Summary from GoodReads:
As a scrawny college freshman in the mid-1970s, just before Arnold Schwarzenegger became a hero to boys everywhere and Pumping Iron became a cult hit, Paul Solotaroff discovered weights and steroids. In a matter of months, he grew from a dorky beanpole into a hulking behemoth, showing off his rock hard muscles first on the streets of New York City and then alongside his colorful gym-rat friends in strip clubs and in the homes of the gotham elite. It was a swinging time, when "Would you like to dance?" turned into "Your place or mine?" and the guys with the muscles had all the ladies--until their bodies, like Solotaroff''s, completely shut down.
But this isn't the gloom-and-doom addiction one might expect--Solotaroff looks back at even his lowest points with a wicked sense of humor, and he sends up the disco era and its excess with all the kaleidoscopic detail of Boogie Nights or Saturday Night Fever.
Written with candor and sarcasm, THE BODY SHOP is a memoir with all the elements of great fiction and dazzlingly displays Paul Solotaroff's celebrated writing talent.
My Review: In this book Paul tells you about his personal issues with body image and what he thinks caused them. He makes a statement in his book about being 6'1" and 140 pounds and says that even his hair was depressed. After seeing what a great muscular body transformation had done to someone he knew, he dove into the world of steroids. He tells us that in just three months, he gained 30 solid pounds of muscle.
If you're into sports, physical appearance or not, this is an interesting read. It takes you on a track of someone who dislikes themselves seemingly enough to do anything. It takes you from bottom, up to what is perceived as close to the top and then on a downward spiral again.
Make no mistake, Paul Solotaroff brings it with this book and smacks it right down on the table in front of you.
RATING: ♥♥♥♥
Pages: 293
Hardcover
Review copy of this book provided by the author/publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. In no way did the provision of the book affect the outcome of my review.
Doesn't sound like something I would read but it would be interesting to learn about what steroids eventually did to him. Thank you for the excellent review and letting us know that he actually does tell us what happens to himself.
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This sounds very interesting. I always like to learn about things from the persp[ective of someone who had lived it. Especially when they're layuing it out straight.
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