Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Living the Gimmick

Living the Gimmick

Peller, Ben

Paperback

General Fiction

ISBN10: 0759550042
ISBN13: 9780759550049
Publisher: Time Warner Trade Publishing
Published: Feb 1 2001
Pages: 428
Weight: 1.10
Height: 1.10 Width: 5.40 Depth: 8.40
Language: English
From the time he was able to body slam a pillow, Michael dreamed of becoming a professional wrestler, vanquishing imaginary enemies and nagging self-doubt with every drop kick he landed. As his buddies hit the books, Michael got hit. When they left for college, he enrolled in Shane Stratford's Wrestling Academy, where cash -- and a particularly punishing audition -- afforded him a first look into a world part circus, part sport, and all spectacle.

From penny-ante matches to national notoriety, Michael rises through the ranks of professional wrestling. Hopped up on speed, pumped up on steroids, and fueled by a frustration he can't quite name, he adopts and discards identities in a bid to find the gimmick that will make him complete. His search will bring him in contact with people weird and wonderful: athletes and actors, crazy fans and crooked managers, the full rich range of folks who revel in the ring.

Combining elements of sports narrative a la North Dallas 40, the behind-the-scenes authenticity of Pumping Iron, and a flair for the bizarre that recalls John Irving, Living the Gimmick is a novel not soon forgotten.

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