Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

Written by Arnold Schwarzenegger

Narrated by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Stephen Lang

In his signature larger-than-life style, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Total Recall is a revealing self-portrait of his illustrious, controversial, and truly unique life.

The greatest immigrant success story of our time.

His story is unique, and uniquely entertaining, and he tells it brilliantly in these pages.

He was born in a year of famine, in a small Austrian town, the son of an austere police chief. He dreamed of moving to America to become a bodybuilding champion and a movie star.

By the age of twenty-one, he was living in Los Angeles and had been crowned Mr. Universe.

Within five years, he had learned English and become the greatest bodybuilder in the world.

Within ten years, he had earned his college degree and was a millionaire from his business enterprises in real estate, landscaping, and bodybuilding. He was also the winner of a Golden Globe Award for his debut as a dramatic actor in Stay Hungry.

Within twenty years, he was the world’s biggest movie star, the husband of Maria Shriver, and an emerging Republican leader who was part of the Kennedy family.

Thirty-six years after coming to America, the man once known by fellow body­builders as the Austrian Oak was elected governor of California, the seventh largest economy in the world.

He led the state through a budget crisis, natural disasters, and political turmoil, working across party lines for a better environment, election reforms, and bipartisan solutions.

With Maria Shriver, he raised four fantastic children. In the wake of a scandal he brought upon himself, he tried to keep his family together.

Until now, he has never told the full story of his life, in his own voice.

Here is Arnold, with total recall.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Oct 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781442353282

Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger served as governor of California from 2003 to 2011. Before that, he had a long career, starring in such films as the Terminator series; Stay Hungry; Twins; Predator; and Junior. His first book, Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder, was a bestseller when published in 1977 and, along with his Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, has never been out of print. He is the author of Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life and Arnold, a limited docuseries about his life, is currently streaming on Netflix.

Reviews for Total Recall

[James Howat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting book. Fascinating story of coming from absolutely nothing in Austria to be one of the most famous people on Earth. Quick and to the point, I enjoyed it.

[Mike Faix · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great tale. My question is always the same whenever I read something or hear something, “what percent of this is true?” If you think it’s a 100%, well, nothing is ever 100% true. Anyhow, to the reviewer here who thinks they “cracked the case” on Arnold’s ‘nazi’ past, yawn. You are wholly ignorant on the subject but think yourself so smart. These lame nazi hunters should really go watch the documentary The Greatest Story Never Told and have their mindblown. Much of what you think is the “truth” is a lie. Most of what we’ve been raised to believe is a lie. Why? The victors of war write the history books. You think they’re gonna tell the truth about the Germans after nearly pummeling them out of existence? Of course they have to make themselves look good by pointing the finger and saying “ uh, the Germans started it!...and they’re really bad! They tried to take over the world and stuff....yeah, that’s why we tried to kill them all. We’re innocent.” Time to use some critical thinking. The very thing they don’t reach at schools.

[elizajane_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thoroughly enjoyed this! I like Arnold, the man, the actor, his humour, his opinions and a lot of his politics. I'm not into sports and thought the bodybuilding would be the least interesting for me but I found the whole thing fascinating. This is a huge book and instead of just sitting down and plowing through I decided to take it a chapter at a time and am so glad I did. The book is 30 chapters long and I ended up spending a month sitting down each night and feeling like I was having a little visit (incl. beer & stogey LOL) with the man himself. You can tell the book was co-written but Arnold's voice is there, one can hear the stilted English, the accent and the voice. I would have enjoyed more time spent on each individual movie but I don't think 1000+ pages would have been marketable. Realistically, the book was proportioned very well. A good chunk of an introduction on his childhood and life in Austria and then a lot of time devoted to body-building which then crosses over with his acting career before he gives up the sport. Arnold is a very intelligent man and that comes through from the beginning. He's also a politically aware person and political opinions pepper the pages right from his landing on American shores and increase as he becomes involved in Republican presidential campaigning and becomes a part of the Kennedy family. His acting and love story with Maria take up the next chunk and finally his career as governor ends the book. I found Arnold to be everything I had supposed him to be: opinionated, fair, full of himself, not into bad-mouthing anyone, deeply in love with Maria, a family man and seriously funny. In a way the book is an ode and apology to Maria; the two are still not divorced nor seem to be in any rush to finalize the proceedings (at the time of this writing). He presents himself fairly, being able to criticize himself throughout his life but he is also a man who is entirely 100% confident in himself. I liked his style, I liked his humour, I liked the book. I'm not keen on his in-betweener politics as governor and found that section the most slow going but with such a varied career: body building, acting and politics, it's unlikely many will be enthralled with every detail of his life. I do think though, that if you personally do not like the man himself, you will not like the book. This is Arnold's story about himself and Arnold is full of self-love and self-confidence. So if you admire or simply like/enjoy the man you'll enjoy the book as I did. However, if not, the tone of the book will likely get your hackles up if you start off annoyed with the man in the first place. A great read and I wish him all the best in the future.

[Patty · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was surprised to admire his philosophies and choices so much.

[jamestomasino · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's been said before, but the first half of this book is really the only part worth reading. If it had ended there another star would be forthcoming. I suppose it's possible that some folks might enjoy all the politics of part two, but that's not what I was looking for when it comes to Arnold's story.

[quondame · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

If you know who [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] is, and who doesn't, there aren't surprises here. The real accomplishment is the voice in which this is written, straightforward and easy to believe is Arnold's voice. It isn't enough to sustain over 600pgs of interest with lots of pictures that don't take up page numbers and 100pgs of index. Arnold is close to me in age and lived in Los Angeles when I moved here so the early chapters of the book are most involving to me.

[arewenotben · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The American Dream embodied, and he knows it. Likes talking about money.

[philsyphe · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a superb account of Arnold’s life from his childhood through to 2012.The narrative is engaging throughout, though I admit to not being so absorbed by the later chapters that focus on politics. Arnold’s childhood and rise to fame are what most interested me.Highly recommended.

[chris_el-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The first half of the book focuses on Arnold's growing up. Getting interested in weightlifting and the intensity with which he pursued being good at the sport. This intensity eventually brought him to America. Once here he branched out into a few others areas trying to make money to get by and trying to help grow the bodybuilding sport. This part of the book, about the first half was my favorite and I thought the most interesting.

He also talks about how he became interested in being in movies and how difficult it was to learn to act and wait for good parts. He discusses what it was like shooting different movies and getting into politics. He ends the book talking about his mistake with the housekeeper and how he hopes to make things better with his wife Maria (they are still not divorced last I checked).

Overall a good read and one that I think will encourage you to think hard about how much of yourself you invest in the things you care about. Arnold became successful because of hard work more than any other reason. You have to put in the repetitions and time to get where you want to be.

[burningtodd · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As a child growing up with Arnold's movies, I am a fan of this man's work. That being said, I think that this book is just too long, or at the very least should have been two different books. The first part of the book focuses on Arnold's childhood in Austria, his joining the military, becoming a body builder, and his subsequent movie career. The second part of the book (fully half the book) discusses his political life. His being governor is an important part of his life, and I understand that, but I felt like he was using this part of the book, not as a biography, but as a chance to explain his political decisions, and the book in toto, as an apology to Maria. That being said, I did enjoy the book for the most part. Some parts were a little boring and some parts were a clear skewing of history to show Arnold in the best light possible, but for a fan of the man, worth a read.

[jo3jo_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I don't know what it is, but something about Arnold Schwarzenegger has intrigued me for as long as I can remember. Since I've never been attracted to the muscular bodybuilder types, I knew it wasn't a physical attraction, but maybe more of an appreciation of the person he is. He has been through a lot since he arrived at the United States and claimed the title of Mr. Universe.I usually try to stay away from abridged audiobooks, but I think for those that are not avid bodybuilders, this is the way to go with this one. Arnold shares many of his life stories, starting with his childhood in Austria and even divulging the huge mistake he made when he cheated on Maria.Arnold grew up with a very strong work ethic and I was impressed to learn what a goal setter he truly is. It made me reflect on my own goals and realizing although I strive for personal goals, it has been a long time since I sat down and physically wrote my goals on a piece of paper. This has been a regular habit for Arnold since he became a serious bodybuilder. Every New Year he would try to set new goals for himself that would make him a stronger and better person. I am definitely not unfamiliar with goal-setting, but it was just a great reminder.I enjoyed the narration of this book. Arnold started the first couple of chapters and ended the book by reading the last couple of chapters. Stephen Lang read everything in between and did a great job. As I mentioned, I really am not a fan of bodybuilding, but I found myself wanting to hear what he had to say about the subject. Arnold is obviously a man who had to overcome many obstacles to make it where he is today, and I think that can only be called success.Those that are bodybuilders will probably enjoy this book more than I did, and would benefit from listening to the unabridged version. With themes of goals, dreams, fitness, and politics, this turned out to be a memoir that I enjoyed more than I expected. I think this book would be a great selection for either personal leisure or a book club selection and I don't hesitate in recommending it.

[jcbrunner · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Arnold should have picked another of his film titles for his autobiography: True Lies. His total recall is a faulty recall at best. His Borat rendering of his upbringing in Austria might be appreciated by gullible Americans. The German translation justs fails to include many of the atrocious statements in Arnold's account. For the record, around 12 percent of Austrians work for the government and not as Arnold claims 70 percent. Arnold grew up in the rural village of Thal which happens to be only 6 miles distant from the city center of Austria's second largest city. Similar to Walden Pond in Concord near Boston, MA, this is rural life by choice. His home has been turned into a museum recently and it is a splendid house indeed (and not the home of a poor family). Arnold's account has to be taken with a large grain of salt.What the book (understandably) fails to fully discuss, is the family's Nazi connection. He mentions that his father was a party member but as a sergeant small fry. He fails to mention that Graz was named a Hochburg des Nationalsozialismus (a center of national-socialism) and the Styrian police filled with Nazis. Arnold's father as soldier and policeman didn't participate in atrocities mostly because Graz was declared "judenrein" from a very early date. Given the reluctance his parents showed when forced to relinquish Arnold's Nazi propaganda children books many years after the war during Austria's mild denazification period, their world view must have influential on young Arnold. The similarities between the upbringing of Arnold and Adolf Hitler are striking: Both had an alcoholic, violent elderly father working in government security and a weak young mother who left the child grow up without supervision. The difference between Arnold and Adolf was Arnold's persistent luck to find mentors who gave inspiration and direction to the lost youth.Arnold's two main qualities are his willingness of working harder (going the extra mile, lifting the extra pound) and cheating. As he himself gloats in the book, his victories are often the result of small cheats and the opposite of fair-play. As a true Republican, rules are not deemed to apply to him - which he lists under "Arnold's rules" in the rape-y "When someone tells you no, you should hear yes". The book more or less minimizes his groping and sexual peccadilloes. The saddest part, however, is how he excludes his wife from important life decisions. She is only allowed to acknowledge his setting up a heart operation or starting his political campaign. This Conan approach does not fit into the 21st century as does his inordinate fondness of crooks (Richard Nixon, Kurt Waldheim, ...).His affinity to crooks and his ability as a snake-oil salesman helped him tremendously in Hollywood. Schwarzenegger went there to make money, lots of money and even more money. Money is the yardstick he measures everything with. A movie's or a partnership's worth is determined how much it earns - for him. When others or his partners lose money, it is their fault. Perhaps the most atrocious example of this is poor newly arrived Arnold's early car accident which injured others. He neither paid for their injuries nor paid the bill for those repairs. A gentleman would at least now seek to pay for the damages he caused, given all his wealth. He didn't and he doesn't feel such an obligation. This "I've got mine" approach is especially sad as his career was based on many a kindness of strangers who helped the poor kid along (which doesn't fit into Arnold's Social Darwinist world view).A remarkable career by a man who preserved the small-minded, patriarchal world-view of a provincial policeman's son is told in this partial recall that would benefit from an annotated edition.