What Lisa Marie Presley Taught Me About Grief, Legacy, and Letting Go
There are some books that don’t just sit on your nightstand or appear in your Goodreads list—they follow you. They hum under your skin for days. From Here to the Great Unknown is one of those books.
Written (or rather, spoken) by Lisa Marie Presley before her death, and completed posthumously by her daughter Riley Keough, this memoir is unlike any celebrity story I’ve read. It’s not polished, not performative. It’s raw, unfiltered, messy, human.
Lisa recorded hours of audio, documenting everything—from her childhood as Elvis’ only daughter, to the strain between her and her mother, to the unimaginable grief of losing her own son, Ben. Riley weaves in her own reflections throughout the memoir—never to correct or overshadow, but to offer context, connection, and love. It’s a dual narrative, yes, but it reads like a duet. Pain and memory in perfect harmony.
This Book Broke Me (In the Best Way)
As I was reading it, I kept thinking: this isn’t just a memoir. It’s a long goodbye. A lifeline. A mother reaching back from the edge of the unknown, asking to be seen and understood, not as Presley’s daughter or Jackson’s wife or some media headline, but as Lisa Marie. As herself.
The section about Ben’s death gutted me. There are no literary flourishes here, just a mother trying to make sense of the unspeakable. Her voice is grief-stricken, yes, but it’s also deeply loving. As someone who has wrestled with grief and the complicated emotions tied to family, I felt seen. I found myself crying not just because of her story, but because of what it pulled up in me.
What struck me most was the generational echo. Lisa Marie grew up in the long, famous shadow of Elvis. Riley grew up in Lisa’s. And yet, both women somehow make space to find their own voices here. That tension between legacy and individuality, between public image and private truth—is what makes this memoir not just important, but unforgettable.
Who This Book Is For
If you love memoirs that don’t wrap everything up in a neat bow, this is for you.
If you’ve ever lost someone and felt that loss change you in ways you can’t explain, this is for you.
If you’ve ever wondered what it means to live under a name that the world knows but you barely understand then this is especially for you.
This isn’t a celebrity memoir filled with name drops and red carpet stories. It’s a story about identity, addiction, loss, and family, a messy, real family. Think Crying in H Mart, The Glass Castle, or even Everything I Know About Love, but from a woman born into the most American kind of mythology.
And still, at the heart of it all—it’s about love. The kind that hurts, the kind that saves, and the kind that’s left behind.
💬 Want to Chat About It?
I’d love to know:
👉 Have you read it?
👉 Do you enjoy memoirs that feel like conversations with the author?
👉 What memoir cracked you open in a way you didn’t expect?
Hit reply or leave a comment. Let’s talk books, grief, and legacy.
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