Elton john - me (Macmillan)

'The rock memoir of the decade' Daily Mail 'The rock star's gloriously entertaining and candid memoir is a gift to the reader' Sunday Times In his first and only official autobiography, music icon Elton John reveals the truth about his extraordinary life, which is also the subject of the smash-hit film Rocketman.

The result is Me - the joyously funny, honest and moving story of the most enduringly successful singer/songwriter of all time. ______________ Christened Reginald Dwight, he was a shy boy with Buddy Holly glasses who grew up in the London suburb of Pinner and dreamed of becoming a pop star.

By the age of twenty-three, he was performing his first gig in America, facing an astonished audience in his bright yellow dungarees, a star-spangled T-shirt and boots with wings. Elton John had arrived and the music world would never be the same again.

His life has been full of drama, from the early rejection of his work with songwriting partner Bernie Taupin to spinning out of control as a chart-topping superstar; from half-heartedly trying to drown himself in his LA swimming pool to disco-dancing with the Queen; from friendships with John Lennon, Freddie Mercury and George Michael to setting up his AIDS Foundation.

All the while, Elton was hiding a drug addiction that would grip him for over a decade. In Me Elton also writes powerfully about getting clean and changing his life, about finding love with David Furnish and becoming a father.

In a voice that is warm, humble and open, this is Elton on his music and his relationships, his passions and his mistakes. This is a story that will stay with you, by a living legend. ______________ 'Self-deprecating, funny...

You cannot help but enjoy his company throughout, temper tantrums and all' The Times 'Racy, pacy and crammed with scurrilous anecdotes - what more could you ask from the rocket man' Guardian (Book of the Week) 'Chatty, gossipy, amusing and at times brutally candid' Telegraph The perfect pop memoir...

the world's most successful singer-songwriter is thin-skinned, opinionated, mischievous a, prone to excess - and funny * The I * Me is a riveting, laugh-til-you-cry, heartfelt page-turner... It is the earnest, sweet, damaged "music mad" kid at the heart of Me that will stick with you.

* EW * A fitting testament to Elton's life... Unrelentingly enjoyable * GQ * Full of warmth and candour... John's enthusiasm for music continues to shine through, as does the rebellious streak that made him the groundbreaking artist he continues to be today