Book Description
“Current fans and recovering Hulkamaniacs alike should find [Sex, Lies, and Headlocks] as gripping as the Camel Clutch.” —Maxim
Sex, Lies, and Headlocks is the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at the backstabbing, scandals, and high-stakes gambles that have made wrestling an enduring television phenomenon. The man behind it all is Vince McMahon, a ruthless and entertaining visionary whose professional antics make some of the flamboyant characters in the ring look tame by comparison. Throughout the book, the authors trace McMahon’s rise to power and examine the appeal of the industry’s biggest stars—including Ed “Strangler” Lewis, Gorgeous George, Bruno Sammartino, Ric Flair, and, most recently, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. In doing so, they show us that while WWE stock is traded to the public on Wall Street, wrestling remains a shadowy world guided by a century-old code that stresses secrecy and loyalty.
With a new afterword, this is the definitive book about the history of pro wrestling.
“Reading this excellent behind-the-scenes look at wrestling promoter McMahon . . . is almost as entertaining and shocking as watching the most extreme antics of McMahon’s comic-book style creations such as Steve Austin and The Rock.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A quintessentially American success story of a cocky opportunist defying the odds and hitting it big . . . Sparkling cultural history from an author wise enough to let the facts and personalities speak for themselves.”—Kirkus Reviews
Customer Reviews:
The story of the Wrestling Bill Gates.......2007-07-23
An extremely interesting book, where you'll understand why Vince Mcmahon is wrestling Bill Gates, from its beginning until today, see all the tragedy that WWE has gone through, see all the backstage scheming which is a lot but interesting, Owen Hart death, Montreal Incident ( Bret Hart goes to WCW), Steroid Trial, Anabolic Jim ( Ultimate Warrior ), nobody can miss this book, its excellent.
A Somewhat Thorough, But Lacking Treatment.......2006-09-23
Written at the tail-end of the last great wrestling boom, this book's audience is ostensibly more of a mark-ish, or at the very least, naive group to the goings-on in the world of professional wrestling. The book itself is interesting, and moves at a fast pace, but often it moves too fast for its own good. Previous reviewers have mentioned that the last chapter feels cobbled together. I agree. It seems as though it was produced under deadline circumstances, and the clarity of the earlier portion of the book, which had been a strength, becomes a liability. Furthermore, the writers themselves lack credibility, as they write in a biased (although not readily obvious) tone. McMahon is treated as Satan incarnate, and that's their prerogative, which is perfectly acceptable. However, many of the workers within the business are treated with an unfair hand, and I think that has a lot to do with the way that the information was compiled in this book's research. One of the main subjects for interview for this piece was Kevin Nash. The problem that stems from Nash's presence isn't so much his own fault as it is that the authors clearly give him and those close to him the benefit of the doubt in many contentious issues, and the result is an unfair read to many in the business.
Nash's membership in the Kliq is widely known, and if one goes into the book knowing of it, certain tendencies arise. Shawn Michaels is essentially given a pass for the Montreal Screwjob, and most references to him in the book paint him as a hard worker and the soul of McMahon's company through the lean years. While the authors are entitled to such an opinion, it is clear that it is one heavily influenced my their own soft spot towards Nash. Hart is characterized as a sullen and thankless character, and the authors make explicit mentioning of his refusal to job to Michaels in Canada. What the authors don't mention is that Hart agreed to job to anyone else anywhere, even the infamous Brooklyn Brawler. Furthermore, they also disregard the fact that Hart's refusal to lay down for Michaels stems directly from Michaels' own admission that he wouldn't job to anyone in the company. Wrestlers like Rick Rude (who left the WWF acrimoniously after the Screwjob and delivered a searing promo on Michaels shortly thereafter) are vilified for their addiction to steroids presented as "old hags", but Nash friends Scott Hall and Sean Waltman are given the benefit of the doubt with their own substance abuse either avoided entirely (Waltman) or excused as the result of the wrestling lifestyle and personality disorders (Hall). Further Nash enemies such as Hulk Hogan are derided throughout the entire text for their political input on wrestling, with little mention of the political leverage (albeit somewhat nascent at this time) excerted by former Kliq member HHH.
Finally, the MSG incident is portrayed as a touching moment in the history of wrestling, rather than a serious breach of kayfabe that undermined the legitimacy of the WWF's product. This is in no small way furher evidence of inherent bias by the authors.
This may seem like the ranting of a Hart fan, but in reality, it's a more complete view of one picture that the authors could have painted better for the reader had they done more research, and not let their predilections for individuals take precedence over what is presented as a historical account of the WWF/E
A book that needed to be written.......2005-12-29
I feel that this is a book that needed to be written. Are the writers elitists who hate pro wrestling? That's not the point. The point, is that these guys are exposing the seedy underbelly of the sport. Don't get me wrong. I'm a wrestling fan and I've been watching the WWF/E since 1987. I've been a wrestling fan for 18 years now and that's not going to change; but I think it's a good thing that these guys are exposing the underhanded dealings that go on in the locker rooms and in the offices of WWE wrestlers and management.
Wrestlers have to be "according to Vince McMahon's philosophy, "bigger than life". To do this, they need characters the fans can relate to, but they also need *size* and for some of these wrestlers, the only way they can get bigger is to use steroids. Plus, while wrestling is predetermined and scripted, the moves done are real and carry real risk. Wrestlers have had bones broken and been paralyzed by falling wrong or taking too hard a hit. They ache after their matches and need to take pain pills to calm down their ravaged bodies. They also need pills to sleep and wake up. Not only that but they are on the road 200+ days a year traveling from city to city, forced to pay the majority of their travel and living expenses (hotel rooms, food, insurance, etc). Wrestlers have no union, no benefits, no guarantee of employment, and now that WCW and ECW are gone, no other options for employment (except for TNA but even then, the salaries of the wrestlers drop substantially). People need to be aware of just how much these people are sacrificing to entertain us. More needs to be done to prevent wrestlers from dying of drug overdoses, steroid abuse, or poor working conditions. Rick Rude, Road Warrior Hawk, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Candido, Owen Hart, and Brian Pillman are just some of the casualties of the business and the Monday Night War between WWF and WCW. If more people are aware of wrestling's seedy underbelly, perhaps someone will take action to make the business safer for all involved.
In addition, I was glad to read the book because, even with the mistakes, it provided a long term perspective on how the business has evolved since the formation of the National Wrestling Alliance and the territory system (something that I wasn't even aware of back in 1987 because my wrestling viewership was limited to WWF, and they had pretty much replaced the NWA as the nation's leading wrestling company by then). I would especially recommend the book to newer fans who probably wouldn't understand that in the 80's, wrestling didn't have huge firework displays before every Monday night show, nor huge/elaborate stages, nor the entrance video packages featuring the wrestlers.
The business has come a long way, but it still needs to evolve for the sake of everyone participating. I think that's the central theme of the book, and one that wrestling fans would be wise to learn about.
The Battles Outside the Ring.......2005-11-18
Here's a book that looks into wrestling itself. This is about some of the behind the scenes events that shaped or transformed wrestling into its current state, many of them being the tribulations and accusations faced by Vince McMahon and the WWWF/WWF/WWE. There is also ample coverage of the NWA/WCW presented here also. We travel towards the beginnings of the wrestling industry in the small arenas, barns, and fairgrounds of the 1920s up to roughly 2002 of big events, PPVs, and showmanship of today.
The book covers topics like Vince's buy out of his father, the territorial monopolization McMahon sets forth to conquer the wrestling world, the rise of wrestling on TV, egotistical stars rising and falling, the Monday Night Ratings War, the nWo, company defections, briefly covers the fall of WCW, hits on the sex scandals, the steroid trials, several failure's of McMahon's like the WBF and XFL, and the deaths of stars like Owen Hart and Brian Pillman along with the after effects.
This is a great book for the hardcore fans, a good book for the part-time fans, and even an interesting text for the non-fan. Non-fans will continue to judge the wrestling industry poorly after reading this book but it is informative and may change some views that see wrestling as a circus of the ridiculous. The book loses a star in ratings because there are a number of historical inaccuracies in it which the devoted fan will easily find.
Vince Mc Mahon is God.......2005-11-12
This book learned me a lot of things about the wrestling business,as ruthless and even meaner than any other kind of business. Now mister McMahon rules supreme over the world he created. The wrestling world! He doing so by fighting nose to nose against billionaire Ted's WCW and their seemingly endless cash ressource. Being the underdog in the Monday Night War didn't prevent mister McMahon to buy at low price the folding WCW a couple of years later. And now, just to seal his aura of domination. Former nemesis Eric Bishoff and Paul Heyman are on the payroll of WWE.
It's amazing to see how much Genius Ambition Dedication mister McMahon was and still is. This book relates the story of success of a small regional promoter who build an Empire by himself. This book illustrates the way he goes to the top; which mean as he once said, becoming a billionaire in order to beat down a billionaire. He also said on a Raw segments that an individual need three qualities to succeed in business: killer instinct, mind manipulation, and marketing savvy. Three categories in which he excels as demonstrated in this book.
Mister McMahon monopolized this business by being a ruthless and merciless predator by purchasing others territories' headliners. Later, WCW tried to serves McMahon a taste of his own medecine. But their lack of creativity and direction was their downfall. All the money in the world couldn't challenge mister McMahon astuteness in the long run.
A plus for every aficianados like me who always want to know more about the backstabbing business of professional wrestling.
Long life WWE and thank you mister McMahon for the entertainment!
Book Description
A killer combination of high-interest plot and unforgettable characters
“All kinds of people. Little kids, a lot of men, even people your age come to the shows.”
“They come to see acrobats pretending to wrestle with each other? Kyle is this some kind of sexual thing?”
“No! It’s an athletic thing! It’s called sports entertainment. Meaning, it’s like a sport, but it’s all scripted like theater. You’ve seen me watching wrestling on Monday and Thursday nights. . . . ”
“Oh, that thing! Kyle, do you mean that terrible program where they hit each other with chairs? It’s like The Three Stooges! Why would a boy like you with all your talent and brains want to do something foolish like that?”
Kyle Bailey is a high-school senior who dreams of becoming a professional wrestler. He can’t tell his beloved grandmother, who raised him, because she’ll think it’s ridiculous, but he gets himself accepted into a rigorous training school and earns a chance at his first professional match.
He’s succeeding beyond his wildest dreams, falling in love with an amazing girl, and maybe even getting his grandmother to understand a little, when things take a dramatic turn for the worse. Kyle’s flaky estranged mother shows up to “help,” and—to his everlasting surprise—actually does.
Critically acclaimed author Joyce Sweeney’s books have been chosen as Best Books for Young Adults (ALA), Best Books for the Teen Age (NYPL), Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (ALA), and as Top Ten Sports Books (Booklist).
An honest, warm, and funny novel, Headlock will make wrestling fans of the skeptical, and Joyce Sweeney fans of everyone.
Customer Reviews:
Headlock Rocks.......2007-04-10
Kyle Bailey is a high school senior who quits his gymnastics team to join an amateur wrestling class for people who want to go into the WWE. During these wrestling classes Kyle meets new friends, but also new enemies that want to have Kyle out of the class. Kyle graduated and showed real dedication to wrestling, even though he had to take care of his grandmother Chantal who raised him because his mother left him when he was eight. Kyle begins better relationships with his classmates, and kind of forgets about his high school friends. He starts a sexual relationship with his new older, girlfriend Ophelia. Kyle's coaches like him and think he has got good heart and he has potential. Kyle goes through some hard times as he watches his friends get teased and they fail to move on to the advanced class. The worst problem is a dramatic turn for the worse because his grandmother starts to get ill and she needs twenty - four seven care. Kyle is forced to call his mother and bring her back into his life because he is lost and doesn't know what to do anymore. This honest, warm, and funny story will keep you reading until the wonderful ending!
Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-03-17
Kyle Bailey lives with his grandmother, Chantal. He has lived with her since his mother left him there at age four because she realized she wasn't "mother" material. His father has never been in the picture because he was simply a sperm donor from the local sperm bank.
Despite the unusual family situation, Kyle has done well. He is a high school senior and could be on his way to college, but he has other plans. Kyle wants to be a professional wrestler - the WWE kind that is on TV and really act more than wrestle. Unknown to his grandmother or any of his friends, he has enrolled in a wrestling training class, and he is doing quite well.
A local gym is the setting for much of the first half of the novel. Jeff, the instructor, is working with seven students, including one girl. He says Kyle is the most talented beginner he's ever come across. The motley group of students includes talented Kyle, hotshot Danny, hard-working Ben, "elderly" Hector, and the beautiful Ophelia. The training is physical, brutal, and exhausting, and the competition is stiff. Everyone hopes to be recognized by Rat Boy, the owner of the local Gold Coast Wrestling.
Kyle can't believe it when Ophelia shows a romantic interest in him. It just seems to add a little extra sweetness to his ultimate dream. Ophelia even loves his grandmother and spends increasing amounts of time as part of their little family; so much time, that she agrees with Kyle when he begins to notice his grandmother's behavior is changing in disturbing ways.
HEADLOCK by Joyce Sweeney will satisfy many readers. The plot is multi-layered with wrestling action, Kyle's first love, his absent and eccentric mother, and worry about the growing forgetfulness of his grandmother. HEADLOCK is a true page-turner much like Sweeney's previous novels, Players and Takedown.
Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"
A Slam You on the Mat Fantastic Read.......2007-02-13
Kyle Bailey has a problem--he has an overwhelming need to be well liked. So when he chases his secret dream of becoming a WWE wrestling star, enrolling in the Fort Knocks wrestling school and leaving the notoriety of gymnastics and the comfort of his friends behind, his journey begins.
In classic Sweeney style, she ferrets out the psychological underpinnings of Kyle's motivations--digging deeper and deeper into what drives him and keeps us reading the novel. Kyle is a veritable tabula rasa--a blank slate. At the outset of the novel, he molds himself into what the people around him need, not really understanding what it is he needs.
Enter the absolutely hot Ophelia, fellow wrestler at Fort Knocks and the only girl on the team. Ophelia is an older woman with a budding drinking problem and a bad habit of choosing the wrong guys. Kyle and Ophelia join forces to figure out exactly what they need--and I'm not talking about the sparks that fly between them. Add to the plot an absent mother and father, an ailing grandmother, who was Kyle's primary caretaker, and a couple of menacing jocks who hate Kyle for his likeable style and want to best him, even if it means taking him out, for the coveted spot "in the show". All of this is played out against the backdrop of the inner workings of the wrestling scene.
Sweeney masterfully makes us feel like an insider with a front row ticket on a wild ride. Whether you're a girl or a guy, if you're not a wrestling fan, you will be by the time you read the last word of HEADLOCK.
Also check out PLAYERS by Joyce Sweeney--another fantastic book of sports and psychological mayhem.
Average customer rating:
- This is an American Classic -- a MUST READ!
- Praise for a hidden talent
- Excellent Insight into HEADLOCK
- Jeff Reynolds is a James Bond for a different generation
- Delightful, very funny mystery
|
Headlock
Burl Barer
Manufacturer: Deadly Alibi Press Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
Series
| Mystery
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mystery & Thrillers
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1886199094 |
Book Description
A paranoid recluse lures private eye author Jeff Reynolds into a complex web of deception, conspiracy, and murder where delusions are deadly, and life after death can be hell. Several popular mystery writers, including G.M. Ford and Tony Fennelly, make cameo appearances in this clever and quirky adventure set in Walla Walla, Washington.
Customer Reviews:
This is an American Classic -- a MUST READ!.......2006-08-27
I am madly in love with this author! Burl Barer is Jeff Reynolds, the protagonist -- or maybe Jeff is Burl...either way, this book is clever, captivating, thought provoking, and a darn good mystery. The entire time I was reading the stories within stories, the seeminly disconnected digressions, the clever asides, I wondered how in the world any of this was going to come together into a cohesive finale -- WOW! Not only did Barer deliver, but he pulls off one of the best twist endings since FLETCH. Trust me, when it comes to delivering a dramatic climax, Barer is the best. This book came out in 2000. Where is the sequel?
Praise for a hidden talent.......2002-03-21
After meeting the author, Burl Barer, at a writer's conference and hearing him read aloud from this book, I had to have it. It is uproariously funny with enough twists and turns to keep your attention riveted and your body shaking with laughter. The only thing that could be better than reading this book would be to have Burl himself read it to you. His characters are total breakthroughs from many stereotypes you'll find in other books. Blond bimbos suddenly have intelligence, hookers have feelings and families, even the bad guys have a human touch. But the real hero, Jeff Reynolds, is someone you'd want to know personally - and you get the chance when you delve into his story. HEADLOCK is the first of a new series, and one can only wait with bated breath for its upcoming sequel.
Burl Barer is a unique author who isn't afraid to let his own personality shine through his hero. If you don't have the opportunity to meet Burl in person, the next best thing is reading his tale as told by Jeff Reynolds.
Excellent Insight into HEADLOCK.......2001-12-10
Of all the reviews of HEADLOCK, this is my favorite. It was written by Gerry Graber and submitted here with her approval. BB
I need to confess that for almost a decade I mourned the loss of Georges Simenon so intensely that I never read another mystery. I never expected to savor another detail, marvel at the accuracy of another metaphor, or care about another protagonist the way I did for Inspector Maigret. Burl Barer has succeeded in enticing me back to fictional crime with the debut of Jeff Reynolds, P.I., in Headlock.
Jeff Reynolds, the novel's protagonist, barely makes a living as a mid-list mystery writer. To augment his income, he has a Walla Walla, Washington private investigator's license. Reynolds takes small cases for small cash. His main interests lie in finding justice for the oppressed, retribution for the criminals, and a plot for his next novel.
Despite his acknowledged but suppressed gift of extrasensory perception, Reynolds is not another quirky yet unbelievable hero. His intuition enhances his intelligence; it does not replace it. He never allows the reader to forget that he is more than capable of error. When Columbo played the role of a bumbling, less-than-bright police detective, we knew he was acting. When Jeff Reynolds bumbles, he does it seriously.
In the tradition of himself, Burl Barer gives his audience the usual romping read of little history lessons and big belly laughs. Readers familiar with the witty asides of the writer, as well as the humorous situations he devises for his characters, will love the humor in Headlock. His fictional characters soar in the sublimity of their truth and nonsense.
Jeff Reynold's truth, however, is evasive. The "private eye" narrates his story in the first person, present tense, giving us the impression that he is confiding in us, yet he hides as much, or more, than he reveals. We are "outside" while the characters are "inside". Reynolds allows us into his mind, an honor denied his co-characters, yet he remains essentially isolated. His "close friends" are only a phone call away -- and only a phone call. He says he listens to anything from anybody, but is his listening an exercise in detached observation rather than real communication? He carries private eye identification to legitimize his forays into crime, but he says he is not a real private eye; he is a mystery writer. If he is not a real private eye, is HEADLOCK a real private eye mystery novel? Maybe, maybe not. I think Barer is up to something
At one point, fellow mystery author G. M. Ford teases Reynolds about "hiding out." It is also Ford who directs Reynolds to an important piece of the plot's intricate puzzle. Barer, using Ford as the touchstone of authenticity, bestows upon him the honor of ultimate expositor. It is G. M. Ford, a real author of highly praised private eye novels, appearing "as himself" in a work of fiction, who provides the primary clue that HEADLOCK is a novel "beyond the genre" - a daring, original piece of contemporary fiction "hiding out" as a private eye mystery.
Enigmatic, captivating, amusing, and, in the final analysis, sweetly sad, HEADLOCK is a novel that inspires reflection. It's also a novel you'll read more than once and enjoy for different reasons each time. Burl Barer's HEADLOCK is a one-hundred percent dazzling debut of what could be the best new series in mystery fiction.
Jeff Reynolds is a James Bond for a different generation.......2001-11-27
Having been born and raised in "Wally World" (what the locals call it) I could not wait to dive into this novel. Burl presents a protagonist with the coolness of Bond yet too cerebral too follow any formula or plan. Instead of phony villains we see characters that are all too human in a town that is very average.
Delightful, very funny mystery.......2001-09-18
Jeff Reynolds is a private investigator, a P.I. in the parlance. Heýs also an author.
Readers may decide there are autobiographical connections between Mr. Reynolds and
Mr. Barer. They would not be mistaken. Reynolds is sarcastic, casts a widely jaundiced
eye, and has an interestingly skewed attitude toward several common aspects of the world
we live in.
Jeff Reynolds is not exactly the P.I. I would hire to solve a mystery for me. But Jeff
Reynolds is certainly a guy Iýd spend some quality time hanging out with. Particularly at
McFeelyýs Tavern in, of all places, Walla Walla.
The gist of the story is that this paranoid fellow who rarely ventures beyond his front door
may--or may not--know something material about a murder. A murder that happened a
while ago. Feeling threatened, he, one Richard Tibbits, now wants Jeff Reynolds to find
out why no one was prosecuted and why people are again pestering Richard. If, in fact,
they are. The way he picked Reynolds is interesting. Tibbits read about Reynolds in the
local newspaper on the occasion of a bookstore signing for one of Reynoldsý books. By
the way, Tibbits is a former pro-wrestler, which should tell you something about this
book.
Part of the difficulty with this action novel that just lopes right along page after page is
that itýs complicated and a little hard to read because your eyes keep tearing up with
laughter. There are truly only a few writers working today who can sustain such a
consistent level of fine writing, complexities of plot, great imagination, and humor.
I just hope he doesnýt write too many of them. My stomach muscles are still sore from
laughing.
Average customer rating:
|
Headlock
Joyce Sweeney
Manufacturer: HOLT, HENRY * & CO
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SN132S |
Average customer rating:
- A beauty of words
- Half Nelson
- Chuck Palahniuk Wanna-Be.
- Fresh voice that reminds me of some classics
- An outstanding read. Do yourself a favor and buy Headlock.
|
Headlock
Adam Berlin
Manufacturer: Algonquin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
United States
| World Literature
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
| 18th Century
| 19th Century
| 20th Century
| African American
| Asian American
| Classics
| Collections & Readers
| Drama
| General
| Hispanic
| History & Criticism
| Humor
| Jewish American
| Letters & Correspondence
| Native American
| Poetry
| Short Stories
| Women Writers
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Literary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Action & Adventure
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Belmondo Style
ASIN: 1565122666 |
Customer Reviews:
A beauty of words.......2005-03-29
Headlock's main character, Dess Rose, is a loser; Gary Rose, his cousin, is also a loser. Adam Berlin writes about 2 losers in a world of gambling and fighting and manages in this exceptional debut novel to make us care.
He makes us bond with the main characters and wonder why they have chosen to let go when they could have done it right. He makes us turn page after page in a 3 day-trip across country to Vegas and to a point of no return. He makes us root for the losers as they gamble until their eyes are sore, counting cards to perfection without reaching their goal.
Berlin knows how to make readers care: he skillfully gets them in his main character head, unveiling his childhood, his successes and struggles. He describes his relationship to his cousin, brother and family with reality and brilliance. The scene of the grilled cheese sandwich is exceptionally full of normality and childish drollery in which Dess and his brother are presented as 2 kids with same future and potential. But Dess got kicked out of the wrestling team and lost his college scholarship when his brother is an A student at Harvard. Gary and Dess are obsessed with being a failure to their family and while Gary is resolved to his disownment, Dess continues to be dazed about his fate, about being a failure to his wrestling hero, his grandfather, only to learn that his hero was a failure himself. Then only does he totally let go.
Berlin is a master of portraying real characters that will, by the end of the book, feel like family to you. It does not mater if the characters wrestle, gamble, binge or fall in love with a beautiful waitress, you will follow them to the depth of their story just for the beauty of Berlin's words.
Also check out Berlin's second book, 'Belmondo Style', in which Berlin continues his brilliant journey as an author.
Half Nelson.......2001-03-22
I found this book linked on a wrestling site, and was interested in it for that reason. As a former college wrestler, it's an area of interest. What I found was a Kerouacian-derived work with some very good writing, but lacking in the poetic descriptions of wrestling I've found in other works like "The wrestler's Cruel Study" - a wonderful piece on a sad hero of pro wrestling, and "PINS" perhaps the only poetic and wonderful novel about high school wrestling that isn't kid stuff.
I wonder how much experience the author has with amateur wrestling. The level of violence in that sport is so small by comparison to other sports, it seems that he was really writing about a boxer. Having experienced the rage he describes, it's believable, and I sympathized with his character's having the superiority of never having to worry about losing a fight, due to his wrestling skills. But intentionally banging up guys, and describing it with savor, got to be too much. The descriptions and macho writing kept making me think Denis Leary should do the audio version.
The "road trip" is a very worn format, but Mr. Berlin gives it some life, with perhaps unintentional Vegas nods to Hunter Thompson's "Fear and Loathing." I just wonder how someone can write so much and so well, and still not fathom the soul of his characters. A lot of similar fiction seems to take on an almost sociopathic tone; no motivation, but well-described action. Comparisons to "Fight Club" with no subtext, irony or wit are apt. With a degree in criminology, no doubt Mr. Berlin will find more oddballs to write about.
Chuck Palahniuk Wanna-Be........2000-11-17
I guess I'm in the minority when I say I really didn't care for this book at all. I took me almost a month to get through it. I just didn't care what happened to Gary and Odessa. I managed to guess the the ending about ten minutes into it. When that happens, it's tough to remain too interested. It seems like every chapter is a re-hash of the last: Gary eats, Odessa beats someone up, Gary eats more, they both go gambling. These characters are paper thin: We never know why Gary is the way he is. We never know why Odessa is the way he is. Also, the author uses the classic, "instant true love" device as well in an attempt to vary the pattern here. It doesn't work. The whole time I sat there dumbfounded, actually laughing out loud when he meets the waitress, then all of a day later they're all set to spend the rest of their lives together. It's insulting. Mr. Berlin seems to have read "Fight Club" one too many times, because this book totally copies it. It tries to be the same type of biting social commentary (man acts out frustrations with society through violence), only it doesn't sell. Do I really care that some 22 year old kid has a beef with society? No. Unlike Tyler Durden, who's violence is more directed towards himself and actually has a purpose, Odessa Rose just pounds away on people, with no motivation. Not once did I know, or even care for that matter, why Odessa went into his berserker rages and beat people. He just did. This is pretentious writing at it's worst.
Save the money and the time, folks.
Fresh voice that reminds me of some classics.......2000-07-22
Adam Berlin's debut novel has impressed me. His main character, Odessa Rose, cannot be stereotyped. He is a complex character with a violent temper and a middle class background. He is a rebel, but he doesn't really understand himself or what he is rebelling against. This book made me think both of Richard Wright's Native Son and John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany because of Dess's primal violence and it's apparent fulfillment and redemptive purpose. Adam Berlin is in good company.
An outstanding read. Do yourself a favor and buy Headlock........2000-07-03
One of the best debut works I've encountered since Thomas Harris' Black Sunday. In Headlock, Berlin confronts the human condition head-on through the realistic depiction of the hungers, needs and various foibles of his two protagonists, Dess and Gary. He skillfully exposes our deep collective need for 'connection', whether through family, relationships (however flawed), money or gluttony. Berlin's first novel is a fun and fulfilling romp across the internal and external terrain of our Nation. I highly recommend this great work of fiction.
Average customer rating:
|
Headlock: a Novel
Manufacturer: Algonquin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000FMMNX0 |
Book Description
The Internet hit series whacked Out wrestling Memorial is now in print form. Join a group of high school friends as they learn life lessons and fight with the power of youth towards their dreams...often failing miserably.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from OnEarth, published by Thomson Gale on March 22, 2006. The length of the article is 940 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Are pests the problem--or pesticides? For years, chemical companies have had American farmers in a headlock, but new research suggests they may just be selling snake oil.(Frontlines)
Author: Deborah Rich
Publication:
OnEarth (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 28
Issue: 1
Page: 6(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Books:
- Shattered Trust
- Sherlock Holmes and the Ice Palace Murders: From the American Chronicles of John H. Watson, M.D.
- Siddhartha
- Sweetness in the Belly: A Novel
- The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream
- The Book of Honor : The Secret Lives and Deaths of CIA Operatives
- The Coffin Dancer (A Lincoln Rhyme Novel)
- The Complete Calvin and Hobbes (Calvin & Hobbes)
- The Diary of Anais Nin: Vol. 1 (1931-1934)
- The Fragrance of God
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Goodnight Moon
- Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions
- The Kabbalah of Money: Jewish Insights on Giving, Owning, and Receiving
- The New Organizational Wealth: Managing and Measuring Knowledge-Based Assets
- Unlimited Wealth: The Theory and Practice of Economic Alchemy
- Among the Hidden
- 1998 Harvard Business School Core Collection: An Author, Title, and Subject Guide
- Has Globalization Gone Too Far
- The World in 2020: Power, Culture and Prosperity
- Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii
The Death of WCW: WrestleCrap and Figure Four Weekly Present . . . (WrestleCrap series)
Ric Flair: To Be the Man
Eric Bischoff: Controversy Creates Cash
Wrestling Babylon: Piledriving Tales of Drugs, Sex, Death, and Scandal
The Stone Cold Truth (WWE)
