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The Code
The story of the two entangled stars is well known.
Albert Collins, entomology professor, becomes a social media sensation; the sensation becomes a giant celebrity; the celebrity becomes the "Manliest Man" alive.
The small time gangster, Memphis Smith, becomes a prisoner; the prisoner becomes the new Tupak Shakur; the new Tupac takes the world by storm.
Their parallel rise to fame and their fateful meeting on the Tonight show all played out in real time before their legions of fans and detractors.
Now, for the first time, their inside story, their secret story, is told by those who were closest to them.
Jacqueline (Jack) Ruby, super agent, reveals the methods that allowed Albert Collins to become the most desired man in the world. She takes us behind the scenes to the bankers, film producers and heiresses that made Albert into the very definition of manhood in the 21st. century.
Marcellus Moses does the same for Memphis Smith. He shows us the arrests and prison fights, the raw racism and brilliant talent that made Memphis Number One With A Bullet.
Jacqueline and Marcellus tell their insider accounts to the award winning novelist, Susan Brown, who weaves it altogether in the thunderous adventure of The Code.
Albert Collins, entomology professor, becomes a social media sensation; the sensation becomes a giant celebrity; the celebrity becomes the "Manliest Man" alive.
The small time gangster, Memphis Smith, becomes a prisoner; the prisoner becomes the new Tupak Shakur; the new Tupac takes the world by storm.
Their parallel rise to fame and their fateful meeting on the Tonight show all played out in real time before their legions of fans and detractors.
Now, for the first time, their inside story, their secret story, is told by those who were closest to them.
Jacqueline (Jack) Ruby, super agent, reveals the methods that allowed Albert Collins to become the most desired man in the world. She takes us behind the scenes to the bankers, film producers and heiresses that made Albert into the very definition of manhood in the 21st. century.
Marcellus Moses does the same for Memphis Smith. He shows us the arrests and prison fights, the raw racism and brilliant talent that made Memphis Number One With A Bullet.
Jacqueline and Marcellus tell their insider accounts to the award winning novelist, Susan Brown, who weaves it altogether in the thunderous adventure of The Code.
- GenresFiction
316 pages, Hardcover
Published April 23, 2020
1 person is currently reading
401 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Ruby
1 book55 followersJacqueline (Jack) Ruby is the founder and CEO of Jack Ruby and Associates, New York's premiere talent agency. She is the co-author of The Code, a book based on real life events involving celebrity, greed, adultery, vanity, and violence. From the nation's mansions and universities to TV shows and Instagram accounts, The Code reveals the inner workings of celebrity culture and moral decay permeating it.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 4, 2021
This book purports to be an insider account, and the author does a great job at weaving these two very different stories together. The chapters alternate between Jaqueline Ruby’s story with Albert Collins and Marcellus Moses’ work with Memphis Smith. The voices in each chapter are distinct and there is absolutely no confusion about which is which.
I’ve heard before of people who “the camera loves” and Albert Collins is one of those people. It was intriguing to see his rise to fame and the issues it brings into his private life. He was already having issues, so it didn’t take much to convince him to jump wholeheartedly into all the glitz and glamour that Jack Ruby offered. Unfortunately, this read very real to me, because I know people just like Albert – unhappy with their own life and thinking that if they jsut do this, they will be happy.
Memphis, on the other hand, had a whole lot of anger issues. He too jumped at the chance to change his life, but soon found out that the grass may not really be greener on the other side.
The book as a whole raises a lot of questions as to what it means to be a man… two very different looks at what “the code” is… and two very different outcomes. Or are they all that different? This is a story that will stay with me for a long time. I could so see this on the screen. Hollywood, are you listening?
I’ve heard before of people who “the camera loves” and Albert Collins is one of those people. It was intriguing to see his rise to fame and the issues it brings into his private life. He was already having issues, so it didn’t take much to convince him to jump wholeheartedly into all the glitz and glamour that Jack Ruby offered. Unfortunately, this read very real to me, because I know people just like Albert – unhappy with their own life and thinking that if they jsut do this, they will be happy.
Memphis, on the other hand, had a whole lot of anger issues. He too jumped at the chance to change his life, but soon found out that the grass may not really be greener on the other side.
The book as a whole raises a lot of questions as to what it means to be a man… two very different looks at what “the code” is… and two very different outcomes. Or are they all that different? This is a story that will stay with me for a long time. I could so see this on the screen. Hollywood, are you listening?
December 29, 2020
The Code by Jacqueline Ruby and Marcellus Moses | Review
How do I put my thoughts into a review? This story refuses to be sorted into a particular genre. It’s fiction that reads like a biography. Elements of mystery and social commentary frequently appear. The Code is a gripping, intense novel.
The dual storylines of Albert and Memphis travel along distinct lines that occasionally cross each other. When those paths intersect, sparks fly, causing heartache and turmoil.
The story reminds us that internet fame and fortunes can rise rapidly and crash just as quickly.
Jack is ready to be a king-builder, and she discovers Albert, a scientist doing monotonous research but aching for his 15 minutes of fame. Memphis is a small-time thug who finds himself in prison, looking for ways to avoid racism and violence until he can be released. When he meets Marcellus Moses, life appears to be turning around for him.
Albert and Memphis both seem destined for greatness. Will fate step in and take them down, or can they rise above their humble beginnings. Read the book to find out more.
Clear a block of reading time since you won't be able to put this book down.
I received a review copy of the book. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
How do I put my thoughts into a review? This story refuses to be sorted into a particular genre. It’s fiction that reads like a biography. Elements of mystery and social commentary frequently appear. The Code is a gripping, intense novel.
The dual storylines of Albert and Memphis travel along distinct lines that occasionally cross each other. When those paths intersect, sparks fly, causing heartache and turmoil.
The story reminds us that internet fame and fortunes can rise rapidly and crash just as quickly.
Jack is ready to be a king-builder, and she discovers Albert, a scientist doing monotonous research but aching for his 15 minutes of fame. Memphis is a small-time thug who finds himself in prison, looking for ways to avoid racism and violence until he can be released. When he meets Marcellus Moses, life appears to be turning around for him.
Albert and Memphis both seem destined for greatness. Will fate step in and take them down, or can they rise above their humble beginnings. Read the book to find out more.
Clear a block of reading time since you won't be able to put this book down.
I received a review copy of the book. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
July 2, 2020
Goodreads Kindle Copy Win
It is the rise of two people despite their past. It is their secret story retold as things did not come easy. An interesting story that will keep you reading to end.
How people images can undergo change with the right people in their camp.
It is the rise of two people despite their past. It is their secret story retold as things did not come easy. An interesting story that will keep you reading to end.
How people images can undergo change with the right people in their camp.
January 21, 2021
The Code is based on the slick premise that two fictitious characters are allegedly telling the “true story” of how each of them created a celebrity.
Although I struggled with the initial concept of an unknown professor appearing sexy for no particular reason when seen on film, I squelched my inner cynic and read on. I’m glad I did as there is much I appreciated about this novel. Compelling writing. Exquisite details about the world of celebrities and those who make them. And most impressive of all, an excellent if unforgiving look at our culture.
One of many great quotes:
“Why do your powerful, rich friends want to know me? They already have everything.”
“They have everything but they never have enough. They’re addicted to novelty and the fulfillment of new dreams. You’re the new flavor.”
I also particularly liked Jessica, Albert’s pretension-adverse wife. She plays a fine foil to his growing immersion in his new life and her drab academic research into André Breton’s novel Nadja makes for an almost eerie comparison to Albert’s growing status as a star.
There were things I liked less, however. I hoped the story would really be told through the eyes of the agents, at least mostly, but it isn’t even close. Although Albert’s agent Jack is involved from the beginning of his tale, most of the telling is done from Albert’s point of view, often involving his thoughts or scenes Jack knows nothing about. Memphis, on the other hand, doesn’t even meet his agent Marcellus Moses till the second half of the book, making the premise even more flimsy with him. I suppose the reader is supposed to believe these two agents somehow know everything, including their creation’s inner monologues, but my ability to suspend disbelief wouldn’t stretch that far.
I found the brutality of the prison scenes difficult to read. I didn’t expect them and might have passed on the book altogether if I’d known. While I agree some of it was necessary to the story, I think even those with more of a stomach for such things would probably have appreciated it if the author had dialed it back a bit.
Like other novels with fascinating premises, the story is difficult to conclude and the only real option is for it to end as a tragedy. The author finds an interesting and unexpected way to do this, though, and it is one that ties everything together and states her thesis one more time. It works.
For more about this book, and the blog tour this review was part of, see https://46ascending.xyz/2021/01/12/th....
Although I struggled with the initial concept of an unknown professor appearing sexy for no particular reason when seen on film, I squelched my inner cynic and read on. I’m glad I did as there is much I appreciated about this novel. Compelling writing. Exquisite details about the world of celebrities and those who make them. And most impressive of all, an excellent if unforgiving look at our culture.
One of many great quotes:
“Why do your powerful, rich friends want to know me? They already have everything.”
“They have everything but they never have enough. They’re addicted to novelty and the fulfillment of new dreams. You’re the new flavor.”
I also particularly liked Jessica, Albert’s pretension-adverse wife. She plays a fine foil to his growing immersion in his new life and her drab academic research into André Breton’s novel Nadja makes for an almost eerie comparison to Albert’s growing status as a star.
There were things I liked less, however. I hoped the story would really be told through the eyes of the agents, at least mostly, but it isn’t even close. Although Albert’s agent Jack is involved from the beginning of his tale, most of the telling is done from Albert’s point of view, often involving his thoughts or scenes Jack knows nothing about. Memphis, on the other hand, doesn’t even meet his agent Marcellus Moses till the second half of the book, making the premise even more flimsy with him. I suppose the reader is supposed to believe these two agents somehow know everything, including their creation’s inner monologues, but my ability to suspend disbelief wouldn’t stretch that far.
I found the brutality of the prison scenes difficult to read. I didn’t expect them and might have passed on the book altogether if I’d known. While I agree some of it was necessary to the story, I think even those with more of a stomach for such things would probably have appreciated it if the author had dialed it back a bit.
Like other novels with fascinating premises, the story is difficult to conclude and the only real option is for it to end as a tragedy. The author finds an interesting and unexpected way to do this, though, and it is one that ties everything together and states her thesis one more time. It works.
For more about this book, and the blog tour this review was part of, see https://46ascending.xyz/2021/01/12/th....
January 11, 2021
There are so many hidden innuendos here. At least it seemed so to me. The moral of the story is that some people can be fooled so easily, or do we call it mesmerized? Or can it be that we want something so badly we’re willing to believe even the things that we know in our hearts aren’t true? It’s as if the two main characters here fell down the rabbit hole. First Albert, the professor and then Memphis, a tough and sometimes violent criminal.
This book does something I have often criticized. It switches back and forth between main characters almost chapter to chapter. But somehow, I was never lost here. Never once confused by characters in each parallel story. And somehow it all became woven together.
I think the people in this story and their vast differences and yet likenesses, are the innuendos I mentioned. This is a worthwhile book to read and take for what you want. I bet many people have different opinions when they finish. Not opposing opinions about it being well-written. There will be plenty of people who will agree with that. But I do think many people will vary in what they think of its meaning and what they will walk away with from having read it.
Both the authors of this book have some background to draw upon for this story. If they have written another book, I can’t find record of it. If this is a debut novel, it’s a showstopper.
This book does something I have often criticized. It switches back and forth between main characters almost chapter to chapter. But somehow, I was never lost here. Never once confused by characters in each parallel story. And somehow it all became woven together.
I think the people in this story and their vast differences and yet likenesses, are the innuendos I mentioned. This is a worthwhile book to read and take for what you want. I bet many people have different opinions when they finish. Not opposing opinions about it being well-written. There will be plenty of people who will agree with that. But I do think many people will vary in what they think of its meaning and what they will walk away with from having read it.
Both the authors of this book have some background to draw upon for this story. If they have written another book, I can’t find record of it. If this is a debut novel, it’s a showstopper.
February 14, 2022
This book has intertwined plots that are interesting but seem to have little to do with one another. Then we find out why they are included in the same book. Everyone seems to be getting what they are looking for, but do they really know what they want?
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews