Book Review: The Man Called CASH: The Life, Love, and Faith of an American Legend

Sometime when I was in middle school, my dad bought himself a Johnny Cash CD and listened to it on repeat for all to enjoy. This was the beginning of my admiration for and fascination with Johnny Cash.

I think something that drew me to Cash were his songs like, “A Boy Named Sue,” and “Folsom Prison Blues.” They were stories set to song, and they made me laugh. It was funny to me because my dad also told me that Johnny Cash was a Christian, and wore black because of the many victims of the world–the poor, the hopeless, the prisoners.

When the movie about his life, “Walk the Line,” came out in 2005, I saw it in theaters. My fascination grew–his relationship with drugs, his wife, and God were all so conflicted, and yet profound in his life.

But it had never occurred to me to read a book about him. I saw a nice thick one at the library (the biography section is right next to the Children’s area), but realized a book about Cash might be better on audiobook or on my Kindle–simply because I could listen to it during chores, or read when Shawn was sleeping without needing a light on, so I didn’t check it out, and then forgot to look for one on my apps when I got home.

But a few weeks ago, I went to look for a new audiobook to listen to as I was getting some chores done, and found The Man called CASH: The Life, Love, and Faith of an American Legend by Steve Turner. I felt like I had been reading a handful of heavy books recently, and wanted something a little lighter–I thought a book on an American Musical Legend was a good choice. Plus, the girls and I had recently watched an episode of Little House on the Prairie where he had a guest appearance–it seemed to all fit together.

I am so glad I found it, because this audiobook was great. I really enjoyed the voice actor–so important in audiobooks because he or she can so often make or break an audiobook! The story moved along nicely, and kept the listener entertained and interested.

Cash was a complicated man, to say the least. Steve Turner told Cash's story with vivid descriptions, powerful emotion, and great wisdom. He clearly researched Cash’s life extensively, speaking with many of his relatives, friends, and colleagues in order to write this book.

If you don’t know much about Johnny Cash, he was born and raised in Arkansas. He came from a poor family with a mom filled with faith and encouragement and a dad who faced his own demons daily. Something I find incredibly interesting is that, even years later, Cash was never found speaking ill of his father. As a child, his brother died, which greatly impacted the family, and Johnny Cash.

He eventually grew up, and joined the US Air Force, where he worked as a Morse Code operator intercepting Soviet Army Transitions. After he broke into the music business, his own demons really began to follow him.

As his career took off, he quickly got addicted to alcohol and drugs that he started taking in order to stay awake on long tours. These addictions impacted his mood and demeanor, which ended up creating an outlaw image for himself, and even caused him to completely miss entire concerts and appearances.

His saving grace was his eventual (second) marriage to June Carter, who told him that she would not move forward in her feelings with him unless he stopped taking the pills. He eventually was able to do just that, and with June, find himself back in church, where he turned his life over completely to God.

Something I had not known about Cash prior to this was that he was an astute theologian, completing courses about the Bible, and even writing a book about the apostle Paul. His faith was incredibly important to him, and it shaped much of his life.

This book made me want to hear more with every mandatory pause. Cash’s entire life was a rollercoaster that can stand to teach readers a lot about life, love, and faith.

I highly encourage any fan of Johnny Cash or Outlaw Country to give this book a try!

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