THE RAGMAN'S SON

SUMMARY
Kirk Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch in Amsterdam, New York City in  December 1916 to a remarkably poor family of nine. THE RAGMAN'S SON (1988) details his rise from the nothingness of a  humble beginning through decidedly tough circumstances to the ultimate triumph of (literally) Hollywood proportions.

THE PLOT
The book opens with a background of his parents; Jewish Russians who migrated to New York whence his dad collected rags, scrap metal and junk for coins off a wagon driven by a single horse. He had six sisters and a loving mother. 

Due to the tough love he got from his father, he grew up a shy boy and had a lot of rage in him; hence the need to express himself physically by joining the wrestling team in school. He acted in high school plays, did a lot of petty jobs to put himself through college before proceeding to a drama school on a scholarship.

He joined the navy in '41 and was discharged in '44 on medical grounds.
Eventually he acted in small pictures before securing a 7-movie contract with 'Uncle Walt' (Walt Disney himself), wriggling his way out that contract, acting in blockbusters, acting in ones that didn't bust any blocks and discussed his numerous women and accompanying sexcapades before the book peters out with an epic description of how he knew his time (as the main man) was up.

MY VERDICT
Biographies are my favourite genre of books. I like to know that people who became successful in their fields overcame life's many vicissitudes to be what they are. In that vein, this book doesn't disappoint as its rich in rich tales that, regardless of geography, one can totally relate to.
Tough love leading to inhibited kids? Check.
Inhibition leading to bottled up emotions? Check.
Strive for self-improvement? Check.
Attaining dreamy heights? Check.

There are pithy anecdotes about famous people that he knew & met; Sinatra, Reagan, Roald Dahl, Stanley Kubrick, de Laurentiis, Walt Disney & Marilyn Monroe, about whom he quipped: "...the public insists on its fantasies of Hollywood. Marilyn Monroe, on the screen, is the sexiest woman in the world. In real life, she was blah. And always late." Lol

Its also wonderfully rich in lessons on dealing with women, stopping to enjoy the good things that happen, giving his kids the metaphorical pat on their backs (like his father didn't) among other timeless topics. It has wonderful pictures to boot.

There are passages on how he lost most of his wealth to his best friend and agent, playing a movie role that almost destroyed him, and my favourite paragraph in the book: "I am thankful for all my friends. How few of them one really has. How much more important they become as you get older." That brought a tear to my eye.

All in all, the book is sometimes angry, occasionally funny, at times arrogant:
"I am not going to marry your daughter, but a time will come when you'll wish I had"...AND at other times, absolutely crazy:
"I drifted around, met lots of girls. I knew men who had sex with a different girl every night. I never understood it. I understood it less after I did it for a while. It wasn't satisfying; like Chinese food -- an hour later, you're hungry again...after about 2months, I began to wonder; what am I doing? Masturbation has more meaning. At least you develop a better relationship with your fantasies."

MY RATING
Its a thoroughly enjoyable read.

---CAPTAINCUE (...is a freelance writer taking on gigs for unridiculous money. Send me a direct message on Twitter @Captaincue or send me a mail with your writing needs at kaptaincue@gmail.com)