Dreaming Out Loud is a book about three country stars, Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd, and Wade Hayes, and the changing face of Nashville.

Quoting from the book:

"Thank you very much," Garth said in his familiar, small-town maayor tone of voice. "So you'll know right off the bat, I cannot agree with this... Music is made up of a lot of people, and if we're one artist short, then we all become a lesser music. So, without any disrespect to the American Music Awards, and without any disrespect to any fans who voted, to all the people who should be honored with this award..." He set the tropy down on the podium. "I'm gonna leave it right here." And with that he left the stage empty-handed."

Mr. Feiler goes on to tell how Garth didn't feel he deserved the award, as he hadn't performed in over a year and his last album had very disappointing sales. In effect it seemed that Garth was on his way to having a breakdown.

Along with Garth, Mr. Feiler spent time with Wynonna and Wade Hayes in a period of about three years. He spent time with them in good times and bad, and the book reflects both.

I must say, this is not a fan book, although Bruce Feiler is a fan of Garth. He tells of Garth's depression at times, and how he wondered if his fans still wanted to see him. He tells of Garth's life growing up in Yukon, Oklahoma.

Some of the funnier moments was reading about a time when Garth was trying to get rid of the gray in his hair for Sandy. Here is a quote from the book:

"It was a little past 7:30 a.m. when Garth ambled into the backstage holding room. He had changed clothes in his dressing room, then lumbered across the hall to where the rest of us were waiting: his two publicists, his brother, and the makeup lady who had been hired for the day by CBS. He was not in a good mood.

"I knew I never should have touched it," he said to no one in particular. He greeted everyone with hugs and shakes, then plopped down in the chair. "It'll probably be a year noe before I'm normal again. I wanted to surprise my wife. And look what happened..."

He removed his black GARTH BROOKS WORLD TOUR baaseball cap. His hair, normally graying and thin, was a vivid peanut butter color -- a little bit darker on the top, and a little bit orange around his ears.

"Oh...? No..." The makeup lady was fumbling. "It doesn't look...bad," she finally said. She was lying.

All in all, I enjoyed the book, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the Nashville scene of the '90's as well as those fans of Garth, Wynonna and Wade. You will see a different side of them, but it's all interesting reading.