THE BOOK REPORT: My Life Outside The Ring By Hulk Hogan
My Life Outside The Ring
By Hulk Hogan
(St. Martin’s Press)
Could anybody possibly know more about the wacky world of celebrity in this day and age then the olā Hulkster himself, Hulk Hogan? Literally creating the WWF with Vince McMahon Jr., whipping-up the worldwide frenzy of āHulkamania,ā appearing in scores of TV shows and movies, star of one the highest rated reality shows āHogan Knows Bestā and sporting bigger guns then just about anybody, the man born Terry Gene Bollea has enjoyed the wealth and trappings of fame, as well as suffering because of it, like very few rock stars or actors ever do.
My Life Outside The Ring, is Hoganās story of the most recent āactā of his life. While we do get a little overview of his childhood and climb into the ring and beyond, the book is really more about the manās recent years and the roller coaster, sometime dangerous, always interesting ride heās been on. The book starts chillingly with the Hulkster downing some alcohol and staring at himself in his bathroom mirror, while he sits with gun in hand contemplating suicide. His son Nick has just had an accident that has left a family friend in a coma, Hulkās wife has served him for divorce and his singer daughter is no longer talking to him. Things are none so great there in Hulkās Florida mansion and in fact the meat of this book is about his slow crawl back from what he describes as the lowest point in his life, through a spiritual awakening very few of us would probably ever muster the humble courage to confront.
āLifeā is a fast paced 300-page read and while not the best of writers, Hogan gets his point across as if heās sitting down next to you laying out his story. Not that this particular guy wasnāt pretty much an open book kind of honest dude to begin with, now because of the books heās read and the work heās done on himself, Hogan comes completely clean about his marriage, family, affair, steroid use; generally his crazy life. Rumors are dispelled, lies and half truths felled by āthe whole truth brotherā and what one comes away with is Terry Geneās honest assessment of who he is, how he got here, what heās going to do to stay and how all he really wants is to be the best dad to his two kids that he can be.
My Life Outside The Ring is less autobiography really then the slowly acquired revelations of a man who we think we have known for so long but never really have heard from in so straight forward and honest a way before. You cant help read this book and not root for and love Hulk Hogan (if you didnāt already like the guy already) and there is even a bit near the end that will get you all misty as Hulk confronts his wife for the last time.
My Life Outside The Ring is about forgiveness, family, and power of the positive in oneās life. āHey brother, if it can work for the Hulksterā¦ā
