Playing With Fire [Paperback]

Robert LaSardo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2011

PLAYING WITH FIRE explores the spiritual conflict within the human heart when there is extreme emotional damage. This book is a collection of personal confessions, poetry and photographs that bring both beauty and corruption into play. Playing With Fire invites the reader to see love bare witness to the many monsters born of fear and to test loves value against the faces of despair. Unlike Robert’s first book, Choices: Inside Out, Playing With Fire introduces the concept of love in the feminine form with a series of real life images of a beautiful girl that is gradually transformed by the assault of pessimism. Playing With Fire is a vivid photographic memoir, filled with pain filled prose and uplifting poetry written by the multi-talented Robert La Sardo! This raw, mind-bending book clearly states that every tattoo has its own life, its own story, and literally its own poetic essence. The images in this gritty, yet incredible book will leave the reader speechless and hungry for more! The poetry and prose takes the reader on a journey, deep into the soul of a man and woman as they both triumph over life’s hurdles, judgment, and personal empowerment.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Throughout his career, Robert LaSardo has found his niche in Hollywood playing the devious criminal. Often evil personified onscreen, he constantly manages to charm police investigators and audiences alike. As Escobar Gallardo on the award-winning series Nip/Tuck, Robert plays a cunning villain who convincingly tortures Dr. Christian Troy into revealing key information about the location of a child molester. As a gang member on both CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: Miami, he taunts the lead investigators but ultimately wins their respect. With more recent performances in Ghost Whisperer and his own independent film Never Down, Robert is creating complex characters that are tortured by life, rather than the torturers themselves. Born on September 20, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York, Robert spent his childhood in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn near the once famous Steeple Chase amusement park commonly known as Coney Island. During an impoverished and turbulent upbringing, Coney Island was a refuge for young Robert. Riding the New York City subway trains on his own by age eight, Robert found his escape and second home in the fantasy land of the ageing but enchanting old world theme park. From that point on, it was clear that seeking safety and peace-of-mind in places and things that supported creativity and imagination were necessary for his survival against the contrast of his stressful home life. Having to deal with poverty and instability at home, Robert's father eventually took his son and moved away from a life that was breaking apart. Moving from place to place on little or no notice, Robert and his dad found themselves living in cars, camping in the woods during the warmer months, and occasionally staying with friends. Moving through different neighborhoods and meeting people from all walks of life, Robert developed a broad perspective about the world around him and the people in it. Each new environment or person he encountered required a transformation within himself in order to adapt and survive. By the time Robert approached his mid-teens, life had become more stable. It was during this period that an English teacher encouraged him to try out for the High School of Performing Arts, later celebrated as the Fame School in Alan Parker's 1980 film. Robert auditioned and was accepted into the highly sought after performing high school. As you know, the rest is history! Please also visit http://robertlasardo.net

Product Details

• Paperback: 42 pages
• Publisher: Glover Lane Press (August 15, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615506925
• ISBN-13: 978-0615506920
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 8.2 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,509,344 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The tattoos threads a tapestry through one man's journey through his incredible life., September 14, 2011

By 

Julie DeGon (Idaho, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Playing With Fire (Paperback)

Robert Lasardo's new book is an inside look into his incredible life. The photos and poems in this book are telling of this young man's struggles in his life. Every tattoo has a special meaning and the poems tell of the sometimes raw emotions the author is feeling. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who loves beautiful tattoos and good poetry.Vintage Tattoos: The Book of Old-School Skin ArtJapanese Tattoo Art Stained Glass Coloring Book (Dover Coloring Books)Great Book of Tattoo Designs: More Than 500 Body Art DesignsHigh Voltage TattooInk: The Not-Just-Skin-Deep Guide to Getting a Tattoo

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Diversity of Life Expressions, November 16, 2011

By 

Salima Masud "Salima Masud" (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Playing With Fire (Paperback)

I have felt the fire and swallowed the bitter pills of life. The red and yellow rose tattoo over my heart tells a story. After reading your book I had to exhume my rose tattoo and realized it was one of the chapters of my life book. Self expression is an art form and you mastered it.

Salima Masud

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cracking raw poetry, October 13, 2011

By 

Gareth Wilson - Falcata Times Blog "Falcata T... - See all my reviews

This review is from: Playing With Fire (Paperback)

The second poetry title from Robert that brings some of the pieces from his former release together with newer musings from his mind which when teamed up with the beautiful photography to create a piece that is both evocative and emotional at the same time.

Add to this the chance to venture into his thoughts and it's a title that is not just for coffee tables but something the reader will continue to delve into for their own associations alongside the opportunity to see the power of the word in this thought provoking as well as complex medium.