Though the text in Diego Cortez’s Private Elvis is rather choppy and mediocre, the predominant rare photos accomplish the author’s goal: to focus on “something very singular in Presley’s life [his stay in Germany as a soldier]” and to reveal what lies behind the media image—a human being who is “allowed the freedom not to be so perfect.” Showing a very young, vulnerable Presley making out with barmaids and assorted girlfriends, these photos are not the sort that Colonel Parker would ever have approved for release. But they should be of interest to fans who want an atypically revealing look at how this very private person adjusted to his early years in the limelight.