My Unbelievably True Total Recall Review!

On October 1, fans of Arnold Schwarzenegger got something they've waited decades for: a tell-all memoir. Having finished the book rather quickly, I wanted to give potential readers my take on this extraordinary autobiography. Additionally, we at TheArnoldFans want to encourage everyone who reads this memoir to head over to Amazon.com and show some love for Arnold by writing their own reviews. We're confident that he's keeping tabs on what the readers are saying, as is evident by his recent book tour. So read my review below, light up a stogie, get the book for yourself, and share your own thoughts over at Amazon because the big man himself may just end up reading YOUR review! Now that's ballsy!

Arnold Schwarzenegger could write an entire anthology detailing his life achievements. From bodybuilding to acting to politics to business, Schwarzenegger has run the gambit on professions and has managed to climb to the top of each. His new memoir, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, was expected to be just that: a story of successes. As it turns out, it’s anything but. The book can be simplistically divided into 5 sections; Arnold’s childhood, his career in bodybuilding, his career in film, his time in office, and his personal life. While these topics are intermixed throughout, Total Recall gives readers the opportunity to see how everything Schwarzenegger does relates to and builds upon events from his past.

Growing up in a small town in Austria, Total Recall details the many struggles Schwarzenegger faced, including an overbearing and bitter father, and goes into great detail about certain events in his young life that shaped who he is today. His childhood, while intriguing, wasn’t all that exceptional, as he points out. Born shortly after the end of WWII, the adults that surrounded Arnold (and most everyone else in Austria) considered themselves ‘losers’, having lost everything with the fall of Hitler and the Third Reich. The promises of riches and a vast empire were gone. Left was hopelessness and anger. Schwarzenegger shares with his readers how he was able to overcome the loser mentality, develop the larger-than-life ego for which he is known, and escape Europe to eventually come to America.

Of course, his arrival into America wouldn’t have been possible without bodybuilding, a sport in which he is still revered even to this day. In the book, Schwarzenegger spends a great deal of time giving readers an inside look into his bodybuilding beginnings, his training methods, and the events leading up to his trove of world championships. He also discusses topics that have been the subject of speculation for decades, including his use of steroids and drugs. Building on what he started in The Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, Schwarzenegger takes the stance that becoming the most muscular man in the world is as much about the psyche as it is about the body, giving readers a rare glimpse into the mind of one of the greatest athletes of all time.

Total Recall also, expectedly, gives readers the inside scoop on many of Schwarzenegger’s films, including Pumping Iron, The Terminator, and Twins. While the anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories make for a good read, more enjoyable are the tales of hard work, negotiation, and relationship building that led Arnold into his most famous roles. Equally intriguing is Schwarzenegger’s business savy that, as he puts it, drove him to ‘turn one dollar into two’ and amass an impressive fortune. He confesses that making movies eventually grew old and that he was ready for a new challenge. This restlessness eventually led to him running for Governor in the historic California Recall Election of 2003.

Most of what readers will find in the chapters about his time in office reads exactly like it should, a political drama. Schwarzenegger describes the opposition he faced from the Democratic legislature, the White House, and even from members of his own party. He is careful to discern between political disagreements and personal ones and points out that his time as Governor, while not underscored with exceptional approval ratings, was the greatest professional accomplishment he has ever achieved.

All of these things, though, pale in comparison to the details of Arnold’s personal life that are intermixed throughout the book. From the death of his brother Meinhard to his father’s Nazi ties, Total Recall  holds nothing back in the way of embarrassing situations and all-around screw-ups, the biggest of which was fathering a child out of wedlock and causing his marriage to crumble. Also included are relatively unknown details about Arnold’s emotional side. Readers are left with a true sense of the love and dedication Schwarzenegger feels towards his family. Also apparent is the undying devotion he has to the United States, the place that gave him, an immigrant, ‘everything’. Through it all, though, two of Arnold’s most well-known qualities shine through: optimism and humor. This is none more apparent than when he describes first meeting his wife and immediately blurting out to her mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, that ‘(her) daughter has a great ass’.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is a rare specimen. Few individuals in history have a past as interesting and diverse as he with a resume to match. Total Recall is a story about a man with a machine-like drive, unyielding optimism, and an uncanny ability to get others to do what he wants done. Punctuated with humor, confidence, sadness, and an superhuman ability to think big, Total Recall is a must-read for fans of Schwarzenegger and the American Dream.