What I’m Reading: A Little Thing Called Life

A Little Thing Called Life, a 2016 autobiography by Linda Thompson, is a candid and detailed memoir of Linda Thompson’s life and love affairs with some of the most famous and talented men in the world. At just 22, Linda Thompson started a nearly five-year relationship to the King of Rock n Roll, Elvis Presley. After that relationship failed, she moved onto a marriage and had children with former Olympian (and former Kardashian husband) Bruce Jenner. Her marriage to Bruce Jenner was short-lived, causing Linda to finally fall into the arms of Canadian music composer David Foster.

In her youth Linda Thompson won many beauty pageants and attracted many suitors. One such suitor who Linda caught the eye of was fellow Tennessean Elvis Presley. When Elvis met Linda in the early 70’s he was recently separated from his wife, Priscilla, whom he would soon divorce. Linda became entrenched in a nearly half-decade, all- encompassing love affair with the King. This love affair was ultimately unhealthy and left her emotionally and physically exhausted, forcing her into the arms of another king.

Bruce Jenner, the King of the Olympics in the 70s, was an idol of manhood and health. He was also initially a wonderful partner to Linda, making her believe she had finally found the love of a lifetime. But once Linda Thompson became Linda Jenner and birthed his two sons, her fairytale union to Bruce Jenner became a shocking nightmare, all played out under a media spotlight.

Thankfully, from Linda’s time with Elvis, she learned that she had a talent for poetry and music lyric writing. With the connections Linda made from her high profile relationships, she began to make a living from writing music and playing small parts in television shows. This allowed Linda to exit her marriage from Bruce Jenner without much debt or need for alimony. She soon was a successful single mom who only wanted a healthy partnership to help her sons and herself.

Enter David Foster, who was married at the time, but fell for Linda Thompson the moment he saw her. This successful Canadian musician, who ultimately wrote songs that Celine Dion and Whitney Houston sang, hotly pursued Linda Thompson. She initially rejected his advances due to his marital status and her distrust of men who run that hot early in a relationship for a woman. But once David Foster left the mother of his children, all bets were off and Linda eventually agreed to marry this amazing Canadian musician.

The only problem was that David, like Elvis, had a penchant for womanizing and not much respect for women in general. That being said, Linda made the best of her unhealthy marriage and wrote lyrics for many of David’s songs, making her a success in her own right. Linda assisted David in some of his best songs, including songs that have gained national attention and been sung by some of the best singers in the United States, such as I Have Nothing, sung by Whitney Houston in the soundtrack to the movie The Bodyguard. And so Linda Thompson is now at peace despite being a twice-divorced woman who lost her virginity to Elvis Presley.

BOTTOM LINE: This book is exactly what you pay for. It is an interesting look into the lives of some of the most famous and talented men in the world who fell for beauty pageant winner, Linda Thompson. But all that glitters is not gold, as Linda explains. Each of these celebrated men had shocking faults–drug use, cheating, emotional abuse, and gender dysphoria–that prevented a healthy, monogamous relationship.