Dion: The Rock and Roll Philosopher

Life coach Jablin teams up with rock singer Dion DiMucci for an effusive, photo-studded celebration of the latter’s life, faith, and career. Jablin, who first met Dion when the singer visited his elementary school in 1987 and later became his protégé, recounts the artist’s lessons on success, substance recovery, and faith (“God doesn’t live within space and time,” Dion once told Jablin. “He created space and time”). Elsewhere, Dion discusses his musical influences, including Hank Williams and Roy Orbison, and famous contemporaries like Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, and Stevie van Zandt share brief tributes (van Zandt calls Dion the first to bring “Pure Bronx—New York—Italian—Street Gang—Wiseguy attitude” to rock ’n’ roll). The book is at its most captivating when Dion himself is talking about music, often in almost spiritual terms, as when he describes rock ’n’ roll as a blend of “dream and reality.... When I lay down a great rhythm track, it tends to bypass the critical-thinking part of the mind,” or quotes St. Augustine (“When you’re singing, it’s like praying twice”). Unfortunately, such revealing moments are hampered by the worshipful tone in which they’re presented (“I stared at my mentor in awe. His spirituality permeated the car,” Jablin writes at one point). Only the rocker’s most ardent fans need apply. (Oct.)