---
product_id: 5174261
title: "Garcia : An American Life"
price: "₱3279"
currency: PHP
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.ph/products/5174261-garcia-an-american-life
store_origin: PH
region: Philippines
---

# Garcia : An American Life

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Garcia : An American Life [Jackson, Blair] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Garcia : An American Life

Review: A through look at the life of an American icon - I don’t know why I did not read this through when it first was published. It is the best book about a member of the American band the Grateful Dead of any published to date. Sure, it gives solid information on the family background and his early life which is usually has an impact on the kind of person we become.. It also gives a glimpse at why Jerry Garcia became such a prolific and talented songwriter and skilled player. Not surprisingly, it was all he really wanted to do. He practiced playing all day every day to hone the kind of skills necessary to play an instrument at that level, We also see the impact of the 1960’s psychedelic drug culture and why it impacted his music both positively and negatively. The positive came from its helping to shape his desire to explore and improvise musically. The darker, or negative side of all this was a not surprising inability to sustain relationships with women. That took form in two ways. First, when your love is music, to the extent Garcia did, everything else comes second which is difficult for a partner to accept long term. The other long term effect caused by the use of drugs (not just psychedelics) that are prevalent with touring musicians had a deleterious impact on his health. We see , how the pressures of being the so-called leader of the band helped lead him down that path. Garcia is hardly the only musician of notoriety to suffer this fate, yet despite it all, he remains one of the most important musicians of his generation. A good read, not just for Deadheads and fans, but for anyone interested in how a person’s life is impacted so much by external events.
Review: Right up there with Long Strange Trip as best book about the Dead - I have about 100 pages left in the book, but can enthusiastically say that Garcia is right up there with Long Strange Trip as the best book I've ever read about Jerry and the Dead. It is very well written, eminently readable and full of wonderful insights, analysis and reporting about the man and especially his music. This is one very detailed and fairly definitive bio. I've been a Deadhead for 40 of my 60 years and to my pleasant surprise, this book filled in a number of holes in my knowledge of the band that to be honest, I didn't previously know I had. Amazing! Perhaps my favorite pages are fairly early on when Jackson analyzes the Dead's pioneering role in taking rock music where it had never been taken before, placing their 67-68-69 groundbreaking improvisational output in its proper historical context, something lost on so many younger listeners today. And contrary to the one one-star review of the book (out of 28 reviews no less), Jackson is no slobbering fanboy and isn't afraid to criticize Jerry and the rest of the Dead for their shortcomings (chief among them uninspired playing at times and less-than-stellar vocals). I much prefer Garcia to Dark Star, if, for no other reason, that it contains many more of Jerry's own words in addition to the words of those who knew him. Garcia is one of those rare books I don't want to end. As if you couldn't tell, I love it. Highly recommended.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #319,198 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #310 in Rock Band Biographies #489 in Rock Music (Books) #1,221 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars (405) |
| Dimensions  | 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.5 inches |
| Edition  | First Edition |
| Grade level  | 12 and up |
| ISBN-10  | 0140291997 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0140291995 |
| Item Weight  | 1.34 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 520 pages |
| Publication date  | August 1, 2000 |
| Publisher  | Penguin Publishing Group |
| Reading age  | 18 years and up |

## Images

![Garcia : An American Life - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71gaISkmpdL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A through look at the life of an American icon
*by J***Y on August 8, 2022*

I don’t know why I did not read this through when it first was published. It is the best book about a member of the American band the Grateful Dead of any published to date. Sure, it gives solid information on the family background and his early life which is usually has an impact on the kind of person we become.. It also gives a glimpse at why Jerry Garcia became such a prolific and talented songwriter and skilled player. Not surprisingly, it was all he really wanted to do. He practiced playing all day every day to hone the kind of skills necessary to play an instrument at that level, We also see the impact of the 1960’s psychedelic drug culture and why it impacted his music both positively and negatively. The positive came from its helping to shape his desire to explore and improvise musically. The darker, or negative side of all this was a not surprising inability to sustain relationships with women. That took form in two ways. First, when your love is music, to the extent Garcia did, everything else comes second which is difficult for a partner to accept long term. The other long term effect caused by the use of drugs (not just psychedelics) that are prevalent with touring musicians had a deleterious impact on his health. We see , how the pressures of being the so-called leader of the band helped lead him down that path. Garcia is hardly the only musician of notoriety to suffer this fate, yet despite it all, he remains one of the most important musicians of his generation. A good read, not just for Deadheads and fans, but for anyone interested in how a person’s life is impacted so much by external events.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Right up there with Long Strange Trip as best book about the Dead
*by C***L on August 23, 2010*

I have about 100 pages left in the book, but can enthusiastically say that Garcia is right up there with Long Strange Trip as the best book I've ever read about Jerry and the Dead. It is very well written, eminently readable and full of wonderful insights, analysis and reporting about the man and especially his music. This is one very detailed and fairly definitive bio. I've been a Deadhead for 40 of my 60 years and to my pleasant surprise, this book filled in a number of holes in my knowledge of the band that to be honest, I didn't previously know I had. Amazing! Perhaps my favorite pages are fairly early on when Jackson analyzes the Dead's pioneering role in taking rock music where it had never been taken before, placing their 67-68-69 groundbreaking improvisational output in its proper historical context, something lost on so many younger listeners today. And contrary to the one one-star review of the book (out of 28 reviews no less), Jackson is no slobbering fanboy and isn't afraid to criticize Jerry and the rest of the Dead for their shortcomings (chief among them uninspired playing at times and less-than-stellar vocals). I much prefer Garcia to Dark Star, if, for no other reason, that it contains many more of Jerry's own words in addition to the words of those who knew him. Garcia is one of those rare books I don't want to end. As if you couldn't tell, I love it. Highly recommended.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Blair Jackson is a great chronicler of events
*by S***L on June 15, 2015*

Blair Jackson is a great chronicler of events. My favorite parts were the personal recollections of the people who were there, especially those who were there from beginning to end. Mr. Jackson's personal recollections were also fun to read about. He has a knack for imagery of lyrics and music. I also enjoyed the detailed stories about certain concerts and production of albums. I was present at many of the concerts mentioned in this book from '69 through the last show at Shoreline, and must have run into Mr. Jackson at one of the Bay Area shows and not known it. My experience was a little different from Blair's in that I did not experience the magic after 1977 or '78. I still went to shows, but it was for the ritual and to see old friends more than it was to hear the music. Stadium shows don't do it for me, and when they went from ensemble music with a grand piano to synths they kind of lost me. I also think Garcia's tone took a hit when he went from Fender strats and Twin Reverbs to Doug Irwin guitars and rack gear/synths, although the Travis Bean tone was absolutely killer. I appreciated the experimentation but the reliance on effects other than reverb, envelope filter, and some overdrive is not my cup of tea. I don't want a guitar to sound like a flute. I enjoyed this book a lot but after I finished it I felt the same way about the other members of the Dead family as I did when Garcia died. It's really tragic that people who were supposed to have loved him could not get through to him, not just about drugs but about smoking, diet, etc. It makes me think that they may not have tried hard enough. They should have stopped touring. Plain and simple. Plus, it amazes me that given his history of diabetes his doctors didn't check his heart, at least there's no indication that they did. That should have been a major concern given his diabetes, especially during withdrawal from drugs. He should have not been admitted to rehab without a complete cardiac workup. It's just tragic. I'd love to read a follow up by Blair Jackson. It's been 17 years and a lot has happened in the Dead/jam band scene.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Garcia : An American Life
- A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead
- Home Before Daylight: My Life on the Road with the Grateful Dead

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*Product available on Desertcart Philippines*
*Store origin: PH*
*Last updated: 2026-01-31*