Customer Reviews

True Myths of Arnold Schwarzenegger: The Life and Times of Arnold Schwarzenegger, from Pumping Iron to Governor of California

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This my may not be the best book you will ever read, but if you're interested in information about Arnold, this is not a bad choice. The author mentions all the obstacles he had in writing this book and does not try to make it seem like it is an authorized biography in any way. He does give you a look at Arnold without the childish self-promoting efforts that Arnold's autobiography seems to try. This is a fun book, with a slight edge to it like you're reading something that might have been printed in a tabloid were it not printed in a book. You can almost feel like you are sneeking around with the author trying to find out information about Arnold that is not some sort of publicity stunt. It might not be the most fair look at Arnold, but then again neither is Arnold's autobiography. I think the real story might be found somewhere in between the two books.

This book is crippled by a couple of factors, including the author's fetish for mocking Arnold's accent about twice a page. More seriously, no one close to Arnold cooperated in its writing (a fact that the author acknowledges and laments.)

That understood, however, the books does offer a compelling version of Arnold's rise to prominence first as a bodybuilder and then as an actor. Written from a reasonably neutral standpoint -- the author comes across as more gadfly than antagonist, while certainly not a sycophant -- it seems fair in its criticisms and appropriate in its praise.

Although the book is not that flattering for Arnold its not that bad either. I stopped following his career in the early 90's and it has alot of information about him since then. Most of the information about his career early on and into the 80's I already knew but had more detail than in previous material I had read.

I needed a book to read on my fligh back from Hawaii and found this one in a used book shop in Maui. It seemed interesting to me,I always found Arnold and his career interesting. It gives good background on his early life, his body building career and early film career. The thing is the writer gets, simply, annoying. The way the book is written at points is really cheesey. I mean, getting all philsophical about Arnold and the roles and movies he chose really turned me off.

The bottom line is I learned about Arnold's life and that is what I paid for. However, I thing the book could have been much better written and had more substance.

Great Book. Takes an honest look at the real life "Arnold Schwarzenegger". It may take the magic out of the man for some , but it puts a human face on one of the greatest personalities of our times. The book points out that, like all of us, Arnold has his imperfections, but through sheer will and a fanatical determination to succeed, he pulled himself up by his boot straps and propelled himself to success. An absolute "MUST READ" for all true Arnold fans.

I used to think Schwarzenegger was great... now I'm not so sure!!

This book makes you realise that he is just one big marketing ploy. You also get to see that he is not a nice person - he tramples over people to get what he wants, and makes you realise that most of the charity work he does is only to make him look like a good person...

I think this quote from the book sums him up, "I admire people like hitler..."

EEK. Will change the way you see him drastically. I preferred my blind opinion of him before!!

This author is out to make Arnold look bad, not to sure about this book...I think its a bunch of BS myself. Arnold is a true Idol, a star, a person someone wants to be. This guy makes Arnold out to be a pure bonified *%*$*@*...I do not believe the bullcrap from this book at all...

This is the best comedy i've ever seen, the part where the bunny finds arnold and kicks him in the nuts is THE funniest thing!