Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

This was a book club choice. Never, ever would I have picked this book up left to my own devices. I groaned when we agreed to do it and thought it was going to be 600 odd pages of tough going which would need some skim-reading to survive. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I found the book completely engrossing. I sat reading it all day one weekend and spent the rest of the week racing to bed to carry on. Pre-reading the book, I was utterly dismissive of this man. Post-reading it, I am uplifted and inspired and a total admirer. It is an inspirational book on all levels. I always looked at body-building as rather pointless and body-builders as having very ugly bodies. I was not interested. His description of that world and his part in it was fascinating and I have now bought 'Pumping Iron' to learn more. I dismissed out of hand, Conan the Barbarian as a joke. Under no circumstances would I have considered seeing it back in the 80s or now. Reading the chapter about its making changed my mind. I have just bought the DVD because the film sounds fascinating and ground-breaking - (maybe not his acting though!). I am also considering getting some more of his films to view as well. (I have seen very few of them.) What a turn-around! This man is a salesman par excellance! I think what I found so appealing about this book is that to my mind Arnie presents a very honest (al beit sanitized) view of himself. Ok it is, as one reviewer here says, short on salacious detail but I kind of think that is because Arnie as a personality does not dwell on things. He is very clear that he is a very optimistic, positive thinker. He makes mistakes and he moves on. Because of this trait, in his acknowledgements, he also is very clear that he had forgotten lots and needed the help of many people to remember again. I believed him. I also think that he avoided salacious detail because he did not want to hurt other people and wanted to respect their right to privacy too and I can respect that. Arnie is quite clear about being machine-like in pursuing his goals. He will also do whatever it takes to win. And yet while he is clearly ruthless, he also comes across as a man of high intelligence, a man of principles, and of clear vision. He is very clear about how he became successful: what attributes he had and what mechanisms he put in place to achieve what he achieved. The overriding message was, set a goal, learn everything you need to learn to achieve what you want to do and then work hard to do it ('reps reps reps'). No magic formulae, or luck. This man worked for what he got and he does not pretend otherwise. The other thing that surprised me about this book was just how important family was to Arnie. For someone so grounded in himself, and without dwelling on it, one got the sense of a man who really loves his family. For me, I would also call this book a love story. He clearly loves Maria, and I finished the book feeling very, very sad and let down that they broke up. I am with Arnie in very much hoping they get back together again, because the way Arnie writes about their relationship, they were a wonderful team and for me, it felt like a tragic end to a very special relationship. Of course that is his view, maybe Maria would say her years with him were terrible, and she was often alone, and resented the affairs. But I looked at the family photos and they all seemed so very happy together. I could not understand how she could walk away from such an extraordinary man with so much vision and so many worthwhile principles that he was willing to work for. Another reviewer on this site said this book was overlong and needed editing particularly the political bits. I cannot disagree more. I found Arnie's period as governor to be fascinating. I had no idea about the problems of the political system in the US. It was fascinating to read about his courage in fighting for the things he believed in and his determination against all odds to bring change to California in every sphere of public need. Gosh! His energy was infectious, his ability to choose great people to work with him said much for his perceptiveness and wisdom about people, his lack of respect for partisan politics was inspiring and the only responsible way to be. If I were an American I would beg him to run for presidency and I would vote for him! Fabulous, fabulous read. I will be telling anyone I know that they need to read this book. I wish some of our polis would also pick it up. I wonder now what is left for Arnie. I can imagine fixing on the next goal after achieving so much must be a huge question in his mind.

Great book.

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 had loads of different emotions while reading this book, I laughed too hard at some stories, learned from some others and learned a lot from Arnold's force of will and strategies to reach his goals. As a brazilian, who doesn't usually read many things about his personal life (at least not as much as someone from California), I got really impressed and could finally understand how he became the governor of such an important estate and felt how hard politics can be in any country. I recommend this!

A good read, even for those not particularly interested in Arnie. He's an incredibly inspiring individual and I feel that, at 33, I can lean a lot from this book that I can apply to my life to help me achieve my goals.

En bra biografi och Arnolds liv från början. Ett litet minus när han kom in på sin bodybuildnings karriär. Blev lite för mycket sidor om detta. Jag är ingen fan av just denna sport. Men hans liv från början och sen in i filmvärlden var intressant.

A decently written book, though written by someone else. Too simple at times. Amazing stories . Though at times a bit promotional,but you realise that's just Arnold doing what he does best, sell! A must read for any Arnold fan. Can also be classified as a motivational book. I certainly got motivated. Would love the opportunity to meet and learn from the great man some day.

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