Click Here To Purchase The Faron Young Story: Live Fast Love Hard

Author: Diane Diekman

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

ISBN:978-0-252-03248-6

Diane Diekman talks about how she had the pleasure of meeting Faron Young on St Patrick’s Day 1970 at a concert of his she attended.

He struck her as a true gentleman who insisted on walking her back to her college dorm. When they met up again shortly after at one of his concerts, Faron would salute Diekman which pleased her and together they exchanged a series of letters. 

However, Diekman was transferred to Japan and contact between these friends grew less. Later Diekman heard that Faron had committed suicide and Japan, being a country where not many knew of this singer, she found herself grieving alone. Then Diekman began to really consider Young’s popularity with the general public and the country music industry.  How many people knew his material and what did his name mean to them?

The singer obviously meant a great deal to Diekman and she decided to do something, as a way of honouring him - and that was to write his biography.

She writes about this man not as an artist of music and focuses more on how he was as a person and his life.

Chapters are well written and the illustration of a guitar with every new chapter works well maximizing this book’s appeal. We learn all about Faron’s life and how he went on to graduate from high school with a major in business administration.

He is portrayed as one of the nicest men you could possibly meet but also a drunk. He had two personalities - one which was kind and sweet, the other the opposite and in the end quite bitter and resentful. 

Faron loved children though and enjoyed any time he could get in their company. He often referred to himself as a man who loved family but I have to differ on this opinion. He loved his young daughter but would not speak to his other one. This I find difficult to understand. Find out the full story inside and make up your own mind.

Throughout his life Faron made many friends but for everyone of these, he made enemies. He had a rude mouth sometimes when something got to him - not one of his finest talents!

However I can see the admiration Diekman has for her friend and since she rarely saw his bad side, I can understand. This is the straight-forward truth about Faron’s life and his love affair with the bottle.

A thoroughly well researched account that takes on a slightly different angle to the usual. This should certainly interest fans of Faron Young or anyone who has ever taken a keen interest in this sort of thing. Diekman has clearly excelled herself with this fantastic biography. Well done.

 To read an Interview With Diane Diekman Author of The Faron Young Story CLICK HERE

 The above review was contributed by: Jessica Roberts:  Jessica is a book reviewer for a local newspaper and has reviewed for a national women's magazine too. She has had various articles published in magazines and has now completed her novel. Jessica currently lives in West Yorkshire and enjoys walking in the dales and woodlands as part of her hobby as well as, of course, reviewing books. To read more of Jessica's reviews  CLICK HERE