Though Bob Dylan has written such famous songs as "Like a Rolling Stone" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and has been a celebrity and source of musical inspiration since the 1960s, not much about the man behind the music is known. However, "Chronicles," the opening volume of a memoir series by Dylan, begins to break through this secrecy and reveal the fascinating story of the life and work of Dylan.

"Chronicles" begins in Greenwich Village, New York City during the early 1960s. Dylan is full of youth and setting out to make a name for himself through his acoustic guitar and harmonica-accompanied folk songs.

Using the same poetic language that his songs have been celebrated for, Dylan paints not only a portrait of himself as a young man, but also a picture of the vibrant city and people he associates with in his years in New York City. Descriptions of Greenwich Village seem alive: "A frantic atmosphere – all kinds of characters talking fast, moving fast – some debonair, some rakish. Literary types with black beards, grim-faced intellectuals – eclectic girls, non-homemaker types." He provides an interesting view of the setting that leaps from the pages and into readers' imaginations.

As "Chronicles" progresses, Dylan continues to illustrate the places his music and life take him with the same eloquence as he does in the book's opening. From his childhood hometown of Minnesota to late 1980s New Orleans for the recording of his album "Oh Mercy," Dylan gives imaginative and engrossing peeks into the places that affected him. Dylan's descriptions of these various locales add both a stylish and insightful background for his memories.

The writing style isn't even the top element of "Chronicles." Throughout the book, Dylan develops an introspective reflection, using a storytelling method not typically found in most autobiographies. Instead of using chronological order, Dylan details "Chronicles" by connecting various related experiences of different points in his life. By frequently referencing anecdotes preceding and anteceding a given account, Dylan effectively portrays essential themes of his life as flowing paths rather than temporary flashes in time.

Dylan's personal accounts shed light on many subjects important to both himself as a human being and as a musician. The subjects can be melancholy, such as when Dylan reminisces about his relationship with his father, a man Dylan describes as "the best man in the world and probably worth a hundred to me, but he didn't understand me," or as uplifting as when Dylan celebrates good times shared with close friends. Or as bittersweet as falling in love for the first time with a young Italian bohemian, who happens to a have a ridiculously sour and un-approving mother.

Dylan also delves deep into the inspiration behind and the craft involved in his song writing and shares philosophies relevant to music. Over the course of the book, Dylan describes intriguing ideals dominant in his song writing including thorough explanations about how he writes different types of songs. Dylan also tells amusing stories about his career, including the full account on his decision behind changing his birth name of Robert Zimmerman. Furthermore, Dylan reveals his distaste of being presented as the spokesman for a generation. He goes on to say in the book that the excessive attention made him feel like "a piece of meat that someone had thrown to the dogs."

Despite "Chronicles" hopping from one career period to another rather than developing in a regular timeline, Dylan clearly outlines his development as a musician. "Chronicles" details Dylan's progression from his beginning stages as a budding songwriter heavily influenced by Woody Guthrie and nervous about even recording a single record to his later years as a confident and passionate musician.

The only possible complaint "Chronicles" could face is that it doesn't cover the smaller events of Dylan's musical calling or the harder times in his family life. In fact, Dylan doesn't offer much information about his family life, and, though he does mention them (sweetly and tenderly), he doesn't disclose much about his first wife, Sara, who inspired the classic "Blood on the Tracks" record.

There is plenty of space left for explaining skimmed over points of his career in Dylan's promised upcoming volumes to "Chronicles." As for avoiding the topic of his divorce, it actually makes Dylan's autobiography all the more commendable. Rather than writing a scandalous tell-all digest in the vein of the National Enquirer, Dylan chose to narrate a far more substantial and fascinating story, making "Chronicles" a book worthy of his brilliant music.