Like many others I guess I got into Johnny Cash via his American recordings series of albums produced by Rick Rubin and released from the mid 90s onwards. This part of Cash"s career is detailed pretty well in poet and journalist Steve Turner's biography about Cash and it's fascinating how Rubin reintroduced him to a whole new audience but it looks at so much more than that.

It was a really interesting read that concentrates a lot on Johnny Cash's faith and how that influenced his life and music as well as looking at the well documented struggles he faced with addiction particularly with amphetamines.

Cash may be seen by some as a contradiction but I don't think that's the case. He's a picture of redemption and restoration and a reminder that struggle doesn't negate a life of faith.

He was always a rebel and that came out in how He was always so open about his Christian faith in an industry in which that was far from thr norm to him it was never forced but naturally came out.

This book doesn't gloss over Johnny Cash's weakness and failures and in particular the way he treated his first wife wasn't good.

In his final years he struggled with his health and grieved the loss of his wife June. Some of his final work in the American recordings series shows a man nearing the end and that can be heard in his voice. This book covers that well.

It's a great and insightful read that has been well researched.