Tom: The Unknown Tennessee Williams -- Volume I of the Tennessee Williams Biography

This was the most interesting biography I have ever read. I found that I was even reading the footnotes and bibliography! The book begins with a delve into Tennessee Williams' genealogy (including a chart, which I referred to frequently while reading the book). The author goes on to describe Tennesee's formative years, home life, and young-adulthood. The book takes the reader up through Tennessee's overwhelming success with "The Glass Menagerie." I found the book (and, therefore, Tennessee Williams) so interesting that I began researching Williams' works and also his favorite writers (Hart Crane, DH Lawrence). I call a biography a complete success that could have such an effect as it has on me. I look forward to the next edition, though I wonder if it will ever be in print.

This is a wonderfully done book. I feel I've lived in "Tom's" shoes and appreciate who he was and the struggles he faced. It's a loving portrait that doesn't shy away from the honest details of the life of the young Tennessee. I hope the sequel that's to take us from the Glass Menangerie to the end of Tennessee's life comes out soon----I'll be waiting!!!

Meticulously researched and sensitively written, this book is the definitive biography of Tennessee Williams, even though it only covers the period up to the beginning of his success. I haven't found any others that can rival its quality. The depth and detail are unsurpassed in Leverich's finely crafted portrait, revealing the many facets of one of America's greatest playwrights. As a "theater person," Leverich brings a special authority to his work, infusing it with expert analysis and theatrical history. A really great read!

"Tom: The Unknown Tennessee Williams" is a biographywritten like a novel. Truly, this is the best account of Williams'life, both personal and professional. Leverich captures the true Tom -the man behind the writer, in an objective and sensual way. Frominterviews from friends, professional associates and family, Leverichpaints a vivid picture of Williams and reveals his inner most feelingsfrom personal journal entries. As a poet-playwright, his writings haveestablished an eternal legacy, as a man, Leverich has provided themeans of understanding this legacy.

... read this book! No other book on the market about the poet-playwright provides such an extensive researched and interpretative view Williams' early life and its reflection in his work. Written with exhaustive and pain-staking detail, it is not devoid of a fluid style that Tennessee and Tom would have both been proud of. This reader/admirer is impatiently awaiting the second volume.