If you bought into Taylor Hicks' Soul Patrol shtick, you'll probably want to check out this memoir, which details the gray-haired American Idol winner's struggle to be heard — musically and otherwise — before the show made him a household name.

Crossroads Moment The Alabama native was stranded in New Orleans in August 2005, getting a ride out of town mere hours before Hurricane Katrina hit. Later, he used his airline voucher to fly to Las Vegas for the Idol auditions.

Lowdown Diehards looking for Idol dirt or behind-the-scenes insight will be disappointed to learn that Hicks devotes little more than two chapters to his time on the show. Apparently, when it comes to the star-making machine, he remains a tortured soul. C+