From Grand Funk to Grace: The Authorized Biography of Mark Farner

Rating:
Summary: Author Slightly Biased
Review: While I did enjoy FROM GRAND FUNK TO GRACE it was blatantly obvious that the author is a Mark Farner fan, and that was "whose side" he was on. The author did not write in a fair and impartial manner. It would've been great if Mr. Engelhardt had managed to get quotes from Mel, Don, or anyone from their camp about the big rift, and to be honest, some of what supposedly went on between Mark and Don Brewer during the '97-'98 reunion tour sounds, well, embellished (at least to me). He should've asked Craig Frost or Bobby Caldwell (from the Fabulous Pack) what they thought of Brewer to at least give himself some integrity as an author and not some Mark Farner flunkie. An interview with Donna Hall or first wife Cheri Chestnut would've helped the book as well. It's really too bad because the Billy James book gave no real indepth story on the band as people and I was counting on this book. Don't get me wrong, this book does shed some light on GFR and there are some funny, interesting stories that I enjoyed reading, but it looks as if Mark Farner asked his #1 personal fan to write a book about him instead of a real author.
However, I still recommend this book. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars because lets face it, there are only 2 books about GFR out there,unfortunately.

Rating:
Summary: Author Slightly Biased
Review: While I did enjoy FROM GRAND FUNK TO GRACE it was blatantly obvious that the author is a Mark Farner fan, and that was "whose side" he was on. The author did not write in a fair and impartial manner. It would've been great if Mr. Engelhardt had managed to get quotes from Mel, Don, or anyone from their camp about the big rift, and to be honest, some of what supposedly went on between Mark and Don Brewer during the '97-'98 reunion tour sounds, well, embellished (at least to me). He should've asked Craig Frost or Bobby Caldwell (from the Fabulous Pack) what they thought of Brewer to at least give himself some integrity as an author and not some Mark Farner flunkie. An interview with Donna Hall or first wife Cheri Chestnut would've helped the book as well. It's really too bad because the Billy James book gave no real indepth story on the band as people and I was counting on this book. Don't get me wrong, this book does shed some light on GFR and there are some funny, interesting stories that I enjoyed reading, but it looks as if Mark Farner asked his #1 personal fan to write a book about him instead of a real author.
However, I still recommend this book. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars because lets face it, there are only 2 books about GFR out there,unfortunately.

Rating:
Summary: Author Slightly Biased
Review: While I did enjoy FROM GRAND FUNK TO GRACE it was blatantly obvious that the author is a Mark Farner fan, and that was "whose side" he was on. The author did not write in a fair and impartial manner. It would've been great if Mr. Engelhardt had managed to get quotes from Mel, Don, or anyone from their camp about the big rift, and to be honest, some of what supposedly went on between Mark and Don Brewer during the '97-'98 reunion tour sounds, well, embellished (at least to me). He should've asked Craig Frost or Bobby Caldwell (from the Fabulous Pack) what they thought of Brewer to at least give himself some integrity as an author and not some Mark Farner flunkie. An interview with Donna Hall or first wife Cheri Chestnut would've helped the book as well. It's really too bad because the Billy James book gave no real indepth story on the band as people and I was counting on this book. Don't get me wrong, this book does shed some light on GFR and there are some funny, interesting stories that I enjoyed reading, but it looks as if Mark Farner asked his #1 personal fan to write a book about him instead of a real author.
However, I still recommend this book. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars because lets face it, there are only 2 books about GFR out there,unfortunately.