Total Recall [Hardcover]

I am very much a child of the eighties and grew up watching the films of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, although due to my age and the ratings on most of their films I only saw the 'comedies' they made at the cinema.

I relied on my VHS copies of films such as Running Man, Predator, Commando and Totall Recall on an almost daily basis and literally wore them out.

Even though Arnold Schwarzenegger is still undoubtedly one of the more famous celebrities in the world, he has some how managed to keep a great deal of his private life out of the public forum, and so it came as quite a surprise to a great many people when stories of the big mans numerous extramarital affairs and began breaking in the news over the last year or so.

Now with the release of this book it leaves me thinking of the chicken and the egg.

Which came first here?

The scandals in the press, so Arnie decides to cut his losses and release a autobiography on the back of it?

Or a decision to 'release' these stories to drum up publicity for this new book?

To be honest having read this book, and therefore having a better understanding of what a determined, intelligent, driven and calculated man Arnold Schwarzenegger is, I am inclined to believe the latter.

Its a big book, just under 700 pages spread across 30 chapters, and there are lots of really good photographs, some instantly recognisable but some I assume must be from his private collection because I have never seen them reproduced previously.

The book starts right at the beginning and tells of his youth in Austria, these bits are really well written and from an early age you get a real sense of how he was forming a plan for the rest of his life.

He talks in great detail about his body building and admits the steroid use, something that led to serious health problems later on in his lfe, and illustrates how an unbelievable amount of hard work and dedication enabled him to win Mr Universe.

What follows then is a perfect example of the 'American Dream', it really is amazing when you read what Arnold came to America with and what he has achieved in that time.

Is it inspiring?

Yes most definitely, but unfortunately the world has changed a great deal since Arnie started out and for an individual to do now what he achieved would be quite a different matter in my opinion.

One thing that surprised me about the book was the lack of 'surprises'!

I really thought this book would be a warts and all book, but to be honest all the major revelations are already out there and all this book does is give more detail, unfortunately it is very much from the authors side of things and I fear he doesn't always accept as much responsibility for his mistakes that I would have liked.

The book is very funny in places and I definitely got a sense of a man with a quick wit and a wicked sense of humour, it has some great stories about the worlds of bodybuilding, Hollywood and politics.

With regards to the latter, politics, the book does go into considerable detail, and so it should, Arnold Schwarzenegger governed the state of California for nearly a decade at a time when it went through huge upheaval, many consider him to have been very sucessful and this is yet another remarkable achievement in a remarkable career by a remarkable man.

It is definitely not as salacious as the hype has suggested it may be, infact it probably is more of an attempt to rebuild a tarnished reputation and make a lot of money at the same time, it is ultimately another example of what this man has done best throughout his career; refuse to be beaten, control his image, come out on top, and gain financially.

Does this matter?

Not to me!

I grew up loving the films of Arnold Schwarzenegger, I am really excited that he is back in the movies, and this book lived up to my expectations.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and definitely know far more about the author than beforehand, I also have far more of a respect for what he has achieved considering what humble beginnings he came from.

I was weaned on the giants of the `80s action movies: Stallone, Seagal, Van Damme, Lundgren and of course, Schwarzenegger. I can in fact remember the first time I saw an Arnie film, when my babysitter decided to put on The Terminator and at a pre-school age, I was confronted with the sight of this behemoth of a man, carving a path of carnage through LA. From then on in, I was a fan.
When Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story the autobiography of Arnold Schwarzenegger landed on my doormat, I felt like a kid at Christmas!

The life story of Arnold Schwarzenegger is truly remarkable. In his own words, "...what are the odds... for an Austrian farm boy to come to America and become the greatest bodybuilding champion of all time, to get in the movie business, marry a Kennedy, and then get elected governor of the biggest state of the United States..."
From that brief quotation, the reader can see there is certainly plenty of material for him to cover and this is demonstrated by the fact that you're halfway through the book before any real discussion of The Terminator: a movie that was made almost 30 years ago.

At times, I was laughing uncontrollably at some of the stories in this book and most of the time, I couldn't help but read it and hear his voice in your head! Although much of what is narrated in the book is already well-known, getting Schwarzenegger's version of events is compelling, hearing about his childhood in Austria, his will to succeed in bodybuilding, how Conan the Barbarian brought him international stardom, how he was determined to succeed as Chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports; and many other tales that leave you wondering how one man at the age of 65 years old could fit so much into one lifetime.

Arnold comes across as incredibly driven, highly competitive and quite calculating, sometimes to the point where I found myself losing a bit of respect for him. His psychological toying with other athletes on and off the stage were not what I would expect from a modern athlete but then again, Schwarzenegger really was a game-changer as far as the bodybuilding world was concerned.

As the book progressed, I was worried that he would simply ignore the subject of his lovechild but in fact, my fears were allayed late on in the book. Despite this, he skirts over his own failings and misdemeanours such as affairs, alleged sexual harassment, drug use and steroid abuse. This may be understandable, given that Arnold is still a high profile individual, a role model to many and a man who still hopes that he can save his marriage to Maria Shriver.

The section on Arnie's time in politics will not be to everyone's taste, especially those who are more interested in his bodybuilding and/or movie career. At times, it can be very dry and overly-descriptive about political processes; but it is also not without its highpoints and is peppered with references and anecdotes about famous politicians and celebrities alike. Schwarzenegger freely admits many of the mistakes he made while in office as the Governor of California but is keen to point out that he gave it his absolute all, just like every other career decision he has made.

For me, as a fan, I don't regret reading this book. Much of the information contained therein is already common knowledge but the facts and circumstances that are already known are brought to life with Schwarzenegger's own stories and thoughts on events. The title of the book however, is only partly true; the latter half being correct in that yes, it is indeed an "unbelievably true life story"; but the title "Total Recall" is quite the misnomer, since I cannot help but feel much has been omitted deliberately from this book.
Ultimately, this book is much like the man himself: entertaining, larger than life, charismatic and unforgettable; but not without its flaws.

I have to agree with some of the other reviews here, Arnie's story is truely an amazing one but I feel that obviously he had final say on what was included and how the information was laid out and this has been to the detriment of what the reader would probably like.

The book starts off well with his very basic childhood in 1950's Austria and tells how he got into weightlifting and against huge odds turned his ambitious dreams of emulating his idols like Steve Reeves into reality by becoming a champion bodybuilder and leaving Austria and national service to seek fame and fortune in the west.

There is some good coverage of his bodybuilding career but I felt it lacked the details about his training regime that many would be interested in. The issue of steriods is admitted but its also quickly brushed over.
However you do get to realise just how much he put into his life and how little credit he has probably got for his success.
Far from being just a musclebound meathead with a career in action movies you discover he's also a highly intelligent businessman and his success has been carefully planned rather than just happening by chance. Reading about the extent of his endeavours when he first arrived in the U.S you have to wonder how he could fit so much into the day. For instance as well as being the worlds #1 bodybuilder he was also a student and working in construction whilst dabbling in the property business and trying to start his acting career. Infact it was through property rather than acting or bodybuilding that he made his first million.

However its the 2nd half of the book that seems to drag, going too deeply into politics it seems that Arnie felt the need to justify and give his view on seemingly every single policy he ever made. There is also alot about his marriage and the Shriver/Kennedy family. And that little issue of fathering a child by the nanny is like the steroids admitted but quickly brushed over.

In summary I have to say that the story itself is fascinating enough to warrant buying the book and there plenty of good photos also. But it could have been edited to make it a more enjoyable read.