K some more rants - I forgot to mention last time about how annoyed I was about him being so harsh on worker's comp claims. He gave out two anecdotal stories about people he knew who were cheating the system - and basically implied from that knowledge that everyone was scamming the system. So annoying.

Next, was him hurting Maria even more. When he decided he was going to run for re-election, she had to find out through the newspapers. Then he bragged that at the end of his governorship that Maria gave a speech that was like 'oh at first I didn't want him to get into politics, but now I'm glad he did. I was wrong and he was right'. To me it come off as him like rubbing it in her face that he was always right. And again, he was basically super proud that she was being subservient to him. Then, when he finally admits to having a kid with the nanny - we find out that she'd asked him about it previously and he lied about it. Why am I not surprised? F--k you Arnold.

K, next rant comes from his 10 rules chapter. As he's talking about never following the crowd, he says this: "When every immigrant I knew was saving up to buy a house, I bought an apartment building instead." Sigh - he's so fucking wrapped up in how amazing he is, he doesn't see how stupid this is. The other immigrants didn't even have enough money for a house, how the fuck were they supposed to buy a fucking apartment building???

At the same time that I'm reading this, I'm also reading Malcolm Blackwell's Outliers. Arnold would have been such a good case for Gladwell - he got so many advantages that helped him get to where he's at -- but I feel like he still believes he did it 100% on his own.

Also, I was annoyed that Arnold only sleeps 6 hours a night and expects that everyone else is the same way...Ok, ok, now I'm just getting nit-picky because I'm so annoyed by him!!!

I'd say I pretty much was enjoying the book, but once he started on about the political shit, the tone was totally different and I just... hated him. By that point, all this stuff that was bothering me from earlier in the book just kept compounding. UGH.

Arnold's life is a lot more than Hollywood's rags-to-riches story. The riches were there by the time he became an iconic actor, with a last name possibly too unpronouncable for posters, largely built upon the determination which sustained his bodybuilding carrer - calves first. He certainly tells in greater detail and passion about his youth & Mr. Olympia days than about his movie résumé, which dwindles down to basic title-hopping.

His term as governor of California raises more questions than answers - ugly political truths take time to sprout, and one is loath to cultivate his own. A journalist or political historian will have to empty that bag. What the funny internet video's which the race inspired didn't show, was Arnold's political capital - his marriage to a Kennedy and his role in the campaign of (then) vice President George Bush senior in the late 80's, complete with a ride on Air Force Two.

Four stars for the Man as a sportsman and action star, but three for the book in itself.

This book started out really well. It was quite inspiring, even. It talked about Arnold's childhood, early years when he got into weightlifting. It went on to his movie successes. Then his marriage to Maria Shriver. But I felt at the chapter The Governator it kind of fell apart. It got wrapped up in politics and I had to listen to it over and over to try to understand. I finally did understand, and finished the book. But I wouldn't give it 4 stars because it really didn't flow towards the end. The first and the last chapters of the book are read by Arnold, and the rest has another reader Stephen Lang. The reading is good, but it makes me wonder how much of the book is actually written by Arnold.

This is one hell of a story to read because Arnold has lived such a full life. This story starts with him as a young man in Austria and wraps up with his life as a successful bodybuilder, businessman, actor, and politician. However he is more than these titles. He is a symbol of the American dream, of change that promotes the greater good, and of persistence that leads to prosperity. This man has done it all and he doesn’t apologize for who he is. He found a way to use his weaknesses as strengths. Despite his affair, his character is still something to be admired. He is one of the most charismatic people to ever grace America with his presence. Arnold has always been somebody for me to look up to. I admire his dedication to his goals. No matter what you think of his politics or his values, he is still someone who deserves recognition for his many feats. This book was extremely long, but I guess that much living cannot be condensed and do the story justice. I would recommend this to any of his fans.

Beginning Total Recall was a strange experience for me, action hero Arnold had been a childhood idol, a fact I may have repressed for some time (or at least since Terminator 3.) I've always been vaguely familiar with his body building years, but not being a U.S. citizen I hadn't really followed his political career. Essentially what I'm trying to say is I approached this book with a fair amount of 'blank slate' aside from some historic enthusiasm from movies such as Conan, and Terminator.

As autobiographies go, this is one of the best I've read - although whether this was because of good writing or because of Arnold's particularly intriguing life I can't tell.

The prose is matter of fact and plain, almost to the point of boredom, yet somehow perfect for the story. Even highly controversial topics such as the use of steroids, affairs and politics are discussed simply and to the point. I got the strange sensation that maybe Schwarzenegger held much back about himself writing this, or perhaps was actually a remarkably simple personality, highly intelligent and focussed, yet surprisingly fallible.

To my knowledge this is a highly honest biography - Arnold is frank about his at times devious tactics in competition, some of his political mistakes, and his conflicts across his career and family life. Whatever one's opinion of the guy is, its hard to deny his life is highly compelling and an interesting read.

I really enjoyed this. What an interesting man.
I suppose it is kind of split between 3 sections.
Bodybuilding, Hollywood and politics.
Each of these were interesting in there own way.

The final chapter with his rules were interesting.
He is extremely driven and definitely inspiring.

Arnold seems a bit arrogant but overall I like his way of getting things done.

All in all a good book and a fascinating man!

This is one of the best biographies I’ve ever read. I really didn’t know that much about his determination and perseverance. Arnold has become a true model of the American dream but even more than that he shows how hard work pays off. His constant routines and schedules but also his manifestations through his lists. I’m so impressed that I’d read this again.

I always thought that Arnold was an interesting person, and the book proved to be as interesting. The "slow-paced" tag is definitely apt. I feel that he jumps around from chapter to chapter, and even within a single chapter. He will tell one story or tangent for a paragraph or page, and then jump to the next, and even years. For example, he will tell a story about a movie from 1994, and then two paragraphs later, go back to a conversation he had with someone in 1989. It's not hard to follow but I felt a little frustrated with some of the jumping around.

The stories were fascinating and very insightful. The book still gets five stars for the content. I loved learning more about Arnold and his fascinating life. The issues that I have with this book are negligible and I can attribute to this being an autobiography by an actor whose first language is not English.