Young Neil: The Sugar Mountain Years

While there are many books about the life and work of musician and songwriter Neil Young (b. 1945), perhaps most notably Jimmy McDonough's Shakey: Neil Young's Biography (2003), none has focused exclusively on his early years growing up in Canada. This title is an exhaustive account of the legendary artist's childhood and teen years in Ontario, Toronto, and Manitoba, before he traveled to Los Angeles with fellow future Buffalo Springfield bandmate Bruce Palmer. First-time author Wilson's book is based in part on her research of the personal papers and photos of Young's father, Scott Young, held at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont. The detailed account seeks to place Young's later artistic development within the context of his uniquely Canadian upbringing, and while there are interesting details that shed light on his background, the 450-page book (including photos, notes, and appendixes) more often than not veers into minutia of all sorts: the names of each family friend he vacationed with, street addresses of all of his schools, numerous letters and notes to and from family members quoted in full, and on and on.