I Walked the Line by Ann Sharpsteen, Vivian Cash (2007, Hardcover)

I bought this book because I am a huge Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash fan. I liked very little about the book. I dislike "I Walked the Line" because, while interesting and revealing at times, this book is written from a "scorned lover" perspective and from the single viewpoint of the person writing it, as are all biographies and autobiographies. Vivian Cash and Ann Sharpsteen tell Vivian Cash's story as Vivian sees it. Of course, we know that Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash had a different perspective than Vivian Cash. While I do believe Vivian Cash has the right to her opinion and to be heard, I see only the perspective of a woman still bitter over a love gone sour with perhaps a desire to tarnish Johnny and June's reputations since they aren't here to defend themselves. I find it unusual that she would wait until they are both dead to publish a 'tell-all" book.
Overall, my opinion of this book is that it is best taken with a grain of salt. Let us not forget that June Carter was Johnny Cash's CHILDHOOD interest, long before he met Vivian and that Johnny and June had a long and lasting true love relationship. It is not as if June was some hussy chasing Johnny for fame and fortune. Johnny pursued her. June sacrificed her personal fame and fortune for Johnny and was very supportive of him, just as Jessi Colter was to Waylon Jennings. (Coincidentally, the couples were good friends.) Johnny and June's relationship stood the test of time and I firmly believe Johnny just gave up and died from grief shortly after June died. His final acoustic concert 2 weeks after her death at the Carter family clan's home in the Virginia mountains speaks volumes about his state of mind. I think he knew that was the end and he was going back to the place and people he loved who most reminded him of June.
It is too bad that Vivian Cash did not move on with her life and let go of the past. She was not innocent in the breakup of her marriage, nor was she an angel afterward. Johnny and June were not perfect I am sure. No one is except God. However, I don't believe they were the kind of people Vivian portrays them as being. Perhaps Ann Sharpsteen added some embellishments to the truth also to sell the book. I admit I am a Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash fan and that my own views are clouded by my personal opinions and emotions. Still, this book is clearly one-sided and not kind to either Johnny or June any way you slice it. I don't for one minute believe that Johnny would approve of Vivian's book if he had known what she would write, nor, that he agreed with her assessment of June Carter Cash. I think Johnny thought Vivian would write somehting closer to the truth, if not the whole truth. The author makes it sound as if Johnny agreed with what Vivian had to say when I am sure he did not. If you read this book, don't assume it is the definitive story of Johnny's and June's lives. Read other books as well before accepting this book as gospel.