Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger

Apr 05, 2013 Markus rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, biography, hardcover, movies, published-2012

One star more for me being fan of Arnold's 80s and early 90s movies. Writing tends to be a bit of dry, Austrian accent and a personal voice is there, but just. Problem being, Arnold didn't write this alone and it shows. I liked an early chapters and for a big movie nerd the meat of the book was 'making of movies' parts. As a foreigner, all the Governator chapters were struggle and i have read a lot of books about politics. It's just hard to find a fascination about intricacies of a ballot voting...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Mark Skousen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Here's my review of "Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story" by Arnold Schwarzenegger. I listened to the audiobook, all 25 hours worth, while driving from Florida to New York. Schwarzenegger reads only the first chapter, the rest by Stephen Lang. I found the book compelling reading (listening), especially how a poor Austrian had such drive to achieve remarkable success as the world's #1 bodybuilder, top box office draw, and governor of California. I enjoy books that introduce me to a whol...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Shahine Ardeshir rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book dispels one myth right away - the impression most people carry that Arnold, with all his muscle and Terminator films, is all brawn and no brains. What becomes apparent very soon is that this is someone who had huge ambition, tremendous tenacity and a calculating business mind. So no, he's not stupid, people.

He's also not just lucky. His life didn't happen by accident - it was an outcome of years of hard work and chasing down carefully-set goals. If you want to be charitable, you'd call...more This book dispels one myth right away - the impression most people carry that Arnold, with all his muscle and Terminator films, is all brawn and no brains. What becomes apparent very soon is that this is someone who had huge ambition, tremendous tenacity and a calculating business mind. So no, he's not stupid, people.

He's also not just lucky. His life didn't happen by accident - it was an outcome of years of hard work and chasing down carefully-set goals. If you want to be charitable, you'd call him driven and intentional; if you want to be harsh, you'd say this guy was conniving and postured.

What there is no doubt about, though, is that he's arrogant. Sure, he went to the top of his game in three completely diverse fields (body building, acting and politics) - but particularly towards the second half of the book, it gets annoying. In fact, through and through, the style of writing leaves very little to your imagination - Arnold will tell you what happened, exactly what he (and the other person) said, what he thought and why - in fact, wait a few lines, and he'll even tell you whether it was the right or wrong thing to have done. The subtext for me was: I'm wildly successful, if you want to be too, here's how. Thanks Arnie, but personally, I'd have been content just to hear about your life experiences and judge both success and applicability to my life for myself.

For me, the first half was as interesting as the second half was boring. From a gripping first ten or twelve chapters, where he takes you from a tiny town where he grew up into the little-known world of body building, where each page is a new revelation, the books slows in the second half, with reams upon reams of spiels about Schwarzenegger's politics, and how much he achieved while governor, and how many important people he got to know and "schmoozed" with (schmoozed, by the way, is his favourite word ever). The book crescendos with Arnold's ten principles for success (almost like a summary for an essay-question answer you may have to write in a final exam), which as a reader felt both boring and condescending.

Reading this book wasn't life-changing, but it certainly was thought-provoking. In many ways, the success of Arnold Schwarzenegger - and the unapologetically arrogant air about him - is a reflection of the times we live in. We seem to like someone who made something out of nothing, and give him free license to have bragging rights about it.

That said, whether you come away liking him or not, the personality of the man definitely shines through the pages, and that's what makes it a good autobiography for me. I feel like I know Schwarzenegger a bit better now, and so I have to give him and his co-author credit - they did their job. It starts better than it ends, but it's still an entertaining read. I wouldn't rush out and buy it - but it would make a good present for someone next Christmas.(less)

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Feb 17, 2013 Peter rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fun, lifestyle, motivation, sports

One of my all-time heroes. Arnold is sometimes viewed negatively by people who don't know his whole story, but he turns even that into an asset: "I never argued with people who underestimated me. If the accent and the muscles and the movies made people think I was stupid, it worked to my advantage". How can anybody underestimate somebody who, among many many accomplishments, was a world-class athlete who trained 6 days per week twice a day, became a millionaire in business *before* he was a movi...more One of my all-time heroes. Arnold is sometimes viewed negatively by people who don't know his whole story, but he turns even that into an asset: "I never argued with people who underestimated me. If the accent and the muscles and the movies made people think I was stupid, it worked to my advantage". How can anybody underestimate somebody who, among many many accomplishments, was a world-class athlete who trained 6 days per week twice a day, became a millionaire in business *before* he was a movie star, and has been the governor of one of the most powerful states in the U.S.?

I read his first biography from 1977, Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder, after he won his Mr. Olympia titles, and already then I was inspired. Here was a man with a will of iron and incredible drive, and who was completely unapologetic about it. I remember reading somewhere "If Schwarzenegger had more ambition than he has now, he'd have to be running for Galactic Overlord" and realized the author was only half-joking. In Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, we can see that same personality more than 35 years later, after having applied himself in several disparate domains. It is this being successful in so many different ways that makes Arnold larger-than-life.

In this book, he is a bit more mellow than in the previous one. At 30, he still had a single-minded focus on his muscles, but by 65, he has explored & cultivated many more sides of himself. Since then, it seems it's not about just Arnold anymore: he has become a father of 5, and although he definitely has his flaws, he seems to have found a balance between himself, his family, and his public duties. But even at the age when most people retire, he is still living up to his old mantra: "For me life is continuously being hungry. The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer".

Unfortunately, sometimes the book feels a bit written by someone who is very aware of his public image and how what he writes will be interpreted by the reader. But in the end, this is probably something to be expected from someone who has been living in the public eye for decades, most recently even as a politician.

All in all, 5 stars. Looking forward to keep following this inspiring and tireless man over the years to come!(less)

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Feb 05, 2013 Danderma rated it 3 of 5 stars

The first time I saw Arnold Schwarzenegger was while watching Terminator with my father. When the terminator came ion the screen, my father pointed at him and told me "This actor? This is the world's champion in bodybuilding". Of course, an athletic person going into movies is not that surprising, happens all the time with football and basketball players. An Austrian champion bodybuilder becoming a movie star then becoming the governor of the state of California in the USA, is worth reading abou...more The first time I saw Arnold Schwarzenegger was while watching Terminator with my father. When the terminator came ion the screen, my father pointed at him and told me "This actor? This is the world's champion in bodybuilding". Of course, an athletic person going into movies is not that surprising, happens all the time with football and basketball players. An Austrian champion bodybuilder becoming a movie star then becoming the governor of the state of California in the USA, is worth reading about.

I loved the beginning of this book, how Arnold was born in a year of famine, how they lived in bare necessities, how he had strong parents who disciplined him yet a father who didn't believe in him. Defiance is very present in the first chapters of the book and throughout. How the little boy had a dream and he worked relentlessly to make it happen and worked harder whenever someone laughed his dream off or told him it cannot happen.

His commitment, his punctuality, defiance, determination, and steel will got him his many bodybuilding titles and helped put the bodybuilding on the map and got him to America and gave him his first business of bodybuilding videos, tips, and supplies mail order. Then the book talks about his American life and doesn't much talk about his relationship with women then you turn a page and find him talking about falling in love with a Kennedy and marrying her and having children.

The book, even though it talks about his family life after marriage, is still on the private side. You cannot sense much gooey emotions but you can definitely sense a strong will and determination to put a mark on this world and change it to the better. Then the book progresses into the movie parts of Arnold's life, which was fun to read, then the politics part. In the politics part we see a side of Arnold that is so private that he didn't inform his wife of his wanting to run for governor or the people of California until the last-minute. The man is like a machine that works silently with Austrian efficiency!

I, however, hated the part about Arnold's secret affair with the housekeeper that resulted in him fathering a son who'se as old as his youngest son from his wife. His, lets say, explanation is too casual and after a long book filled with details, its just not enough or that convincing.

Overall, the book is an inspiration for how to achieve what you want in life even if all the odds were against you. I can identify with that and I think I'm going to listen to Arnold's dream-to-reality transformation tips. After all, he made, didn't he? Defienetly going on my bookshelf and I would strongly recommend it.
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Jan 06, 2013 Abhishek rated it 4 of 5 stars

Total Recall is the story of this famous personality born in a village in Austria who eventually grew up to become the Governor of California in USA; who along this journey also became one of the most prominent bodybuilders, evolved into an action hero in Hollywood who delivered multiple box office hits and married one from the Kennedy clan. This is the story of Arnold Schwarzenegger as told by him in his autobiography Total Recall. One of the most prominent personalities in Hollywood, Schwarzen...more Total Recall is the story of this famous personality born in a village in Austria who eventually grew up to become the Governor of California in USA; who along this journey also became one of the most prominent bodybuilders, evolved into an action hero in Hollywood who delivered multiple box office hits and married one from the Kennedy clan. This is the story of Arnold Schwarzenegger as told by him in his autobiography Total Recall. One of the most prominent personalities in Hollywood, Schwarzenegger has lived a life with so much variety that few else could boast of. If you know him as only Schwarzenegger the action hero, you would be surprised to read about his other achievements in greater detail – his bodybuilding days, his construction business, his foray in real estate, his political stand – in his autobiography, apart from also capturing Schwarzenegger, the family man, a father of four kids.

The autobiography is neatly written, laying enough emphasis on all the roles that Arnie has played in his life. While I was eagerly looking forward to read more about his recitation of his Hollywood days, this appears after quite a bulk of pages, as Arnie goes through his initial life in Austria, his early bodybuilding days and his success in competitions such as Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia. Even this part of his life displays the competitive spirit in the man, his attitude of choosing big goals and then chasing them with single-mindedness. The best part of the autobiography is of course reading through his various movies, how he received those roles, events that happened on movie sets and what went right and what failed at the box office. There is a chapter titled The Terminator which talks about Arnie receiving the offer to be part of this audacious sci-fi movie being planned by a “skinny, intense guy” James Cameron. The role offered to Schwarzenegger was of... no, not the Terminator, but Kyle Reese the protagonist who fights the Terminator in the movie. But it turns out that Schwarzenegger talked way too much about how the Terminator should behave during his first meeting with Cameron that the latter offered him the role of the killing machine, which is now definitely one of the greatest characters ever enacted in sci-fi movies.

Schwarzenegger talks in detail about his relationship with Maria Shriver, of the Kennedy clan, and a Democrat while Arnie is a Republican. He talks about his wife and his family lovingly, or as much as a bodybuilder can muster, and his family life is interlaced throughout his book, including his relationship with his mom. The last quarter of the book is about Schwarzenegger the Governor or the ‘Governator’ as he calls it; the challenges he faced as California’s Governor with the state finances in disarray at a time that the economic situation worldwide was dwindling. While throughout the book, Schwarzenegger hardly talks about making many mistakes, it is as his role as Governor which makes him appear more human. As someone who was new to the job and in his enthusiasm to get things done his way, realised the many stumbling blocks in his path.

Total Recall is maybe not as openly written as Andre Agassi’s Open. Schwarzenegger talks very little about the movies that did not really pull up his career. So the demise of films such as The 6th Day and Collateral Damage are mentioned in short. Also, at times you may get the feeling of Schwarzenegger being too haughty of his achievements. Nonetheless, I found it a book written with a warm heart, a man’s thoughts about himself, a man who strived for a lot and achieved most of his goals. The last chapter Arnold’s Goals is a specific takeaway from the book. So whichever way you see him, like him or hate him, what you cannot deny is that Arnold Schwarzenegger has been at the top of his game, in whichever field he was, for a long long time. A story worth reading about... (less)

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Nov 04, 2012 Dave rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am a fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I have followed him from bodybuilding to movies and I even voted for him to be the governor of California in the recall election. I have read everything about him that I could possibly find.
For me, this book confirmed a lot of the information from the 1990 book ARNOLD: An Unauthorized Biography and rehashed a lot of stuff from The Education of a Bodybuilder and various bodybuilding magazines. It does however contain new details and a fresh insight. The co-auth...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Robert Frost rated it 4 of 5 stars

Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story is the autobiography of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold’s story really is amazing. What are the odds that a poor boy growing up in post WWII Austria would come to America, become the greatest bodybuilder in the world, make millions of dollars in real estate, become one of the most recognizable actors in the world, have his films gross almost $4 billion, marry into American royalty, and become the governor of California?

Having followed Arnold’s career f...more Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story is the autobiography of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold’s story really is amazing. What are the odds that a poor boy growing up in post WWII Austria would come to America, become the greatest bodybuilder in the world, make millions of dollars in real estate, become one of the most recognizable actors in the world, have his films gross almost $4 billion, marry into American royalty, and become the governor of California?

Having followed Arnold’s career for 30 years and now having read the book, it’s clear that he beat those supposedly insurmountable odds because of four things:

1) An optimistic refusal to believe it couldn’t be done

2) Systematic step-by-step planning

3) Hard work

4) The support of friends

Arnold takes us through his entire life (so far), from the lessons he learned as a child in Graz, Austria to his return to Hollywood, after his terms as Governor. Arnold is candid, throughout the book. He takes pride in his successes and mistakes. Arnold sees each mistake as a lesson that is needed for later success.

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 Arnold looks back on it with a nostalgia that makes it seem joyful. I found it very interesting how valuable the mindset he developed as a bodybuilder was to all his later accomplishments. As a bodybuilder Arnold knew that to perfect a pose or to build a muscle it took thousands of repetitions of an exercise. Nothing is accomplished instantaneously or without effort. Therefore when he became an actor, he thought nothing of practicing dialog or stunt work for hours upon hours. Although, thirty-five years of seeing hard work turn into achievement turned into a stumbling block when he entered the world of politics, where things aren’t as orderly.

I was a little disappointed that the chapters on his movie career were not as all encompassing as I’d hoped. It appeared to me that each progressive movie was discussed less than the ones before it. Some movies are never mentioned. I understand why – the book has a theme and narrative and talking about some of the movies would not have added anything new to that theme or narrative. Of most surprise was there being no mention of Christmas in Connecticut – a TV movie that he directed. I would have been interested in what he learned being on the other side of the camera.

The chapter that unfortunately has been of most interest to the press is that chapter dealing with the infidelity that resulted in a child with a household employee. It’s important for the sake of balance that that chapter is in the book – not only for the necessary candor but because it too was a learning experience.

Arnold’s story is a very motivational story. He didn’t start with any advantage over the rest of us, he’s human and makes mistakes like the rest of us, and yet has accomplished so much. I think you will enjoy reading it and will learn from it.(less)

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Oct 17, 2012 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars

Briefly, is this book any good?

Well the first half is a quite candid and interesting story of his childhood, rise to fame and career. Obviously it's PR censored, but I think some parts of real personality slip through. The second half is a more guarded defence of every political decision he made while governor of California. Unless you're into politics it is very dull. The only interesting aspect is how he relates his right-wing politics to his personal experience of capitalism providing the opp...more Briefly, is this book any good?

Well the first half is a quite candid and interesting story of his childhood, rise to fame and career. Obviously it's PR censored, but I think some parts of real personality slip through. The second half is a more guarded defence of every political decision he made while governor of California. Unless you're into politics it is very dull. The only interesting aspect is how he relates his right-wing politics to his personal experience of capitalism providing the opportunity for a poor immigrant boy to become a billionaire. Most right-wing politicians are fuelled by hatred, but Schwarzenegger is actually pretty convincing at claiming altruistic motives. I still think he's wrong - he only experienced the 1 story where capitalism helped someone and not the 999 where it hurt someone - but it's still interesting to understand how the right-wing thinks.

Other things about his story that I found notable:

There are a lot of colour photographs in the book. In his prime as Mr Universe he was certainly well proportioned and attractive so you can see why he won, but it quite strange to compare him to the modern Mr Universe champions who are all much bigger and quite grotesquely bulging. He obviously would have no chance of winning today, yet he is still revered.

He set goals and then achieved them, over and over and over. Rare failures only spurred him on to work harder.

Apparently he went straight in at the top of everything he did. He won Mr Universe on his second attempt, he was making $1 million by his second movie and the same by his second real-estate deal. He attributes this to hard work and self-belief (as do all successful people, due to selection bias) but either he was also blessed with incredible luck, or he had a lot more failures that he left out of the book.

You would think its natural for establishment stars all know each other, but he was already friends with all the main Hollywood stars and was dating a Kennedy *before* he made his first movie. He name drops hundreds of powerful people as friends, and I assume he also had non-famous friends he doesn't mention, so his social network graph must have been phenomenal.

There are lengthy sections that interrupt the flow of the story to explain how wonderful is wife was. Eventually the purpose of these is revealed: he still wants to win her back.

He doesn't sound particularly upset when his mother and father die, nor when his brother is killed in a car crash. The only time he is ever less than cheerful is after his heart surgery when he finds out he will no longer be able to be physically active. He also says he found acting lessons difficult at first because until then he hadn't even realised that men could have emotions. He has been accused of being emotionless many times in the past, so he could have used this book to demonstrate the depth of his feelings even if he had to get the ghost writer to exaggerate, but he doesn't. Therefore I think there is indeed something pretty strange about his emotional make-up. (But then can you find me a billionaire who isn't strange, by definition?)(less)

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Oct 08, 2012 Christopher Lettera rated it 4 of 5 stars

Arnold accomplishes a lot in this massive (but conversational, easy-to-read) autobiography. "Total Recall" is at once: an insightful glimpse into low-income life in Austria; a history of body-building as told by the sport's greatest athlete; a fun look into film history from 1970 to today; a genuinely warm glimpse into Kennedy family life; and an insider's view into California state government.

I was impressed by Arnold's honesty throughout, particularly in the chapters on his governorship. He's...more

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May 18, 2013 Clint Nielsen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm a long time fan of his movies and only knew a small fraction of his political history and personal life prior to reading this book.

Straight up, it's an inspiring read. The man came from humble beginnings and became a superstar on so many levels. It really is an 'unbelievable' story in every regard. The one star that I've detracted from the overall rating of this book, is based purely on the fact that his quite candid story in the first three quarters of the book, springs into political water...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Evan McB rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: getting-pumped

Arnold tells a story in "Total Recall" about Milton Berle (who was in his 80s when Arnold was hanging out with him in the '80s) and the sense of respect he would show the aging comedian who maybe didn't have a lot going on outside of the Friar's Club at the time. Arnold then delivers the moral about "pumping up" our elders to make them feel good about themselves in their sunset years, a lesson he learned as a child in Austria.

With that in mind, I suggest that the next time you see the Sexagenar...more

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Nov 29, 2012 Johnny Villanueva rated it 3 of 5 stars

His amazing life story has been told through his book which starts out by explaining his simple beginnings living in a small town in Austria, his initial interest in bodybuilding, his move to the U.S., his movie career and later pursuit as governor of California. All stories and facts are comprehensive if you’ve known of him as a bodybuilder or celebrity, otherwise this can be a tough book to follow. Lucky for me I’ve admired the guy since I was little kid which led me to watch many of his movie...more His amazing life story has been told through his book which starts out by explaining his simple beginnings living in a small town in Austria, his initial interest in bodybuilding, his move to the U.S., his movie career and later pursuit as governor of California. All stories and facts are comprehensive if you’ve known of him as a bodybuilder or celebrity, otherwise this can be a tough book to follow. Lucky for me I’ve admired the guy since I was little kid which led me to watch many of his movies and to also read his Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, which gave me an edge to understanding situations described and recognizing names that were mentioned. As much as I love this guy, his book is not without flaws. For instance, there is a lot of jumping around in his chronological story telling. He jumped from present to past to future to present too much and that didn’t help keep the pace of his eventful life story. Another huge mistake is that he needlessly went lengths at a time describing synopsis of a few movies he had done such a Conan, Predator, Twins and Terminator. His movies are well known and don’t need a to be re-summarized because most people that are going to read this book already know about his career in some capacity. He lacks to give more detailed descriptions about situations and interactions with people that were key to his career across all his endeavors. For example, he boasts plenty about his first two Mr. Olympia victories, but dismisses the other 4 too lightly as if they were just another day in the office. As much as he liked doing movies, he gives very few details about his own personal thoughts and comfort during the filming of the movies he was in. Was he bumping heads with directors? Did he get along with cast members? Also, during his time as Governor, he mentions plenty what his vision was and what his administration tried to accomplish, but he pointed out too many highlights of his gubernatorial career, but not enough of his flaws. I would describe this as him “glossing” over the facts. Yes, he was and is a very ambitious man with goals set high, I gained inspiration from reading about that, but I’d like to know more about the in between the line details and not so much about how much money he was making (which he made abundantly clear several times all throughout). As optimistic and driven as he may have been, his story lacked genuine human emotion. I know what the man did, but not what he has felt.

Schwarzenegger truly has led an interesting life full of ambitions and dreams. He is a walking wonder and a perfect example that should serve as inspiration to many. Through consistent hard work, discipline, and character he built and empire from the ground up and became one of the maximum socialites of the 20th and 21st century. This book was a good purchase, but all in all I felt wanting to know more of what he had censored inside. I could only hope that he releases a Total Racall: B Sides And Rarities.
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Apr 07, 2013 Jenn Tat rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended for: people seeking life lessons or escapism that is offered through reading memoirs of accomplished individuals.

Explanations for scoring: The Governator has a congenially flawed personality, a good sense of humor and has led a rich and interesting life that made for enjoyable reading. The writing was satisfactory, as memoirs are usually conversational in tone. It was the content that I really appreciated. His struggles and triumphs as a self-made man are inspiring, as are his appro...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Ken rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Interesting format because Arnold reads the first disc, then an actor reads all of the rest, aside from the last chapter, which is a list of ten things Arnold feels are needed for success. The one I've been quoting most is, "Don't blame your parents." He says you may have been parented poorly, but it's your problem now. Don't blame them. Get on with life and fix your own problem.

Arnold could have blamed his parents. They instilled a great deal of discipline and drive in Arnold, but they also wer...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Oonagh Subiaco rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is ghost written, there is a thanks to the other author buried deep in the back pages. The ghost writer did a great job! The pacing over Arnold's busy life is steady and the parts about real estate and politics are almost as exciting as Hollywood glitz. There are some great photographs of Arnold in his youth too.

I love Arnold movies and while reading this I re-watched the Conan trilogy (or as you find out just an original and sequel as Dino duped him into 'Red Sonya' - but Arnold and Bridge...more

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Apr 26, 2013 John rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

TOTAL RECALL is a fascinating, incredibly-detailed account of the Governator's life from birth up until his recent split with Maria Shriver. It thoroughly eradicates the notion that Schwarzenegger got where he is today solely on the basis of sheer brawn and dumb luck. Beneath the muscles and the goofy accent is a shrewd businessman with a flair for salesmanship and an irrepressible drive for success. Personally, I'm not much into either body building or California politics, but Schwarzenegger's...more TOTAL RECALL is a fascinating, incredibly-detailed account of the Governator's life from birth up until his recent split with Maria Shriver. It thoroughly eradicates the notion that Schwarzenegger got where he is today solely on the basis of sheer brawn and dumb luck. Beneath the muscles and the goofy accent is a shrewd businessman with a flair for salesmanship and an irrepressible drive for success. Personally, I'm not much into either body building or California politics, but Schwarzenegger's infectious enthusiasm for both kept me thoroughly hooked despite the book's excessive length. The best parts, of course, are the sections that most closely relate to his movies, but, nevertheless, it is here that TOTAL RECALL shortchanges readers a bit. Schwarzenegger's account of the early half of his film career is detailed and satisfying, but he glosses over the second half far too much for my liking. Movies like ERASER, COLLATERAL DAMAGE, JUNIOR, THE 6TH DAY, END OF DAYS, BATMAN & ROBIN and TERMINATOR 3 are passed over with hardly a mention, whereas JINGLE ALL THE WAY and AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS don't get even that. Speaking for myself, I would have happily sacrificed much of the book's material regarding his tenure as governor in exchange for more stuff about his films. But that's just me.
Arnold speaks candidly about some of the mistakes he's made, most notably his widely-publicized affair with his housekeeper. The book certainly contains instances of womanizing, casual drug abuse, and other kinds of behavior that many readers will find illustrative of Arnold's deficiencies as a role model. Others might be turned off by what they perceive to be his humungous ego (though, in light of Arnold's being a self-made man with a litany of incredible accomplishments under his belt, one might find it in his or her heart to forgive him the occasional lapse of humility).
Schwarzenegger's life has been as wild as it's been varied. If for nothing else, you have to appreciate the guy for his incredible lust for life and the way he has consistently been able to succeed in all his various endeavors way beyond almost anyone's expectations (Planet Hollywood and marriage being the possible exceptions).
The book finishes up with Arnold's advice on how you can get more out of your life. That single chapter is probably more useful than several hundred pages from your typical self-help book. I've always liked Arnold, but was never really sure how much I respected him as a person, as opposed to simply as an action movie icon. TOTAL RECALL definitely served to make me an even bigger Arnie fan. (less)

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Feb 20, 2013 Debbie Eidelman rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book has changed my life. Not only that, I would have to say it is the book that has most changed my life. It was just an extraordinary piece of writing and advice and look at a life that leaves you looking at your own life. I didn't want to like it. I read his first book and since he cheated on his wife I didn't want to like this book, but his writing is just so engaging that I really enjoy it so I set out to read it. I also come from a place that nobody's perfect and people come as packag...more

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May 12, 2013 Jason rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would.I thought it truly was a solid read cover to cover. It was really great to read all the details of Arnold's early life of growing up and getting into body building. I also really enjoyed his stories on each of his earlier movies, about his co-actors, behind the scenes stuff etc. I forgot how much I did like Conan, Predators, Kindergarten cop, Twins etc. I now plan on revisiting those movies. No question throughout his life he was driven and focused...more

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May 20, 2013 Jacki King rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very fascinating and straightforward read. As others have mentioned, it's light on the details about the cheating scandal (nor is that the first time he stepped outside the bounds of a committed relationship which really infuriated me even more on Maria's behalf), but I was not reading it for either scandal or relationship advice. I read it because this man has been a part of some amazing events in our history, and I was exceedingly curious as to how such diverse "pots" of experience came to s...more

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Nov 19, 2012 M Pereira rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: celebrity, celebrity-culture, austria, austrians, schwarzenegger, films, bodybuilding, business, entrepreneur, special-olympics, politics, us-politics, partisan-politics, coalitiion-politics, funny, scandal, biography, autobiography

I am a big fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Maybe you will think I'm a bit lowbrow for saying that. Maybe admitting that is tantamount to undermining any commitment I have to feminism, or maybe I need something a bit lightweight to read outside of Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

Arnold starts his story addressing the harsh conditions of post-war Austria. I thought it was interesting how he mentions how his father's generation felt like a bunch of 'losers' having lost the war and having their s...more I am a big fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Maybe you will think I'm a bit lowbrow for saying that. Maybe admitting that is tantamount to undermining any commitment I have to feminism, or maybe I need something a bit lightweight to read outside of Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

Arnold starts his story addressing the harsh conditions of post-war Austria. I thought it was interesting how he mentions how his father's generation felt like a bunch of 'losers' having lost the war and having their sense of ambition destroyed after realising the extent of the destruction they experienced. Arnold grew in a time of little hope and austerity, which kind of reminds me of the conditions of today.

Schwarzenegger then speaks of his raised aspirations when seeing some older guys weight training, and expanding his social circles to learn of the wider world around him. Skip forward about 20 or so years and he's the star of Predator.

As a bit of an acolyte to fitness and weight training myself, I found his insights interesting. Arnold's 'secret' to success is being a winner in mindset before even starting a contest. Also, dealing with setbacks is also key to his approach. The book reads like self-help, a comedy memoir at times. But there are heady political moments, where Schwarzenegger describes his political career and what it was like to marry into the Kennedy Dynasty.

I advised this book to a friend of mine who is a bit of a budding entrepreneur. Schwarzenegger talks a bit about his enterprises, from his bricklaying business, to his pamphlet business; to Planet Hollywood and investing in buying a Boeing 747 after learning about how airlines obtain planes through loans as opposed to buying the fleet of planes they operate.

Then there are the down points of this man's life. Schwarzenegger downplays some of the scandal stories that the media have laid against him, such as the groping allegations and the accusation that his father was a war criminal. Both of these are acknowledged and dismantled. Arnold's scandal that broke in 2011 came out, of his affair with a member of his house staff. Arnold seems to communicate genuine regret for this, especially after half of the book is mostly about how important his then-wife Maria was in his life.

I've read reviews of this book. Most say it is underwhelming, flying on the bandwagon of the genre of celebrity biographies (I have only read another in that genre - see Keith Richards 'Life'). The book was also not picked up in terms of book sales. I might buy three for Christmas and distribute it towards friends and family.

I appreciate that I'm biased. I grew up admiring Schwarzenegger's films. In recent years, I've come to appreciate bodybuilders like Ralf Moeller, Jay Cutler, Ronnie Coleman etc. and one has to acknowledge that Bodybuilding wouldn't be as popular as it is today were it not for the Austrian Oak. I would like to summarise just a few points of why one should admire Schwarzenegger:

1. Arnold set up the 'Arnold Classic' bodybuilding contest, which includes some of the most prominent contests for female bodybuilding, unexpectedly and unknown to me. Arnold has been quite an advocate and supporter of women's bodybuilding, which also includes some of his published guides on women's fitness.
2. Arnold was a supporter of the Special Olympics, which promotes fitness and sporting activities for those with mental disabilities.
3. Arnold didn't really punch the Camel in Conan the Barbarian, but if you judge him by his acting characters, he totally saved the world as a cyborg; threw a pipe into his former colleague and pinned him to the wall as steam came out of the pipe and remarked, pithily: 'let off some steam, Bennett', also he killed the Predator, chased a guy on a motorcycle while riding a horse inside a hotel plus he saved the Expendables a couple of times.

This book was nice to read, plus it also has a very positive vibe to it at the end of the book. (less)

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Jan 09, 2013 Gerald rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, genre-autobiography, genre-non-fiction

Both parts of the title of this excellent autobiography are well chosen. TOTAL RECALL is obviously from his movie of the same name, but it is also wonderfully descriptive of the amazingly comprehensive details of each phase as Arnold journeyed on his life-path from rural Austrian farm boy, to world champion (many times over) bodybuilder, to the pinnacle of Hollywood stardom in his movie career as an action-hero and comic actor, to his inspiring successes as an entrepreneur and businessman, to th...more Both parts of the title of this excellent autobiography are well chosen. TOTAL RECALL is obviously from his movie of the same name, but it is also wonderfully descriptive of the amazingly comprehensive details of each phase as Arnold journeyed on his life-path from rural Austrian farm boy, to world champion (many times over) bodybuilder, to the pinnacle of Hollywood stardom in his movie career as an action-hero and comic actor, to his inspiring successes as an entrepreneur and businessman, to the governorship (or as he became known The Governator, from his movie The Terminator) of the state of California (which has a bigger, at $1.9 trillion, economy than that of Mexico, India, Canada, or Russia), and finally a return to his movie career following his last year as governor. Part Two of the title - My Unbelievably True Life Story – is equally apropos as reflected in the prior comments.

"What a crazy guy this is - believes he can do anything, and then does it." He is independently motivated, completely self-made, and optimistic in the extreme, with intense focus and determination. He makes all his accomplishments sound easy but was equally candid with both his successes and his failures. He was advised that he couldn’t be a success in the movies and certainly not a leading man because of his accent, his funny, difficult-to-pronounce name, and his size. He refused to listen. When he did get his first movie break, it was forHercules in New York City. His co-star was Arnold Stang. The powers that be made him take the professional name of Arnold Strong instead of his own name. That was probably his least successful movie. He immediately returned to using his own name, and the rest, as they say, is history, at least as far as his movie career is concerned.

The book tells of his relationships with prominent world figures: Mikhail Gorbachev, Muhammad Ali, Milton Berle, Pope John Paul II, Sylvester Stallone, Dino de Laurentis, the Kennedy family, Ronald Reagan, Barrack Obama, Nelson Mandela, and others. During an introductory speech he was giving at a national political convention, he stated: “To think that a scrawny boy from Austria could grow up to become governor of the state of California and then stand here in Madison Square Garden and speak on behalf of the President of the United States – that is an immigrant’s dream.”
A prominent one of his mottos for success is “reps, reps, reps and mileage, mileage, mileage.” In others words, success, whether in bodybuilding, a movie career, or a political career, is achieved by practice repetitions and putting in the mileage toward your goals. One of my favorite parts is toward the end of the book. As Governor, he is speaking at a university, and a student complains that his tuition is going up. Schwarzenegger asks him what that is going to do to the student. The student says he can't pay for it without getting a part time job. He asks the student how many hours a day he went to class, 3 and how many hours a day he studied, 3. Then, he asked what he did with the other 18 hours a day.

I have been a big fan of Arnold and his movies since his Conan days. I highly recommend this book to others who think they might be interested. It is truly an incredible, inspirational story.

[Book 1 of 2013 Target 50 (Jan-1)]
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Nov 15, 2012 Nirmal S rated it 4 of 5 stars

I always kept going back to the book to have a "conversation" with the Austrian/American who changed the global bodybuilding scene, revolutionized the movie industry and became the governor of one of the biggest states of USA, riding on luck, determination, discipline and most importantly, his beliefs. Arnold doesn't portray himself as someone who knows it all or someone who has got it all together or someone who has got all the answers you want to hear. In spite of disagreeing with him on some...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Brandon Cardona rated it 3 of 5 stars

I grew up on Schwarzenegger's movies. Every summer, there was always a new one to see, along side the latest Stallone or Bruce Willis flick. Then he ran for Governor of the state I used to live in, and I actually voted for him during the recall of Pete Wilson. When I saw this, I had to pick it up, cause the guy has done some great things in his life, and to think that he came to America with nothing from his home in Austria. However, I only got about 75 pages into this book, before I realized th...more

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Feb 02, 2013 Joanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

I don't know what it is, but something about Arnold Schwarzenegger has intrigued me for as long as I can remember. Since I've never been attracted to the muscular bodybuilder types, I knew it wasn't a physical attraction, but maybe more of an appreciation of the person he is. He has been through a lot since he arrived at the United States and claimed the title of Mr. Universe.

I usually try to stay away from abridged audiobooks, but I think for those that are not avid bodybuilders, this is the wa...more I don't know what it is, but something about Arnold Schwarzenegger has intrigued me for as long as I can remember. Since I've never been attracted to the muscular bodybuilder types, I knew it wasn't a physical attraction, but maybe more of an appreciation of the person he is. He has been through a lot since he arrived at the United States and claimed the title of Mr. Universe.

I usually try to stay away from abridged audiobooks, but I think for those that are not avid bodybuilders, this is the way to go with this one. Arnold shares many of his life stories, starting with his childhood in Austria and even divulging the huge mistake he made when he cheated on Maria.

Arnold grew up with a very strong work ethic and I was impressed to learn what a goal setter he truly is. It made me reflect on my own goals and realizing although I strive for personal goals, it has been a long time since I sat down and physically wrote my goals on a piece of paper. This has been a regular habit for Arnold since he became a serious bodybuilder. Every New Year he would try to set new goals for himself that would make him a stronger and better person. I am definitely not unfamiliar with goal-setting, but it was just a great reminder.

I enjoyed the narration of this book. Arnold started the first couple of chapters and ended the book by reading the last couple of chapters. Stephen Lang read everything in between and did a great job. As I mentioned, I really am not a fan of bodybuilding, but I found myself wanting to hear what he had to say about the subject. Arnold is obviously a man who had to overcome many obstacles to make it where he is today, and I think that can only be called success.

Those that are bodybuilders will probably enjoy this book more than I did, and would benefit from listening to the unabridged version. With themes of goals, dreams, fitness, and politics, this turned out to be a memoir that I enjoyed more than I expected. I think this book would be a great selection for either personal leisure or a book club selection and I don't hesitate in recommending it.(less)

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May 01, 2013 Marc rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

This was a surprisingly enjoyable and engaging read (I admit the jacket blurb intrigued me).

Arnold definitely rose to power through a combination of determination, drive, and circumstances. His style is refreshingly blunt, and reading some of the inside scoops on his movie sets, how he got involved with politics, and who he schmoozed with were all entertaining. His description of the politics of Hollywood and CA was also revealing.

Further, the book reinforces how money and power beget more mone...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Evelyn Wilson rated it 5 of 5 stars

I totally enjoyed reading this book! I found it fascinating reading about his desire to come to America and succeed, which he did! I love politics so I even enjoyed the chapters about his being Governor. I believe he is a very Moderate, middle Republican. He went a little too much to the left in my opinion. I loved that he was able to work with both parties, totally unlike our present POTUS. Who has demanded he be called POTUS, literally, pot us! I cannot agree with his, in his mind, justificati...more

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Jan 26, 2013 Natalie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm not gonna say that this book was some amazing piece of writing, because it wasn't. Every line i read, i read in Arnold's voice. Which is pretty hilarious in itself. However,I did feel that even though it's clear he had helpers to write the book, most of what was said seemed to be in his own words and insightful. I enjoyed reading about his bodybuilding career and how he worked to transition into movies with that ridiculous accent of his. And i never knew that Arnold was already a self made m...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger is an autobiography of the famous actor, politician and champion body builder. While the life that Mr. Schwarzenegger has led are indeed astonishing, this book is more of a political memoir and boasting of one’s achievements than that of a celebrity autobiography.

Disclaimer: I have been a Schwarzenegger fan for decades. Not only of Ahhnold’s (because I can call him that) movies, but also of his bodybuildi...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Kcoloney rated it 3 of 5 stars

I didn't intend to read all 600+ pages of this book. I've enjoyed his movies but am not an avid fan. I was mostly curious about his upbringing in Austria and his interaction with the Kennedy clan. But I found myself being fascinated, and only skipping the details of California politics. From a young teenage Arnold had a goal and a plan to achieve that goal. He stuck to it and became a successful naturalized American college graduate/businessman/politician/fitness activist. Not a stereotypical "d...more

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