What do you think?
Rate this book
Inside Graceland: Elvis' Maid Remembers
If you wanted a picture of the life of Elvis Presley, who better to paint it for you than someone who worked as his trusted cook and maid at Graceland? Someone whose daily tasks centered around keeping the 'King of Rock & Roll' happy, whose every move was designed to please the greatest music legend the entertainment world has ever known. Here is that picture, as painted by Nancy Rooks. Nancy worked for Elvis from 1967 until his untimely death in 1977. Read her stories of what those years were like, of what the routines were at Graceland, and what it meant to be close to Elvis and his family on a daily basis. Read the sad account of her rushing upstairs, after a frantic call from Ginger Alden, and finding him on the bathroom floor. This book presents that picture, one that every Elvis fan will want to see.
150 pages, Paperback
First published March 23, 2005
1 person is currently reading
44 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 9, 2023
Tender, kind, and touching, but with few details not already known. Still, a sweet read.
February 26, 2014
What a cool read- not only is it full of the weird Elvis stories we crave, but even better: the stories come from the very straightforward and firsthand telling of Nancy Rooks. Her take on the events makes the book even more fun to read, as she is WAY too nice and considerate. For example, she tells about Elvis shooting his toilet with a handgun while on his "medicine." She states that the sheet rock blew out of the downstairs ceiling near to where she was working, and then a flood of water began to gush out of the bullet hole as Elvis came downstairs with a revolver and a "silly grin." That wacky Elvis! Never mind that she'd be dead if she'd been in the next room beneath the toilet that so angered Elvis. She also excuses a million other things the King of Rock N Roll did to make her job harder:
-spilling food and drink all over his gigantic custom bed so that she literally had to change his sheets and blankets every day.
-getting wax all over his furniture and shag carpeting while trying to summon his dead mother with candles, and then presumably wearing a sheepish grin as Nancy had to clean it all off.
-bringing his daughter Lisa Marie into Graceland on horseback (yes, into the house) and leaving a trail of road apples for Nancy to clean out of the (shag) carpeting.
-screaming at the staff and breaking furniture because they didn't hear his dinner order on the intercom. Because he pushed the wrong button on his intercom due to the effects of his "medicine."
-making her wash the clothes of his lady friends who stayed over.
-chewing her out because he was watching on the video monitor when she didn't put ALL the bacon she'd cooked onto his plate out of concern for his worsening health (and there are many other amazing bacon stories in this book)
But what's so endearing is that it's clear that Mrs. Rooks adored the man and his dysfunctional family, and served them loyally for decades, long after Elvis' death. Even in this book, written after almost all of the featured family members had died, she's careful to excuse their craziness and include some really sweet and sad stories as well, such as how Elvis used to call her in to sing with him at his piano because he hated singing alone, or how awful it was to have to explain to his young daughter Lisa Marie what was happening the day he died and everyone in the bizarre Graceland entourage was in a panic.
There's also some great history on the Presley family and the Graceland mansion itself, which I always assumed Elvis had built but nope.
-spilling food and drink all over his gigantic custom bed so that she literally had to change his sheets and blankets every day.
-getting wax all over his furniture and shag carpeting while trying to summon his dead mother with candles, and then presumably wearing a sheepish grin as Nancy had to clean it all off.
-bringing his daughter Lisa Marie into Graceland on horseback (yes, into the house) and leaving a trail of road apples for Nancy to clean out of the (shag) carpeting.
-screaming at the staff and breaking furniture because they didn't hear his dinner order on the intercom. Because he pushed the wrong button on his intercom due to the effects of his "medicine."
-making her wash the clothes of his lady friends who stayed over.
-chewing her out because he was watching on the video monitor when she didn't put ALL the bacon she'd cooked onto his plate out of concern for his worsening health (and there are many other amazing bacon stories in this book)
But what's so endearing is that it's clear that Mrs. Rooks adored the man and his dysfunctional family, and served them loyally for decades, long after Elvis' death. Even in this book, written after almost all of the featured family members had died, she's careful to excuse their craziness and include some really sweet and sad stories as well, such as how Elvis used to call her in to sing with him at his piano because he hated singing alone, or how awful it was to have to explain to his young daughter Lisa Marie what was happening the day he died and everyone in the bizarre Graceland entourage was in a panic.
There's also some great history on the Presley family and the Graceland mansion itself, which I always assumed Elvis had built but nope.
July 4, 2015
This book took me back in time and it was utterly sad to read. Heading to Graceland in a couple of weeks and I'll definitely be paying more attention to the details written by Nancy. Now that I'm finished reading I'm left with a sense of loss.
June 16, 2012
I thought this was a wonderful book with a lot of insight to the daily goings on at Graceland. If you are an Elvis fan read this book!
July 9, 2013
A quick, enjoyable summer read. It is an inside look at life behind the stone walls of Graceland. I've a number of book concerning Elvis Presley and his life and this was one of the more enjoyable.
January 27, 2023
What a touching memoir about what it was like to be Elvis’ maid! I loved that she included little details like the fact that she washed his clothes in regular old Tide!
It was definitely not filled with too many gossipy tidbits, but that was almost refreshing. The book is about 15 years old, but if you are looking for a fun glimpse inside Graceland, it’s worth a read! I only wish it were longer. Also, grammar sticklers beware… it’s not without grammatical errors. ;)
It was definitely not filled with too many gossipy tidbits, but that was almost refreshing. The book is about 15 years old, but if you are looking for a fun glimpse inside Graceland, it’s worth a read! I only wish it were longer. Also, grammar sticklers beware… it’s not without grammatical errors. ;)
July 24, 2023
A short and interesting book with some fun anecdotes about Elvis and his family. Like each book about him it completes another piece of the puzzle that is Elvis. The last few chapters are heartbreaking, really bringing home the impact of his death on those who loved him.
December 29, 2023
Tender vivid account of Nancy Rooks years as a maid at Graceland and her memories of Elvis I would highly recommend it for Elvis fans
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2013
I don't consider myself a "die hard" Elvis fan, but I DO enjoy his music and the legacy that he has left behind.
I started reading this on August 16th, the anniversary of his death.
Right away, I was pulled in and didn't want to stop reading.
Nancy's account of her time that she spent working at Graceland is probably one of the best that I've read and I've read quite a few books on Elvis.
Having been to Graceland once, I could picture exactly what Nancy was referring to when she would talk about certain places at Graceland. Even if I hadn't been before, I still would be able to get a pretty clear picture in my mind because of the way that she describes things in this book.
While I wouldn't even consider this a book, but more of a journal of her time spent working for Elvis and her relationship with him and his family, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
It's not very long and I finished it within a day only stopping to sleep for a few hours.
I recommend this book to anyone, whether you're a fan of Elvis or not, and whether you've visited Graceland or not.
I started reading this on August 16th, the anniversary of his death.
Right away, I was pulled in and didn't want to stop reading.
Nancy's account of her time that she spent working at Graceland is probably one of the best that I've read and I've read quite a few books on Elvis.
Having been to Graceland once, I could picture exactly what Nancy was referring to when she would talk about certain places at Graceland. Even if I hadn't been before, I still would be able to get a pretty clear picture in my mind because of the way that she describes things in this book.
While I wouldn't even consider this a book, but more of a journal of her time spent working for Elvis and her relationship with him and his family, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
It's not very long and I finished it within a day only stopping to sleep for a few hours.
I recommend this book to anyone, whether you're a fan of Elvis or not, and whether you've visited Graceland or not.
February 2, 2014
Wasn't written super well. Lots of typo and grammatical errors. I normally don't care about these things but they got to me after awhile. (It's and its are NOT interchangeable!) But I love Elvis, so this was a cute story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I knew a lot of this about him, but there were new things I learned about him and his family, too. I recommend it for any Elvis fan.
February 2, 2014
Interesting read. A lot of stories about his closest relatives, but also some stories about Elvis. Neat details about the house as well. All in all, it was a touching tribute to a man that obviously meant a great deal to Ms. Rooks. Nothing scandalous here, but endearing for sure.
January 7, 2019
Easy read, full of incredible information you can only get from someone that was there. This book is a treasure trove of insight for Elvis fans
August 24, 2013
A must read before going to Graceland!
May 18, 2014
A quick read. Entertaining but I really did not learn much new stuff from the book.
March 1, 2014
Story written by one of Elvis' maids gives an inside look into life a Graceland. Good book.
May 12, 2014
I am always interested in any insight into Elvis Presley and how he lived. So...I found myself reading and enjoying this book, however it was poorly written.
October 17, 2014
This was a good story about Graceland as told by one of the housekeepers.
November 17, 2014
Great book for any Elvis fan. My one complaint is I wish it was longer.
February 12, 2015
Very sweet memory by a staff member of Graceland.
May 12, 2012
Why did you have to leave us so soon? Liked the book a lot.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews