A hart-felt memoir that's sure to be a hit (The Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling - Bret Hart)

Member Name: bruffyboy

Product:	The Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling - Bret Hart
Date:	13/08/09 (115 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: a behind the scenes expose on wrestling

Disadvantages: literary allusions

Summer's here, and with it comes the unashamed escape into 'trashy' literature. Forget novels ringing with the fanfare of critical acclaim, or the works of bearded Russians from the 19th Century, the summer sun (or lack of it) heralds autobiography season for me. Of all the titles I have read so far, 'Hitman' is my favourite.

As a child, I was a casual fan of wrestling. I wanted to be more than that, but my parents' lack of money (or at least their lack of interest in spending it on me), meant I was only able to voyeuristically enjoy the entertainment through my friends. Their videos, their cards and their magazines became my way of glimpsing this fascinating entertainment. My favourite wrestler: Bret 'the Hitman' Hart.

Hart is a renowned legend of wrestling who grew up, along with eleven siblings, under the tutelage of his wrestling promoter father, Stu. He trained as an amateur wrestler before entering the theatrical world of the WWF. In 'Hitman', Hart claims to lift the lid and give a behind the scenes look at the mythic and secretive world of the wrestling industry.

This is a long book. At around 550 pages, it's probably the most prolific autobiography I have ever read, and certainly the longest entertainment title. Most autobiographies of this length are reserved for political and world leaders, such as Nelson Mandela's 'Long Walk to Freedom', so for Hart to have the guile to publish such a tome sets an interesting question: does he have that much to say? In a word, the answer is yes! 'Hitman' is a deeply engrossing and intriguing read, but certainly not one without its faults.

The book spends At least 150 pages focussing on Hart's early life and upbringing. Usually this part of an autobiography bores me; why do we want to know where he was born or what his dad did etc? However, the bizarre world of the Hart family, with its involvement in wrestling shows, is nothing short of captivating. With twelve children to look after, Stu and Helen Hart flip between fame and fortune and the poverty line, with each twist and turn along the way ultimately making Bret the man he was to become. What is most notable is the heavy influence of Stu Hart, Bret's father, who has a massive impact on his impressionable son, and not always for the best.

The remaining two thirds of the book deals with the inside world of the wrestler, giving a behind the scenes look at how the industry works. We read about the wrestlers, the matches, the businesses and the travel. Around 100 pages deal with Bret's early days in the business, with the rest revolving around the WWF (now WWE). In the most poignant parts of the book, we read about the steroids and painkillers that become a way of life for so many wrestlers.

As everyone probably knows, wrestling isn't 'real'. The wrestlers aren't really fighting each other. The matches are fixed and choreographed, where various flips, punches, kicks etc are made to look real and painful. However, this book gave me a huge amount of respect for the industry.

The life of a wrestler revolves around up to half a dozen matches a week. Travelling all over the world, fighters perform in front of thousands each night. Although the fights are performances, they still take a huge physical toll on the wrestlers. A large amount of wrestlers make mistakes, and throws, kicks and punches really connect. The timing and positioning of the throws and moves has to be perfect, and often it falls short. The result is broken bones, paralysis and even death. The combined result of so much travelling and so many shows is that most wrestlers are addicted to painkillers for their injuries, 'downers' to go to sleep at night with their post show adrenaline running, and 'uppers' to get them up the next morning. It's also no surprise to read that 99% are on steroids, to match the physique required of them to get ahead in the industry. As a result, wrestler deaths are ten times that of normal civilians, and the book is littered with death after death; it's an eye opening read, and one that gave me a huge respect for all involved.

I also loved reading about the famous wrestlers of my childhood, such as The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan, learning about their personalities out of the ring, and the comradery (or lack of it) the guys had together. For those, like me, who loved the WWF as children in the '80s, this books gives a once in a lifetime opportunity to read about the colourful characters that shaped our childhoods.

So those were the highlights: the circus-esque Hart family and the behind the scenes expose on such a secretive industry.

There are a few things I didn't like about the book. For a start, it suffers from a more and more obvious case of the unreliable narrator as it progresses. Over all, Hart comes across as a very humble person, but there are times where the reader can clearly tell that what they are reading is not to be trusted. On the one hand, Hart is a very likable narrator. He certainly shows a lot of respect to others in the book, and seems to get it back from the majority of his colleagues. Fans loved him, but he clearly had his head on his shoulders. He never got hooked on painkillers, and his steroid use was minimal. The first half of the book presents a man who is immediately likable. However, there are a couple of later events that change that.

The first is Bret's unflinching support of his father. I won't give anything away, but Stu Hart does some bad things in this book, and Bret tries to convince the reader he was doing the right thing. Reading about these events I found myself thinking 'Bret, are you for real?'

In a similar vein, Hart's portrayal of Vince McMahon is also wildly frustrating. McMahon is the owner of the WWF, a man renowned for backstabbing and lying to his wrestlers. His treatment of those who worked for him is just terrible, and whilst Hart acknowledges this, he always comes running back to McMahon. Again, there are instances in the second half of the book that left me angry with Hart, and made me question whether the seeming humility of the man was only added with the gift of hindsight.

Another annoying thing is the numerous allusions to literature in the book. Hart seems to have something to prove, as he layers his book with intertextual references throughout. Thus we read sentences such as 'It was so scary it was like something from Dante', or 'as I walked through the aisle, I was reminded of a line from The English Patient'. To me, it seemed like a naïve attempt to prove his intelligence, and it again doesn't sit well with the seemingly humble Hart.

Mopst frustratingly, 'Hitman' is littered with wrestling terminology that is never explained, and for over 500 pages you're wondering what 'stiff', 'heel' and 'babyface' do exactly mean. You make your own guesses, but you really have to try and work them out as you're reading.

As a word of warning, the book contains some swearing and sexual content, and therefore I wouldn't recommend it to children, or even teens. This is a lifestyle filled with drugs, violence and sex, and doesn't do anything to celebrate or glorify the sport of wrestling, so anyone considering coming at it from that angle should desist.

All in all, this is an interesting book for anyone with even a cursory interest in wrestling. It's a great behind the scenes expose, and I loved reading about the other wrestlers. It's well written, easy to read, and well paced. If you liked it, try the excellent movie 'The Wrestler' starring Mickey Rourke, which was clearly influenced in some part by Hart's own life. There is also a documentary that followed Hart through the latter part of his career:'Wrestling with Shadows'. In many ways, it's a condensed version of the book, and is well worth a look despite its overly emotional editing and music.

Summary: read it!