I just finished reading Arnold Schwarzenegger’s autobiography,Total Recall, and I’ve got mixed feelings. The book does a good job of shattering the myth that Arnold is all brawn and no brains. From the book, I got the impression that he is actually a calculating, ambitious, and hardworking individual who achieved his goals through sheer determination. He’s possibly the embodiment of the American dream, and his rags-to-riches story is undeniably inspiring.
But, as there always is, I think the book is overly self-congratulatory and kind of lacks substance. It’s like Arnold is trying too hard to convince us of his greatness, constantly name-dropping and praising himself. The “I visualize it, so it happens” mantra gets old quickly as it hammered repeatedly across the book, and his use of catchphrases like “love to say outrageous things” and “fantastic” becomes comical. The most disappointing part about the book was the lack of depth and honesty, particularly when discussing his personal relationships and failures. He glosses over his infidelity and its impact on his loved ones, which felt insensitive and shallow. The book reads like a superficial, ego-boosting exercise rather than a genuine tell-all. I don’t really know.
I was also expecting a bit more of a tell-all experience. Instead, the book is heavy on name-dropping and light on real revelations. The final chapters, where he’s supposed to offer wisdom and lessons learned, come off as generic and uninspired. Phrases like “take care of your body and mind” or “don’t blame your parents” seemed a bit too simplistic and didn’t offer much in the way of practical advice. One example that particularly stood out, as many other have noted elsewhere, was his decision to run for governor of California. He talks about exploring the idea for years but only tells his wife just before making a public announcement. The surprise and disappointment she felt seemed to take a backseat to his own narrative. It’s moments like this that reveal a disconnect between his self-image as a great communicator and the reality of his personal relationships. I think I would have preferred to just read a more summarized version of the biography rather than the 600+ pages of self-aggrandizement.