Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story Book Details
Paperback: 656 pagesPublisher: Simon & Schuster (November 5, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1451662440
ISBN-13: 978-1451662443
Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1.7 x 8.9 inches
Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story Book Review
I was a big Schwarzenegger fan through my college years, up until the time of the most recent revelations about his relationship with his housekeeper. When I started reading this book last night, I was wondering if Arnold’s ego would allow him to own up to his mistakes and, to a large extent, he does and I admire him for it. In many ways, this is the typical immigrant narrative about having a dream and working hard to achieve it. The stories of his early years growing up in post-war Europe stand out on account of what we would consider the abject poverty that he experienced, in a house with no running water or indoor plumbing. I especially enjoyed his descriptions of his early business efforts, selling ice cream by the lake in the summer and ditching school to panhandle (resulting in a substantial beating when his father found out).Arnold admits the mistakes he made, but he doesn’t come across as being terribly repentant. He says he used steroids in his bodybuilding career because people didn’t really know their dangers at the time. Later in the book, he details some of his womanizing, but I have the sense that he rationalizes his behavior to a certain extent. He seems sorry to have caused pain to his family but, as with all of his errors, seems almost comfortable in moving on with his life. In some ways, I think this ability to compartmentalize negative experiences and move forward is one of the attributes that makes him so successful.
For me, the overriding lesson in this book was that someone with a plan, the ability to analyze experiences and the motivation to work hard can become successful in just about anything he or she seeks to do, in spite of a lack of money or connections. Get online Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story today.
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