Destined to Fly by Sally A. Hoedel
One of my all-time favorite actors/singers/entertainers extraordinaire is Elvis Presley. He’s also one of the first stars I “collected” – in fact, and Audrey Hepburn began my old Hollywood collections long ago. I can’t remember which beloved star came first, but they kicked off a lifetime habit of scouring bookstores, eBay, yard sales, and antique stores.
One of my favorite items to collect for any old Hollywood star is books, because that’s the best possible way to get to know them.
I just finished the book you see here, Destined to Fly: The Story of Pilot Ron Strauss – From Iowa to Elvis (Amazon link) – a book that not only satisfied my inner history buff, but was like a joy ride for my inner Elvis fangirl. Author Sally A. Hoedel tells the fascinating story of Ron Strauss, an extremely likable and admirable pilot with 12 years of military service under his belt, a loving family, an exciting career.. oh, and two years in Elvis Presley’s inner circle.
You know, the average life of a boy from Iowa.
Elvis Presley
While I completely expected to hang onto every single word of every single story about Elvis that Ron Stauss shared, I didn’t expect to hang on just as tightly to every word about his own life, military experiences, and family – whether the King happened to be in the room or not.
Yet that’s exactly what happened. Whether it was stories from Ron’s childhood, his experience of joining the military (and almost not making it!), meeting his wife, or the ones involving one of the most iconic figures in the world… every single word of this book is extraordinary and I reread many passages more than once.
The author has not only written a thoroughly enjoyable book, it’s one that reads very “fast.” There are no wasted pages, no wasted “filler” paragraphs.. it’s all perfectly wonderful and as entertaining as watchin an old movie.
If you know anything about me, you know what high praise I just heaped upon this book.
(Review continued below…)
From the Back Cover
This lovely book also has photos the family of Ron Strauss has shared and they are an absolute delight. One of my favorite things about this book and about Ron Strauss is the respect with which Elvis is treated. I am so very thankful and grateful for that and, now that I know more about the author and Mr. Strauss, I’d expect no less.
If you are an Elvis fan, you will absolutely love this book… but, here’s the thing… you wouldn’t even have to know who Elvis was to enjoy it! (not than any such person exists, but you get the gist…) Ron Strauss’ story is an extraordinary one and you will enjoy this book greatly.
Author Sally A. Hoedel has a journalism degree from Michigan State University. Like me, she is a lifelong Elvis fan and collector. I felt a connection with her immediately after reading that!
You can visit her website, www.ElvisAuthor.com for more information. While reading this book, I learned that she had also written a book about Elvis titled “Destined to Die Young.” I plan on getting my hands on that one as soon as possible.
I was sent a copy of the wonderful Destined to Fly: The Story of Pilot Ron Strauss – From Iowa to Elvis (Amazon link) in exchange for telling you about it. Books in exchange for telling others about them is a dream come true for this book lover!