year career. Based on more than a decade of research, dozens of fresh interviews, and careful review of hours of television and other footage, "Channeling Elvis" focuses on the role television played in creating, sustaining, and reviving the King's unrivaled popularity. Only television captured the full arc of his career, from those initial steps on the national stage and highly anticipated return from the U.S. Army to his resurrection in the wake of some lame recordings and less-than-stellar movies, renewed acclaim as a concert artist, and premature, self-inflicted 1977 exit. Television captured it all, and Elvis Presley's TV appearances also provided us with the most extensive visual record of this incredible man doing what he loved best: performing live. Praise for "Channeling Elvis": "Allen Wiener puts a new charge into the story of Elvis and his rise, namely television. It's arguable that television had more to do with Elvis' meteoric streak to the top than radio. 'Channeling Elvis' is something new under the Elvis sun." -- Allen Barra, author of "Mickey and Willie: Mantle and Mays, the Parallel Lives of Baseball's Golden Age". "Unlike the Hollywood-contrived plastic persona that characterized the vast majority of his big-screen appearances, the Elvis who turned American television on its head during the mid-'50s and used it for his rebirth in the late-'60s was the real performer in all of his lip-curling, pelvic-thrusting glory. Equally captivating was the sadder figure who faced the final curtain on his 1977 TV special, and it is thanks to Allen Wiener's great insight and invaluable research that, at long last, 'Channeling Elvis' explores, explains, and relives these pivotal moments of a legendary career." - Richard Buskin, author of "Classic Tracks: The Real Stories Behind 68 Seminal Recordings". "Television made Elvis Presley in 1956. Twelve years later -- all too briefly -- it resurrected him. In 'Channeling Elvis', Allen Wiener illuminates a bittersweet American romance." -- Bob Thompson, author of "Born on a Mountaintop: On the Road with Davy Crockett and the Ghosts of the Wild Frontier." "Allen J. Wiener knows his way around icons, and 'Channeling Elvis' ably makes the case that TV transformed the greatest recording artist of the early rock 'n' roll era into a unique cultural phenomenon. The Elvises that emerge in Wiener's account always command the spotlight." -- Paul Cool, former program director and disc jockey, KUSF Radio, San Francisco, and author of "Salt Warriors: Insurgency on the Rio Grande".