Rating: 
Summary: This book's got muscle!
Review: I'll admit it is no great literary achievement, but MUSCLE is a wonderful book that is so honest it's unbelievable. I'm no bodybuilder, but I do go to the the gym several times a week and this book is both an inspiration and a warning. It is the story of one man's quest to feel safe in NYC and how he finds that haven. Once he discovers the gym, and sees the benefits (both physical and mental) of working out, Fussell sets a greater goal: to become a professional bodybuilder. And he stops at nothing to attain it, giving up everything--including his health. Utterly amazing are the before and after photos in the middle! I love this book. I read it twice. My old roomate read it twice--so did the guy he borrowed it from. I even gave a copy to my brother to inspire him after recovering from a hernia operation. He doesn't read much, but he liked the pictures. Why do like it so much? I don't know why. I can relate to it I suppose. Like Fussell, I work in book publishing and got into weight training like he did (but not as extreme). The beauty of this book -- besides the humor and shocking things the characters do -- is that it is a true account on a subject you never hear much about. Seriously, MUSCLE is a quick, entertaining, interesting, excellent read. You don't have to be into bodybuilding to enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: The Greatest Book Ever Written!
Review: Muscle is the greatest book ever written!I read it for the first time last year, when I was just starting in the iron game. Largely due to the book's great influence, I'm now one of the gym rats. It's a great chronicle of Sam's journey from an academian to a builder. It shows all aspects of bodybuilding and life. Muscle is a great book, and it should be read by anyone who's remotely interested in lifting.
Rating:
Summary: Sam's Confession Comes Through
Review: Samuel Fussell's Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder is full of accurate information about the bodybuilding world. Fussell paves his way to a huge mass of muscular armor through ambition and extreme dedication -- dedication to life-threatening starvation, training, and anabolic steroids. His dedication, though, is false, for he seeks to hide his true self. In addition, his novel tells a tale of the rise and fall of self. It is the tale of a bright young man seeking his own identity, only to face confusion and the fear of the other. In response, Samuel casts aside his Oxford education and dons the mask and "walk" of the bodybuilder. Does Samuel succeed in his narrative? Are the structure and form of his prose comforting and compelling to the reader? Of course. He writes with authority and exactness; his Oxford education and literary background bleed through this novel's attractive prose and creative tone. From the training bodybuilder to the person questioning his or her own identity, Muscle: Confessions of an Unlikely Bodybuilder is a worthwile examination of human nature and the persuit of individuality.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to the real world....
Review: I give this book a 4 star rating simply because it takes a man of Mr. Fussell's stature in the "World of Bodybuilding" to make you realize how prevalent drug use is in the entertainment industry. If it wasn't for the "no-holds-barred" aspect of this book, it would be a contender for a lower rating for sure. I really dislike the fashion in which he tells his story. He gets to California, and though shown kindness by folks he just met, and though he starts using steroids within his first two days there.... He bags on 'em like he was somehow above it all.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting and Insightful
Review: The story of one mans experiences in bodybuilding. Informative and interesting. The 2nd half of the book is where he really discusses the "California Professional Scene". That is what most up and coming bodybuilders will be intrested in. Overall it was helpful in getting an inside view of professional bodybuilding in the late 80's. A good read for anyone thinking about a career in bodybuilding or aspiring to be a professional bodybuilder.
Rating: 
Summary: This Book does the Iron Game a Great Disservice.
Review: While there is no doubt that this book is a real page-turner, it leaves a sour taste in the mouth - particularly if you are, as I am, one of the people that the author claims has 'the disease'. I have been a totally natural (i.e. drug free)bodybuilder for eighteen years and readily admit that a significant proportion of my life is spent working out. However, unlike the author, my motivation is not driven by some psychological need but by the simple fact that I like to look and feel healthy and that this gives benefits to other areas of my life e.g. greater confidence in myself and my ability to achieve goals. Reading this book would put anyone off from ever getting seriously involved in bodybuilding or weight training and while I know a lot of the negative and horrific things described in this book still go on, particularly in competitive bodybuilding, this book does the sport a great disservice by continually focussing on the more scandalous, shocking, and disturbing side of the iron game. I bet that the author felt that this would make for a more tittilating read for the uninitiated. However, I'm sure Sam could have gained a great deal of satisfaction and benefit from continuing as a natural bodybuilder after the final chapter and it is a great shame that his 4 years of effort seem wasted in this respect. In the end though he seems to imply that there is something fundamentally wrong with the sport and that only warped people get passionately involved in bodybuilding. I would like to state that there are many iron lovers like me who can prove Sam wrong and, as the late great Steve Reeves said, can 'do the work needed in the gym and then get out and have a life'.
Rating:
Summary: My Favourite Book
Review: Bodybuilding literature is generally as bad as the "disease" itself, being full of oversimplified slogans and overcomplicated articles, pinched from some medical journal by someone with no idea what they are talking about. It is so refreshing to read an account that gives it straight, after reading this I found I knew MORE about bodybuilding than some of my diseased friends who have been doing it for years. It also gave me an interesting insight into myself as I am a bodybuilder and I can see where Sam was coming from. The pace in the book is INCREDIBLE, it builds up as Sams muscles do, this is why some readers are dissapointed with the almost anticlimactic end, though this was a deliberate ploy by Sam to ram his "antibuilding" point home. After reading the book you will have experienced first hand some of the amazing energy and desperation it takes to successfully change your body shape. It really is a great book and I recommend it to anybody who wants to understand just about any subculture, as I am sure the general principles are transferrable.
Rating: 
Summary: My Life As An "ALSO RAN..."
Review: I am not a competitive bodybuilder... or even a "big guy", but I do work out religiously. To me, Sam Fussell exhibits the character of any "addict", in his case it was an addiction to a quest for physical size. I am sure that much of what he says is true, but felt that he has embellished the arena of pro bodybuilding with an overall unsavory tone. The story might be the same, but would sound much different coming from a successful bodybuilder. I can only assume that Sam's self doubts, and the emotional pressure created by the alienation of his family, led him to slide back into his pre-ordained life as another Prof. Milketeoast. Sam is not an Arnold Schwarzenegger or Lee Hainey precisely because he does not have what it takes. His book is an effort to reconcile his failure. Still, it is interesting reading but it should be remembered that the story is told through the jaundiced eye of an "also ran" who gave up and refused to admit that he didn't have what it takes.
Rating:
Summary: WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD OF BOBYBUILDING
Review: Sam Fussell's book tells the true story of the bodybuilding world while pulling no punches. The book follows him on his journey not just from New York to California, but on his journey to find himself. This book is great for anyone looking for a great read whether you are an avid bodybuilder or someone who knows nothing about the sport. Throughout the book Fussell pours his heart out for the reader in hope that they can understand what life is all about. A MUST READ
Rating:
Summary: What goes on inside of the head of a body builder
Review: Interesting to see what a bodybuilder actually thinks. This wasn't just hype. It actually talks about what it's like to be a bodybuilder and very enlightening. It's not the glorified stuff that most bodybuilding stuff is. It also has very little teaching but was very interesting and very entertaining.
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