Texas Rattlesnake

Rating:
Summary: Texas Rattlesnake
Review: The Texas Rattlesnake is a story about Stone Cold Steve Austin's life. His name when he was born was Steven Anderson. His father left him, so he took his stepfather's last name. It is mostly about his career in wrestling.
I think this book is good if someone likes wrestling. If Stone Cold actually said anything to the author, the book may have been better. It is a good book to me, but some people might not like it.

Rating:
Summary: Texas RattleSnake -
Review: This a real great book even though Austin is gone at of WWE you
can still find a "lot" of interesting things about him for only
A well worth deal hear is a brief parts of the book.

This is the real story of Steve Austin and his meteoric rise to
the top in today's hottest and wildest entertainment. With his
bold take-no-prisoners style,this bullet-headed boss of the ring demands respect-and get it every time. From ECW to WCW and WWE,
Steve Austin delivers the goods, leaving his dazed opponents stone cold!

chapter 1-Rattlesnake Fever
chapter 2-Texas Tornado
chapter 3-The Bottom Line
chapter 4-The Hollywood Blond
chapter 5-"Stone Cold" is Born
chapter 6-King of the Ring
chapter 7-Rattlesnake at Rest
chapter 8-Austin Powers
chapter 9-Austin Has Balls
chapter 10-That's Sports Entertainment
chapter 11-The Lovely Debra
chapter 12-Injuries
chapter 13-Tomorrow Never Dies
trivia quiz-How Well Do You Know the Rattlesnake.

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if you do not have this book you "should" get it right now or some time in the future.

Rating:
Summary: The Bottom Line:Texas Rattlesnake
Review: This book contained information that is availible in all wrestling magazines. This book would have been better if Stone Cold would have given his input on his life. Instead the author collected articles from PWI and Wrestling Insider and WWF magazines and the WWf video "Hell Yeah" and "Cause Stone Cold Said So".Most fans don't realize how long it has taken Austin to be the # 1 wrestling Superstar in the World. Most people don't know that he was even in wcw for a couple of years. I bet wcw wishes they would not have given up on Austin like they did.Over all this book was entertaining.I also liked the Stone Cold Trivia in the back of the book.Enjoy Wrestling fans.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing new, and passes off angles as life events
Review: This book offers no revelations about Steve Williams (aka Austin) to fans who have followed his wrestling career. All of the information in the book comes from readily available public sources -- WWF videos, magazines and matches; Rolling Stone and Texas Monthly magazines; and of course (although inexplicably to a lesser degree) the A&E biography.

Williams had no input into the book. Nor, apparently, did anyone who actually knows him. The writer tried to make up for the lack of biographical information about Steve Williams the man by resorting to a miserable play-by-play of Steve Austin's major WWF matches. The book also suffers because it sounds much more like a flowery press release from the WWF than something meant for any kind of serious reading.

Worst of all, although he acknowledges that wrestling is scripted, the author consistently and purposely confuses angles and storylines from the TV shows and PPV's for real-life interaction between Williams and his co-workers in the WWF. He liberally uses quotes from the character of Steve Austin to make them seem like things Steve Williams "said." He ridiculously proposes that while Steve Williams used to be "a good boy" before he was a wrestler, he "turned heel" in real life to become Stone Cold. In other words, the author tries to make it seem as if Stone Cold is actually Steve Williams instead of a character he plays on TV.

Now, add to that glaring holes in the basic events of Williams' life: Brian Pillman is glossed over. There is no mention of Williams' first wife at all or any of his friends other than Pillman (and one sentence on his taxidermist). There is barely a paragraph about Williams' two daughters, just slightly more about his other relatives. When you add in some factual errors in the few biographical items actually used, this book just doesn't cut it as "the story of Steve Austin" and is certainly not the story of Steve Williams.

If you want to know something about Steve Williams, watch the A&E biography, read the Texas Monthly article, Rolling Stone, and be sure and don't miss Mick Foley's and The Rock's autobiographies. Those few sources have more true information about Williams than this book.

If you want to know something about Steve Austin, grab a Steveweiser, pull the footrest lever on your La-Z-Boy, and enjoy some of Austin's classic matches on tape. You won't regret it.

Rating:
Summary: it's just OK for the price, and that's the bottom line
Review: This pocket paperback can be polished off in about 2 or 3 hours or so, and as noted elsewhere does not offer many scoops or insights into SCSA's career. I think if it had been written by him or on behalf of him instead of generally about him, it would have been more entertaining. The multiple choice test at the end was unnecessary. The book does offer a quick run-through of his career up until early 2000 when he was on the sidelines recovering from major neck surgery. It was presumably published before his most recent PPV appearance, when he clearly was not at his earlier fitness level. There is very little new material not already available elsewhere. There could have been a few more photographs thrown in for good measure. At this price it could be considered a must-read for serious SCSA fans, but for the casual wrestling fan it might be better to wait until something more comprehensive and duly authorized comes along. Recommended with reservations.