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Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story Paperback – November 5, 2013

by Arnold Schwarzenegger (Author)

5,088 ratings

Editors' pick Best Biographies & Memoirs

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In his signature larger-than-life style, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Total Recall is a revealing self-portrait of his illustrious, controversial, and truly unique life.

The greatest immigrant success story of our time.

His story is unique, and uniquely entertaining, and he tells it brilliantly in these pages.

He was born in a year of famine, in a small Austrian town, the son of an austere police chief. He dreamed of moving to America to become a bodybuilding champion and a movie star.

By the age of twenty-one, he was living in Los Angeles and had been crowned Mr. Universe.

Within five years, he had learned English and become the greatest bodybuilder in the world.

Within ten years, he had earned his college degree and was a millionaire from his business enterprises in real estate, landscaping, and bodybuilding. He was also the winner of a Golden Globe Award for his debut as a dramatic actor in Stay Hungry.

Within twenty years, he was the world’s biggest movie star, the husband of Maria Shriver, and an emerging Republican leader who was part of the Kennedy family.

Thirty-six years after coming to America, the man once known by fellow bodybuilders as the Austrian Oak was elected governor of California, the seventh largest economy in the world.

He led the state through a budget crisis, natural disasters, and political turmoil, working across party lines for a better environment, election reforms, and bipartisan solutions.

With Maria Shriver, he raised four fantastic children. In the wake of a scandal he brought upon himself, he tried to keep his family together.

Until now, he has never told the full story of his life, in his own voice.

Here is Arnold, with total recall.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arnold Schwarzenegger served as governor of California from 2003 to 2011. Before that, he had a long career, starring in such films as the Terminator series; Stay Hungry; Twins; Predator; and Junior. His first book, Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder, was a bestseller when published in 1977 and, along with his Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, has never been out of print. He is the author of Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life and Arnold, a limited docuseries about his life, is currently streaming on Netflix.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1

Out of Austria

I was born into a year of famine. It was 1947, and Austria was occupied by the Allied armies that had defeated Hitler’s Third Reich. In May, two months before I was born, there were hunger riots in Vienna, and in Styria, the southeastern province where we lived, the food shortages were just as bad. Years later, if my mother wanted to remind me about how much she and my father sacrificed to bring me up, she’d tell me how she’d foraged across the countryside, making her way from farm to farm to collect a little butter, some sugar, some grain. She’d be away three days sometimes. Hamstern, they called it, like a hamster gathering nuts; scrounging for food was so common.

Thal was the name of our very typical farm village. A few hundred families made up the entire population, their houses and farms clustered in hamlets connected by footpaths and lanes. The unpaved main road ran for a couple of kilometers up and down low alpine hills covered with fields and pine forests.

We saw very little of the British forces who were in charge—just an occasional truck with soldiers rolling through. But to the east, Russians occupied the area, and we were very conscious of them. The Cold War had begun, and we all lived in fear that the Russian tanks would roll in, and we’d be swallowed up into the Soviet empire. The priests in church would scare the congregation with horror stories of Russians shooting babies in the arms of their mothers.

Our house was on the top of a hill along the road, and as I was growing up, it was unusual to see more than one or two cars come through a day. A ruined castle dating back to feudal times was right across from us, one hundred yards from our door.

On the next rise were the mayor’s office; the Catholic church where my mother made us all go to Sunday Mass; the local Gasthaus, or inn, which was the social heart of the village; and the primary school attended by me and my brother, Meinhard, who was a year older than me.

My earliest memories are of my mother washing clothes and my father shoveling coal. I was no more than three years old, but the image of my father is especially sharp in my mind. He was a big, athletic guy, and he did a lot of things himself. Every autumn we’d get our winter supply of coal, a truckload dumped in front of our house, and on this occasion he was letting Meinhard and me help him carry it into the cellar. We were always so proud to be his assistants.

My father and mom both originally came from working-class families farther north—factory laborers, mostly, in the steel industry. During the chaos at the end of World War II, they’d met in the city of Mürzzuschlag, where my mother, Aurelia Jadrny, was a clerk in a food-distribution center at city hall. She was in her early twenties, and a war widow—her husband had gotten killed just eight months after their wedding. Working at her desk one morning, she noticed my father passing on the street—an older guy, in his late thirties, but tall and good looking and wearing the uniform of the gendarmerie, the rural police. She was crazy about men in uniforms, so every day after that she watched for him. She figured out when his shift was so she would be sure to be at her desk. They’d talk through the open window, and she’d give him some food from whatever they had on hand.

His name was Gustav Schwarzenegger. They got married late in 1945. He was thirty-eight, and she was twenty-three. My father was assigned to Thal and put in charge of a four-man post responsible for the village and nearby countryside. The salary was barely enough to live on, but with the job came a place to live: the old forester’s lodge, or Forsthaus. The forest ranger, or Forstmeister, lived on the ground floor, andthe Inspektor and his family occupied the top.

My boyhood home was a very simple stone and brick building, well proportioned, with thick walls and little windows to keep out the alpine winters. We had two bedrooms, each with a coal oven for heat, and a kitchen, where we ate, did our homework, washed ourselves, and played games. The heat in that room was supplied by my mother’s stove.

There was no plumbing, no shower, and no flushing toilet, just a kind of chamber pot. The nearest well was almost a quarter mile away, and even when it was raining hard or snowing, one of us had to go. So we used as little water as we could. We’d heat it and fill the washbasin and give ourselves sponge or cloth baths—my mother would wash herself first with the clean water; next, my father would wash himself; and then Meinhard and I would have our turn. It didn’t matter if we had slightly darker water as long as we could avoid a trip to the well.

We had wood furniture, very basic, and a few electric lamps. My father liked pictures and antiques, but when we were growing up, these were luxuries he couldn’t afford. Music and cats brought liveliness to our house. My mother played the zither and sang us songs and lullabies, but it was my father who was the real musician. He could play all the wind and reed instruments: trumpets, flügelhorns, saxophones, clarinets. He also wrote music and was the conductor of the region’s gendarmerie band—if a police officer died anywhere in the state, the band would play at the funeral. Often on Sundays in summer, we’d go to concerts in the park, where he would conduct and sometimes play. Most of our relatives on his side were musical, but that talent never made it to Meinhard or me.

I’m not sure why we had cats instead of dogs—maybe because my mother loved them and they cost nothing because they caught their own food. But we always had lots of cats, running in and out, curling up here and there, bringing down half-dead mice from the attic to show off what great hunters they were. Everyone had his or her own cat to curl up with in bed at night—that was our tradition. At one point, we had seven cats. We loved the cats, but never too much, because there was no such thing as going to the vet. If one of the cats started falling over from being too sick or too old, we’d wait to hear the shot from the backyard—the sound of my father’s pistol. My mother, Meinhard, and I would then go out and make a grave with a little cross on top.

My mother had a black cat named Mooki that she constantly claimed was unique, although none of us could see why. One day when I was about ten, I was arguing with my mother about not wanting to do my homework. Mooki was nearby, curled up on the couch, as usual. I must have said something really uppity because my mother moved to smack me across the face. I saw it coming and tried to fend her off, but instead I hit her with the back of my arm. In a second, Mooki was off the couch—she leaped up between us and started clawing at my face.

pulled her off me and yelled, “Ow! What is this!?” Mom and I looked at each other and burst out laughing, even though I had blood running down my cheek. Finally, she had proof that Mooki was special.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1451662440
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster (November 5, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 656 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781451662443
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1451662443
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.95 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.88 x 1.7 x 8.94 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #48,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #47 in Political Leader Biographies
- #124 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies
- #1,222 in Memoirs (Books)

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Arnold Schwarzenegger
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Arnold Schwarzenegger is a bodybuilder, actor, businessman, philanthropist, bestselling author, and public servant. He offers free daily inspiration through his newsletter, Arnold’s Pump Club.
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Peter Petre
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Peter Petre (www.peterpetre.com) co-wrote Arnold Schwarzenegger’s memoir Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, a New York Times bestseller published in 2012. Mr. Petre also co-authored Alan Greenspan’s memoir The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World, a No. 1 New York Times bestseller in 2007. Michael Kinsley noted in a New York Times review of the book, “Not only can Greenspan discourse lucidly on economic matters, but he has also written the most unexpectedly charming Washington insider memoir since Katharine Graham's a decade ago.”
Mr. Petre has co-authored two other bestsellers: General H. Norman Schwarzkopf’s It Doesn’t Take A Hero and Thomas J. Watson, Jr.’s Father, Son & Co.: My Life at IBM and Beyond. The Los Angeles Times called the Schwarzkopf memoir “a fine and lucid book, teeming with vitality …. Schwarzkopf is a compelling storyteller.” Writing about Father, Son & Co. in the New York Times, Joe Nocera declared it “the only great ghost-written CEO autobiography ever .... No one else — not even Lee Iacocca or Jack Welch — even comes close.”
Mr. Petre assisted on Robert S. McNamara’s In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam and on Steven Rattner’s Overhaul: An Insider’s Account of the Obama Administration’s Emergency Rescue of the Auto Industry. In 2014 he co-authored a private memoir with billionaire philanthropist David M. Rubenstein.
Mr. Petre was executive editor at Fortune, where he directed coverage of information technology, biotech, medicine, industrial technology, and science, and was a founding partner of the Techonomy conferences on science, technology, economics and business. He is treasurer of the Authors Guild, the largest association of book authors in the United States, and of the Authors Guild Foundation. He holds a B.A. from the University of Iowa and an M.A. from Johns Hopkins. He and his wife Ann Banks live in Manhattan.
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Customers find this autobiography incredibly engaging and well-written, providing great insight into Arnold Schwarzenegger's life and rise to fame. The book is filled with humor and serves as an ultimate American success story. Customers appreciate Schwarzenegger's determination to achieve success and his fabulous personality, while also noting its value for money.

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Readability Inspiration Insight into life Entertainment value Intelligence Personality Value for money American dream

406 customers mention "Readability"389 positive17 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as incredibly engrossing and very well written, with one customer noting it contains valuable insights.

"...In this highly readable and fast going narrative, Arnold tells his story from his humble origins in Austria, to the dreams he gave himself growing up..." Read more

"...not a sparkly out of the box movie star turned governor, and worth your admiration...." Read more

"...Arnold's story is a very motivational story...." Read more

"...It is entertaining, it is still timely, and I do hope that at some point, Arnold will give us a second edition, to update us about the last 10 years...." Read more

236 customers mention "Inspiration"236 positive0 negative

Customers find the book inspiring, with many noting it provides valuable life lessons and opens their eyes to the realities of life.

"...The following chapters are glittering, enticing and very entertaining aspects of this philosophy. * Chapter 10 - Stay Hungry *..." Read more

"...He is a real person, not a sparkly out of the box movie star turned governor, and worth your admiration...." Read more

"...few pages grabbed me, and I found "Total Recall" to be one of the most interesting and enjoyable books that I'd read in a long time...." Read more

"...He is a hard working and motivated person. When he makes a movie he does go over the top to promote it. He was always very political...." Read more

76 customers mention "Insight into life"76 positive0 negative

Customers praise this biography for providing great insight into Arnold Schwarzenegger's life and career.

"...First what are we dealing with here? This is an autobiography, so don't look for the reality of what this man's life and actions have truly been...." Read more

"...the book, Arnold uses a clear, simple, and blunt tone to describe his life in great detail...." Read more

"...I especially enjoyed his descriptions of his early business efforts, selling ice cream by the lake in the summer and ditching school to panhandle..." Read more

"...His book describe very well how he rose to fame and prestige...." Read more

62 customers mention "Entertainment value"47 positive15 negative

Customers find the book amusing and filled with humor, enjoying reading about the author's childhood and behind-the-scenes memories.

"...Throughout the book you will laugh, you will reflect, and you will marvel that the American dream is still alive and worthwhile...." Read more

"...This book hit the shelves in 2012, and it's now 2022. It is entertaining, it is still timely, and I do hope that at some point, Arnold will give us..." Read more

"...also delves into some of his more popular films with some funny behind the scenes memories, he talks about his role in the "Terminator" &..." Read more

"...It was actually a bit sad and depressing, and you can tell the book losses it's mojo. But there are some valuable lessons in those mistakes...." Read more

45 customers mention "Intelligence"45 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's intelligence and determination, noting their impressive work ethic and ability to achieve their goals through hard work.

"...The bodybuilding career is well detailed, although I'm not sure the readers will come away with an appreciation for how much work it was, because..." Read more

"...a leading man type, and finally politics, I was fasciated by his sophistication, his methodical planning, his focus, and how brilliantly he hit all..." Read more

"...He is a hard working and motivated person. When he makes a movie he does go over the top to promote it. He was always very political...." Read more

"...his character, persistence, resoluteness and a very sharp and natural business acumen. "..." Read more

32 customers mention "Personality"32 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's personality, describing him as a remarkable, fabulous, and good human being who is quite an actor.

"This is a fabulous story about a fabulous personality. Is it self-serving? Of course it is. Is it an honest portrayal about an American icon?..." Read more

"...Time and time again, he is gracious about everyone he encountered, and quickly owns up to his mistakes, including his infidelity and the breakup of..." Read more

"...me there's a lot more to admire about him than his movies; it's his character, persistence, resoluteness and a very sharp and natural business..." Read more

"...his priorities, aware of his personal motivations, how he manipulated his own self image and understood how his own mind works to motivate himself,..." Read more

27 customers mention "Value for money"19 positive8 negative

Customers find the book worth the price, with one mentioning they made millions from it.

"...This last chapter is worth the price of the book alone for in it, he tells you what he believes are the driving daily habits behind his success...." Read more

"...At least they made four beautiful children together, and lots of money." Read more

"...let's try boring, (consequently taking forever to read) un-interesting and intellectually dishonest...." Read more

"...into Arnold's business mind, to this point in the book, has provided so much value, it blows my mind...." Read more

23 customers mention "American dream"19 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the book's portrayal of the American Dream, describing it as an ultimate success story.

"...will laugh, you will reflect, and you will marvel that the American dream is still alive and worthwhile...." Read more

"...Let it be Arnold’s tenacity, his determination to be successful, his confidence to not follow the rules...." Read more

"...Despite his great failure with infidelity, he was otherwise a man with strong character and clearly a loving husband and father...." Read more

"...Interesting details about cultural differences between America and Europe and many wise political "bipartisan" considerations...." Read more

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Richard of Connecticut
The Ultimate American Success Story - Truthful well YES and NO - Five Stars for Arnold
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2012
Verified Purchase

This is a fabulous story about a fabulous personality. Is it self-serving? Of course it is. Is it an honest portrayal about an American icon? How could it be, and do we as readers have a right to expect complete honesty in a book like this? The answer is probably not, the author is after all in the image making business. Since most of us have never met and will probably never meet the terminator, we only know of him through the media, and that in all instances is managed. Now we are given a 690 page narrative with pictures spread over 30 delicious chapters, and this reader feels it has been beautifully written, even if it isn't the whole deal.

First what are we dealing with here? This is an autobiography, so don't look for the reality of what this man's life and actions have truly been. You won't find it, nor do we probably have a right to find it, although there is still the expectation of candor. After all, an autobiography is an edited selection of the events of an individual's entire life. The author gets to portray himself however he wants to, putting in what he wants, how he wants, and leaving out what he doesn't want.

In this highly readable and fast going narrative, Arnold tells his story from his humble origins in Austria, to the dreams he gave himself growing up, and then the journey to America where he creates and fulfills a fantasy life that the rest of us can only maintain as a dream state. He talks about using steroids as a bodybuilder. He claims a lack of knowledge about them. Others in bodybuilding at the time knew the real deal, and knowledge was there if he had wanted it.

He is one of only three major bodybuilders to strike it rich through this profession. The other two are Steve Reeves, an extremely handsome man who went onto fame as Hercules in Hollywood. There was also Reg Park, another fabulous athlete who adorned Arnold's bedroom walls while he was growing up. Schwarzenegger mentions both of them on page 30 of the book but certainly does not give enough credit to them as the role models and the revolutionaries they were, that allowed him to stand on their shoulders and take bodybuilding so much higher than it had ever been before.

After winning Mr. Universe which is thoroughly covered in Chapter 4, the author talks about calling up Reg Park in South Africa and reminding him that Park had invited him to South Africa if and when Schwarzenegger won the Mr. Universe contest. Park was as good as his word, sending the young bodybuilder a ticket. Arnold spent several weeks with Park and his family and it was probably here that he realized his dreams as a child could be turned into realities. He saw a family life he never had, and success that he thought could be but had never seen a model for it before. He now had the model which was crucial to his attempt to make a reality out of the dream.

He put a plan into his own mind at that point. It included America, bigger things in bodybuilding, Hollywood, a family, wealth, and eventually politics. The rest of the book, some 550 pages more is the story of each aspect of his plan meticulously played out before our eyes. It all began with the model. It is always the revolutionary that matters, the first to do something is always excruciatingly difficult and for most seems impossible which is why it remains unfulfilled for so many years.

It took 2000 years for the first runner to run the four minute mile, than within 15 month, 12 others did it. Arnold had the model in Reg Park and Steve Reeves, but it was to his credit that he took the reality to such a much higher plane than anybody had ever thought possible.

Throughout the book you will laugh, you will reflect, and you will marvel that the American dream is still alive and worthwhile. Some people will be of the opinion that all it takes is a dream and access to America and yes it can all come through, if you simply work hard. In the book that appears to be the conclusion that Arnold draws for his own life (more about this later). The following chapters are glittering, enticing and very entertaining aspects of this philosophy.

* Chapter 10 - Stay Hungry

* Chapter 14 - What Doesn't Kill Us Makes Us Stronger

* Chapter 18 - Comic Timing

* Chapter 26 - The Comeback

* Chapter 30 - Arnold's Rules

You the reader must come to your own conclusions as to how much of the book is disingenuous and self-serving and perhaps an attempt to rehabilitate an image that was very much tarnished by the affair(s) that he had, and the birth of a child outside his marriage. The author goes through a lot of effort to make the story come out his way. As readers we shouldn't fault him for this effort, but simply keep it in mind as we search for entertainment and understanding as to what it took for him to succeed. We also get the sheer fantasy fulfillment of our own notions about what it would be like to lead the fantastic, unbelievable existence that is portrayed throughout this book.

It is probably true that the author has not led one life but many lives, and he has basically fulfilled most of his wishes in a life that is not yet complete. At one time or another he has journeyed to the top of the following worlds:

1) Bodybuilding

2) Hollywood

3) Politics

4) Business

5) Wealth

6) Celebrity

Only the author knows whether in the end it was all worth, was it a life worth living, and what does he do now with the time that is left? He must also balance it off with the affair that is explored in chapter 29 entitled "The Secret". You can't have all the above without also having to deal with this self-made star voluntarily destroying his family and his wife who is prominent in her own right, Maria Shriver.

We the readers are not aware of what occupies the author's mind during the moments when he is truly alone. Is it sadness, compassion, is there reflection, or does he simply remain on the ladder of success struggling for the next step on that ladder which is signified by "Arnold's Rules" explored in Chapter 30. This last chapter is worth the price of the book alone for in it, he tells you what he believes are the driving daily habits behind his success.

CONCLUSION:

This is one reader who loved this book. It was a fabulous read, comical and entertaining too. One felt that you really got to know the author well, that you may have been in touch with his core at different points. It is also ture that the book was very clearly written on his terms. You can take him for what he says, you can disagree, but you cannot deny that this immigrant from Austria has lived and continues to live a bigger than life story, and is the personification, warts and all of the American dream of success. To this reader it is clearly NOT true that all you need is a vision of success, a willingness to work hard, and the ability to executive the vision and then you too can become a success like the author.

Many people, no matter how hard they work, for many reasons never make it, and it is not their fault that they fail. What is important at the end of one's life is that when you look back at YOUR life, you are able to say that I did the things I wanted to do, and I have NO REGRETS. Hopefully the author can say this about his life, although for the rest of us, it and he remain what appears to be an incredible life played out on many of the public stages of the world. You should take the time to read this book, and perhaps you will love it too as did this reader, and thank you for reading this review.

Richard Stoyeck

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LynnS77
Great Autobiography
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2023
Verified Purchase
Who would have thought that Arnold Schwarzenegger would have had such an interesting life? Arnold was one of those people who worked very hard for everything he has, and actually deserved his eventual fame and fortune.

Arnold was born in Austria, the son of a policeman and a hardworking housewife. They literally did not have running water in their home. As a small child Arnold described his mother going “hamstering” or going far afield to gather this and that bits of foodstuffs to feed their family, as it was in the aftermath of WWII and families in neighboring villages were very poor. They thought nothing of their lifestyle, as everyone they knew lived the same, chopping wood and bathing in the same pan of water.

As he grew and realized he was larger than most, he was very muscular and made his own homemade weight set at home. Arnold idolized weight lifters and bodybuilders in magazines and told his family that one day he would be Mr. Olympia and go to America and become a movie star. That dream didn’t happen overnight, but Arnold was discovered, and was taken to America to become a bodybuilder, and eventually became Mr. Olympia.

Arnold had sponsors and he worked very hard for them selling supplements and gym memberships. Eventually he helped to promote bodybuilding itself and became very popular in weight training and body builders magazines. He was a repeat winner of the Mr. Olympia award, but Arnold wanted to make his way in America and saved enough to buy a building. He rented all the units except the one he stayed in after renovating it with his partner in the gym.

Real estate wasn’t the only place to make money, Arnold was also still working at the gym and working in construction at the same time. All the while he was still participating in the body building championships and eventually had his own books and supplements that he sent out himself.
He lived with a young woman named Barbara for years, but she was ready to settle down and have children before Arnold was and they separated.

Arnold did not want to give up his dreams of Hollywood, and his first movie was called STAY HUNGRY with Sally Fields and then, PUMPING IRON, both movies right up his professional alley. His next film, CONAN THE BARBARIAN they filmed one short scene with his Mr. Olympia body then asked him to lose weight. Arnold started making his big money after the Terminator, when Hollywood realized that he was a hit with the audiences and was getting calls from everyone. By the time he was filming PREDATOR, Arnold and Maria Shriver were tying the knot.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver were a bigger deal than anyone realized at the time. Of course the press realized what they had, a link to the Kennedy family and a guy who worked on the campaigns for Republican presidents. This made for both good and bad press, and of course if Arnold took something to the press that they got wrong they apologized, but never printed retractions.

There is so much more! More movies, more things for Special Olympics body building, politics, kids, heart surgery, and a big scandal that ruined his marriage. This is a really long book and an investment in your time, but if you’re interested in being inspired, Arnold is your guy. He is a real person, not a sparkly out of the box movie star turned governor, and worth your admiration. No one is perfect, he cops to his flaws throughout the book, something else I liked, and he gives credit where credit is due, to the people who helped him get to everywhere he wanted to go. Great book.

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Rodrigo Laemmle
Sensacional
Reviewed in Brazil on June 28, 2024
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Leitura obrigatória junto do documentário na Netflix. Uma prova de resiliência.

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PSS
Great read
Reviewed in India on September 16, 2015
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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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oto_jo
A non-fan converted - fabulous!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2013
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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.

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Miguel Angel Alonso Pulido
Muy bueno
Reviewed in Spain on March 4, 2017
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Para todos los que crecimos en los 80, la figura de Arnold Schwarzenneger fue una referencia constante en incontables y míticas películas de acción: Conan, Terminator, Depredador, Desafío total... Pero Arnold es mucho mas que un actor, y en su autobiografía nos cuenta su vida desde la pobreza en Austria hasta su etapa como gobernador de California. Como toda autobiografía autorizada, este libro se fija mucho en las luces pero no tanto en las sombras de su carrera, que también las hay, como su uso de esteroides en la competición o su infidelidad. Sin embargo, las luces son lo más destacado de la carrera de Arnold, un hombre que desde muy joven estuvo bajo los focos y que triunfó y llegó a lo más alto en tres mundos muy distintos: el culturismo, el cine y la política. En este libro, Arnold nos cuenta con pelos y señales como lo consiguió; las lecciones que podemos sacar de su vida son todo un ejemplo para cualquier persona en cualquier ámbito y por eso merece la pena que leas este libro.

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Shekhinah
Great book
Reviewed in Australia on October 17, 2024
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Funny and wise. Great book by a great man!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Sensacional

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