Rating: 
Summary: A Championship book written by THE Champ
Review: "Hooker: An Authentic Wrestler's Adventures Inside the Bizarre World of Professional Wrestling - The Biography of Lou Thesz" arrived late yesterday. Really impressed by the absolute honesty & integrity. The comparisons to other professional sports were perfect, as were descriptions of amateur wrestling, athleticism required -especially that Joe Louis couldn't handle it- and Red Smith's shocked reaction to fixed boxing match and his apology to Lou - Wow this is great stuff about a one in a hundred million athlete, his extraordinary career and times, a misunderstood sport and America-a great story well written-- perhaps best sports story I've ever read - you really must respect and appreciate the man and it was all done in sincere humility and with thanks and recognition to all who are part of the story. This will become a benchmark for quality sports tales and certainly help bring a more positive attitude toward wrestling.
Rating:
Summary: The BEST book on Professional Wrestling
Review: Every wrestling fan should read this book. There is more "TRUTH" about the sport here than in any book that I've read. Thesz was a master back when real men ruled the (then) sport. The difference between Lou Thesz and the wrestlers today is enormous. An excellent read for anyone with even a remote interest in the wrestling business. Classic.
Rating:
Summary: Hooker: The Biography of Lou Thesz
Review: For years I've been hearing about this book and now I know that it was all true. I encourage anyone who is a fan of Pro- Wrestling, past, present, or future, to get this book now. I throughly enjoyed Mr. Thesz's road stories about the legendary wrestlers like Ed 'The Strangler' Lewis, Ray Steele, Rikidozan et al (Not to mention the promoters) and how he was instrumental in the formation of NWA and in turn the creation of the AWA & WWWF.
Rating: 
Summary: Let's not get to hyperbolic here....
Review: Hooker is a very good book; I too couldn't put it down until I was finished with it. I didn't like, though, how Thesz took so many potshots at men who weren't around to defend themselves. Argentina Rocca and Buddy Rogers are the two best examples. Was Rocca a simpleton? Probably, but was it really necessary to devote an entire chapter to what a clod he is? Rogers makes one offhand comment about Thesz's mentor, and Lou carries the grudge until the day he dies. That's not a sign of strength of character, Lou, that's self aggrandizement in it's most insidious form. Certainly the author is going to shine himself up to be the greatest he can be when he writes his own autobiography. I just think it would have been a better piece if he concentrated more on his own exploits and less on bashing others who didn't pass the Hooker's test.
Rating:
Summary: Lou Thesz:There will never be another one like him
Review: I got the book "Hooker" over a year ago. It came in the mail at 4:30 p.m on Tuesday and I had read it completely by 6:00 p.m. Wednesday. I could not quit reading it. It is one of the best books I have ever read. Lou Thesz is one of the greatest wrestlers that this business has ever produced. I promoted several towns out of Nashville booking office and I had the privilege of having Lou wrestle for me several times. On one occasion we started selling tickets at 5:00 p.m. and was completely sold out at 6:30 p.m. The matches did not start until 8:30 p.m. and the fans sat there for two or more hours waiting for that match. We turned several thousand people away. Anytime Lou would wrestle in a town for me;the attendance would stay up for several months eventho he was not on the card. He had that kind of impact on wrestling. After the matches we went out to a nightclub in Memphis and Lou had all the respect of everyone there. He has been an inspiration to me for all my entire wrestling life (45 years in the wrestling profession as wrestler and promoter). If you have not read this book;be sure and purchase it as it is one of the best and informative books I have ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: Somewhat disappointed
Review: I'm a wrestling buff, and I thought I'd love this book. But the lack of pictures weakens it severely. And scant if any attention is paid to such important issues as sexuality in wrestling; use of drugs or alcohol; family life; dealings with fans; how certain holds are applied, etc. Instead, most of the book seems to concentrate on the business angle--whose promotion was pushing whom, how much people got paid, and other matters that I didn't find that interesting.
Rating:
Summary: "Hooker" will keep you hooked
Review: If you think the WWF is all there is to pro wrestling, prepare to learn a thing or two. Lou Thesz's life story not only takes you through his career, which lasted from the 30s to the 80s, it provides a history of pro wrestling. He tells you how the game was played inside and outside the ring. A fascinating, behind the scenes look at wrestling before the term "sports entertainment" was coined. Set aside a few hours and get a bedside book light, because you'll need them. "Hooker" is one of those books you won't be able to put down...and you'll find yourself reading it over and over again. Lou Thesz and Kit Bauman are the tag team champions of wrestling writing!
Rating:
Summary: Hooker is the real deal!
Review: In recent years, the onslaught of wrestling biographies have provided new insight into the lives of many current sports entertainment superstars.But few of these bestsellers have delved deep into the past, when wrestling headlined New York sports pages and Ed "Strangler" Lewis was as respected as the great Babe Ruth. Hooker caters to long-time fans who want to learn about the origins of wrestling from one of the era's last eyewitnesses. Travel with Lou Thesz across the globe as he reveals why the sport was just as dirty back then as it is today. Now into his eighth decade on earth, the six-time champion of the world has no need to kiss-up to promoters or fellow performers. And that's what makes Hooker so enthralling. Eyebrows are sure to rise within the industry as Thesz presents his never-before-seen list of wrestling's greatest workers. There's also a controversial section on Vince McMahon Jr. and the WWF, complete with Lou's no-holds-barred opinions: "I am proud to have been a part of the rise of professional wrestling, and it pains me to have been a lazy witness to its demise." Once in a while, a book comes along that claims to be an "inside guide" to our great sport of professional wrestling. Unlike those titles, Hooker is the real deal.
Rating:
Summary: A straight look at a crooked game
Review: In the world of ballyhoo wrestling it is refreshing to read
the truth as it is.
Lou Thesz met all the big names of yesterday and gives us an insight into their real characters and the shady dealing.Above all he comes over as "A Wrestler" a lover of his sport who came through the tough times of the 30's still believing in his own skills.
This book is a must for all wrestling history buffs.It fills in the fine detail that other books skim over.
Rating:
Summary: A straight look at a crooked game
Review: In the world of ballyhoo wrestling it is refreshing to read
the truth as it is.
Lou Thesz met all the big names of yesterday and gives us an insight into their real characters and the shady dealing.Above all he comes over as "A Wrestler" a lover of his sport who came through the tough times of the 30's still believing in his own skills.
This book is a must for all wrestling history buffs.It fills in the fine detail that other books skim over.
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