12 Rounds with Bob Dylan: The Pugilistic Poet, by Richard B. Westlein

 Available June 7, 2023

"Dances with words." 

That phrase jumped out at me at some point. While I'm not a huge Dylan fan in the sense of following his every move, I've long admired his way with words. That said, I've got to admit it was the cover and title of this book that lured me in. Quite frankly, I had no idea what the expect. Something about Bob Dylan and boxing? Gotta admit, that was an intriguing, if somewhat bewildering thought.

Author Richard Westlein used the boxing motif as a means of boxing, sorry, couldn't resist the pun, Dylan's various periods into twelve categories, ie the twelve rounds of the title. I won't detail the categories, after all, that's what the book does, but will note they begin with a young Bobby Zimmerman and follow his evolution into today, including his part in the Traveling Wilbury's, I'll note. It's rather impressive, I'd say, especially since the by then Bob Dylan was once known in whispers as Hammond's Folly at Columbia Records, which John Hammond had signed Dylan to on the basis of promise more than actual product.  Not bad for someone who'd go on to be the voice of an era and win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Westlein has meticulously researched his subject. Not only does he intro the idea of categorizing the work of Dylan with references to the likes of 18th century scholar Johann Winckelmann, but even Picasso gets a mention. That section was a bit dry but worked for this former history major/teacher. Once the focus shifted to Dylan's life, however, things picked up as Westlein put his material into order. He includes bullet points, album details and a scorecard of sorts for each division. At the end you will find an extensive list of additional sources, both on and offline, references and even more internet reference sites, and a discography. And, oh, lots of notable names pop up.

Bottom line, while not even an avid Dylan follower, I found this an interesting read, one that didn't just make me think but taught me something. Dylan once said something to the extent of life being about creating a life, not finding one, and this goes a long way toward explaining how Bob Dylan did just that. Thanks to #JupiterPublishingCompany - #BooksSirens and #RichardWestlein for giving me this sneak peek at Bob Dylan, boxer and musician and hero of ages.