The Squared Circle

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Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1592408818
Total Pages : 401 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (924 download)

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Book Synopsis The Squared Circle by : David Shoemaker

Download or read book The Squared Circle written by David Shoemaker and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2014-11-04 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A breakthrough examination of the professional wrestling, its history, its fans, and its wider cultural impact The Squared Circle grows out of David Shoemaker’s writing for Deadspin, where he started the column “Dead Wrestler of the Week” (which boasts more than 1 million page views)—a feature on the many wrestling superstars who died too young because of the abuse they subject their bodies to—and his writing for Grantland, where he covers the pro wrestling world, and its place in the pop culture mainstream. Shoemaker’s sportswriting has since struck a nerve with generations of wrestling fans who—like him—grew up worshipping a sport often derided as “fake” in the wider culture. To them, these professional wrestling superstars are not just heroes but an emotional outlet and the lens through which they learned to see the world. Starting in the early 1900s and exploring the path of pro wrestling in America through the present day, The Squared Circle is the first book to acknowledge both the sport’s broader significance and wrestling fans’ keen intellect and sense of irony. Divided into eras, each section offers a snapshot of the wrestling world, profiles some of the period’s preeminent wrestlers, and the sport’s influence on our broader culture. Through the brawling, bombast, and bloodletting, Shoemaker argues that pro wrestling can teach us about the nature of performance, audience, and, yes, art. Full of unknown history, humor, and self-deprecating reminiscence—but also offering a compelling look at the sport’s rightful place in pop culture—The Squared Circle is the book that legions of wrestling fans have been waiting for. In it, Shoemaker teaches us to look past the spandex and body slams to see an art form that can explain the world.

Dungeon of Death:

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Author :
Publisher : Kensington Publishing Corp.
ISBN 13 : 0806535628
Total Pages : 244 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (65 download)

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Book Synopsis Dungeon of Death: by : Scott Keith

Download or read book Dungeon of Death: written by Scott Keith and published by Kensington Publishing Corp.. This book was released on 2012-03-01 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Asking Scott Keith about professional wrestling is like asking Wayne Gretzky about hockey." --Murtz Jaffer, Inside Pulse The True Story Behind Wrestling's Deadly Secret On June 25, 2007, Canadian pro wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy, and their seven-year-old son Daniel were found dead in their Fayetteville, Georgia, home. The ruling of murder-suicide caused a media frenzy and stunned wrestling fans around the world. Yet the Benoit tragedy was only the latest in a string of disasters that have dogged Stampede Wrestling, operated by the Calgary-based Hart family. In the first book of its kind, Scott Keith offers an in-depth look at the Hart family "curse" that has left all the Stampede Wrestling alumnae either crippled or dead. Were these deaths preventable or inevitable? How did a sport famous for showmanship and entertainment become overrun by rampant drug use, depravity, and greed? Chris Benoit isn't the only wrestler to be brought down by a history of drug use--many other big names in the sport have fallen victim to wrestling's drug culture and steroid obsession. Why has nothing been done about this, even now after these latest deaths? Scott Keith knows wrestling from the inside out. This compelling and candid account reveals not only what's gone wrong in the world's most spectacular sport but what must be done to save it.

Death of the Territories

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Publisher : ECW Press
ISBN 13 : 1773052322
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (73 download)

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Book Synopsis Death of the Territories by : Tim Hornbaker

Download or read book Death of the Territories written by Tim Hornbaker and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2018-09-18 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For decades, distinct professional wrestling territories thrived across North America. Each regionally based promotion operated individually and offered a brand of localized wrestling that greatly appealed to area fans. Promoters routinely coordinated with associates in surrounding regions, and the cooperation displayed by members of the National Wrestling Alliance made it easy for wrestlers to traverse the landscape with the utmost freedom. Dozens of territories flourished between the 1950s and late ’70s. But by the early 1980s, the growth of cable television had put new outside pressures on promoters. An enterprising third-generation entrepreneur who believed cable was his opportunity to take his promotion national soon capitalized on the situation. A host of novel ideas and the will to take chances gave Vincent Kennedy McMahon an incredible advantage. McMahon waged war on the territories and raided the NWA and AWA of their top talent. By creating WrestleMania, jumping into the pay-per-view field, and expanding across North America, McMahon changed professional wrestling forever. Providing never-before-revealed information, Death of the Territories is a must-read for fans yearning to understand how McMahon outlasted his rivals and established the industry’s first national promotion. At the same time, it offers a comprehensive look at the promoters who opposed McMahon, focusing on their noteworthy power plays and embarrassing mistakes.

The Road Warriors: Danger, Death and the Rush of Wrestling

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Author :
Publisher : Medallion Media Group
ISBN 13 : 1605421642
Total Pages : 387 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (54 download)

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Book Synopsis The Road Warriors: Danger, Death and the Rush of Wrestling by : Joe "Animal" Laurinaitis

Download or read book The Road Warriors: Danger, Death and the Rush of Wrestling written by Joe "Animal" Laurinaitis and published by Medallion Media Group. This book was released on 2011-02-08 with total page 387 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Delivering an inside account of one of wrestling's most famous fighters, this autobiography offers a rare chance to learn about Joe "Animal" Laurinaitis's life both inside and outside the ring. Revealing riveting stories about his participation in the 1980s and 1990s superstar wrestling team the Road Warriors, it recounts memorable fights with his partner Mike "Hawk" Hegstrand. He describes how he and Mike rose to become a revolutionary tag team—reinventing themselves with spiky accessories and wearing face paint before it was popular—and chronicles famous rivalries, movement between different wrestling associations, and dealing with Mike's longtime struggle with drugs and alcohol. He also invites fans into his personal life and discusses his family and newfound Christian faith. Featuring stories of incredible physical feats and deep-felt companionship, this testimony will help fans relive the glory days of a wrestling legacy.

The Death of WCW

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Publisher : ECW Press
ISBN 13 : 155490255X
Total Pages : 355 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (549 download)

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Book Synopsis The Death of WCW by : R. D. Reynolds

Download or read book The Death of WCW written by R. D. Reynolds and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2004-12 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What went wrong with WCW? In 1997, World Championship Wrestling was on top. It was the number-one pro wrestling company in the world, and the highest-rated show on cable television. Each week, fans tuned in to Monday Nitro, flocked to sold-out arenas, and carried home truckloads of WCW merchandise. Sting, Bill Goldberg, and the New World Order were household names. Superstars like Dennis Rodman and KISS jumped on the WCW bandwagon. It seemed the company could do no wrong. But by 2001, however, everything had bottomed out. The company -- having lost a whopping 95% of its audience -- was sold for next to nothing to Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment. WCW was laid to rest. How could the company lose its audience so quickly? Who was responsible for shows so horrible that fans fled in horror? What the hell happened to cause the death of one of the largest wrestling companies in the world? The Death of World Championship Wrestling is the first book to take readers through a detailed dissection of WCW's downfall.

Wrestling's One Ring Circus

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Author :
Publisher : Citadel Press
ISBN 13 : 9780806526195
Total Pages : 226 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (261 download)

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Book Synopsis Wrestling's One Ring Circus by : Scott Keith

Download or read book Wrestling's One Ring Circus written by Scott Keith and published by Citadel Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For almost twenty years, the world wrestling federation ruled under the big top of sports entertainment... Then it all came crashing down. But how did things get so bad so quickly? What really triggered the federation's self-destruction? And how did a man acknowledged as a genius in business, promotion, and entertainment, a latter-day P.T. Barnum of wrestling's greatest show on earth, become his own worst enemy? All will be revealed in this shocking, entertaining, and always witty foray into the One Ring Circus that is pro wrestling.

Broken Harts

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Author :
Publisher : M. Evans
ISBN 13 : 1461607469
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (616 download)

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Book Synopsis Broken Harts by : Martha Hart

Download or read book Broken Harts written by Martha Hart and published by M. Evans. This book was released on 2004-01-08 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Owen's wife Martha, tells the story of their life together from the days as high school sweethearts, through Owen's rise to fame in the WWF.

Chris and Nancy

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Author :
Publisher : ReadHowYouWant
ISBN 13 : 9781459652446
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (524 download)

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Book Synopsis Chris and Nancy by : Irvin Muchnick

Download or read book Chris and Nancy written by Irvin Muchnick and published by ReadHowYouWant. This book was released on 2012-11 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Benoit murder - suicide in 2007 was one of the most shocking stories of the year, and a seminal event in the history of wrestling. It laid bare the devastating prevalence of steroids and its effects on users. In order to tackle the whole story, dig up the facts, and connect the dots, Irvin Muchnick gives the most sensational scandal in pro wrestling history the full true - crime treatment in Chris & Nancy. Muchnick - the author of Wrestling Babylon and a co - author of Benoit: Wrestling with the Horror That Destroyed a Family and Crippled a Sport - has parsed public records and interviewed dozens of witnesses, inside and outside wrestling, to put together the first thorough and authoritative events of the gruesome June 2007 weekend in Fayette County, Georgia, during which World Wrestling Entertainment superstar Chris Benoit murdered his wife Nancy and their seven - year - old son Daniel, before proceeding to kill himself. But this book goes beyond the crime itself to answer some of the most important questions behind it. The biography of Benoit, a wrestler's wrestler, makes it clear that his tragedy was a microcosm of the culture of drugs and death behind the scenes of one of North America's most popular brand of sports entertainment. The author probes the story of the massive supplies of steroids and human growth hormone found in his home - all prescribed by a "doctor to the stars" who got indicted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and all dismissed by a WWE "wellness policy" that promoted everything except its talent's wellness. The Benoit case led to unprecedented scrutiny of wrestling's overall health and safety standards, by Congressional investigators and others, and this book is the primary source of what they found and what they should continue to look for.

Wrestling Babylon

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Author :
Publisher : ECW Press
ISBN 13 : 155490286X
Total Pages : 179 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (549 download)

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Book Synopsis Wrestling Babylon by : Irv Muchnick

Download or read book Wrestling Babylon written by Irv Muchnick and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2010-11-16 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Irvin Muchnick ' a widely published writer and nephew of the late, legendary St. Louis wrestling promoter Sam Muchnick ' has produced a book unlike any other on the astonishing growth of professional wrestling and its profound impact on mainstream sports and society. In Wrestling Babylon, he traces the demise of wrestling's old Mafia-like territories and the rise of a national marketing base thanks to cable television, deregulation and a culture-wide nervous breakdown. Naturally, the figure of WWE's Vince McMahon lurks throughout, but equally evident is the public's late-empire lust for bread, circuses, and blood. As this book demonstrates, the more cartoonishly unreal wrestling got, the more chillingly real it became. What truly distinguishes Wrestling Babylon, however, is Muchnick's ability to show how professional wrestling has become the ur-carnival for a culture that feeds on escapist displays of humiliation, revenge, fantasy characters, and sex. His People magazine article on Hulk Hogan blew the lid off the drug abuse of the sport's signature superstar. His award-winning Penthouse profile of the ill-starred Von Erich clan was the first to connect the dots between wrestling, televangelism, and MTV-style production values. His never-before-published investigation of the death of Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka's girlfriend suggests the cover-up of a murder. The book's appendix ' a comprehensive listing of the dozens of wrestlers who died prematurely over the last generation, with little or no attention ' is both a valuable resource for wrestling historians and a shocking document of the ruthless way sports entertainment eats its own.

Lord Willing?

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Author :
Publisher : MennoMedia, Inc.
ISBN 13 : 1513800205
Total Pages : 230 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (138 download)

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Book Synopsis Lord Willing? by : Jessica Kelley

Download or read book Lord Willing? written by Jessica Kelley and published by MennoMedia, Inc.. This book was released on 2016-05-03 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does God’s perfect plan really include this? When her young son was diagnosed with brain cancer, Jessica Kelley couldn’t stomach Christian clichés. God’s will? Divine design? The Lord’s perfect plan? In Lord Willing?, Kelley boldly tackles one of the most difficult questions of the Christian life: if God is all-powerful and all-loving, why do we suffer? For Kelley, this question takes an even more painful and personal turn: did God lack the power or the desire to spare her four-year-old son? For those dissatisfied with easy answers to why evil and tragedy occur, Lord Willing? offers a refreshing, hopeful journey straight to the heart of God. Be prepared for something more beautiful, more pure, and more healing that you can dare to imagine.

Cheating Death, Stealing Life

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Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 143912177X
Total Pages : 3 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (391 download)

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Book Synopsis Cheating Death, Stealing Life by : Eddie Guerrero

Download or read book Cheating Death, Stealing Life written by Eddie Guerrero and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2010-05-11 with total page 3 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the most inspiring stories in wrestling history, Cheating Death, Stealing Life sees Eddie Guerrero recount his saga in remarkably candid fashion, chronicling a life of heartbreaks and painful personal struggles in frank, graphic detail. Guerrero was born into Mexico's first family of sports entertainment, and his life story spans three generations of the wrestling business. His father, Gory Guerrero, was among the greatest legends of lucha libre—Mexican wrestling. Before Eddie was twenty, he was competing in the border town of Juarez, going on to work throughout Mexico. The family name made him an instant sensation but also cast a large shadow from which he would spend years trying to emerge. Paired with the late Art Barr, Guerrero cofounded what became the most hated—and popular—tag team in lucha libre, the infamous Los Gringos Locos. Cheating Death, Stealing Life offers a no-holds-barred glimpse behind the curtain into the secret world of wrestling, from the harsh realities of a lifetime spent in hotels and rental cars, to the politics that permeate the dressing room. Of course, tight-knit friendships are also forged. Guerrero tells of his personal bonds with such Superstars as Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko. It's also the story of Guerrero's private struggle, of a son caught in the shadow of a larger-than-life father and three older brothers, of a marriage that reached the brink of disintegration before being reborn as a more powerful and fulfilling relationship. Throughout, Eddie Guerrero pulls no punches describing his battles with self-doubt and inner darkness. In the end, Cheating Death, Stealing Life is a story of great courage and personal redemption, of Guerrero's bravery in facing his disease and fighting to become a better man in every light.

Death Clutch

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780062079770
Total Pages : 210 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (797 download)

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Book Synopsis Death Clutch by : Brock Lesnar

Download or read book Death Clutch written by Brock Lesnar and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A no-holds-barred memoir from Brock Lesnar, the "baddest man on the planet" -- the undisputed, three-time WWE Champion and current UFC World Heavyweight Champion"--

Death Match

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Publisher : Random House
ISBN 13 : 1407076086
Total Pages : 434 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (7 download)

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Book Synopsis Death Match by : Lincoln Child

Download or read book Death Match written by Lincoln Child and published by Random House. This book was released on 2010-01-26 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A young couple are found dead in their apartment, and double suicide seems to be the only interpretation- Alarm bells ring in the towering Manhattan offices of Eden Incorporated, the high-tech matchmaking company whose spectacular success and legendary secrecy have inspired awe around the world. The Thorpes, few people knew, were more than the quintessential happy couple - they were Eden's first perfect match. Christopher Lash, a gifted former FBI forensic psychologist, receives an urgent plea from Eden to perform a quick - and quiet - investigation into the deaths. Lash's investigation inadvertently dredges up the memories of a searing personal tragedy he has kept at bay for years, and his involvement becomes more personal and dangerous than he could have imagined. When a second Eden 'super-couple' is found dead, Richard Silver, the company's brilliant and reclusive founder, has no choice but to grant Lash unprecedented access to its most guarded secrets-

Steve Williams: How Dr. Death Became Dr. Life

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Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1613215177
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (132 download)

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Book Synopsis Steve Williams: How Dr. Death Became Dr. Life by : Steve Williams

Download or read book Steve Williams: How Dr. Death Became Dr. Life written by Steve Williams and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-02-15 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Dr. Death" Steve Williams was given a second chance. In the prime of his life, Steve was diagnosed with T-4 throat cancer. With God by his side, Steve overcame all odds and survived this deadly disease. Now, Steve is committed to giving his testimony to the people from the wrestling ring. As an athlete, Steve has "done it all." In 1978, he graduated from Lakewood High in Colorado. Recruited heavily by many major colleges, the star athlete eventually accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of Oklahoma. Steve is one of very few legitimate wrestlers to make the transition from the amateur ranks to the professional wrestling ring. While at the University of Oklahoma, he was a two-time Big Eight free-style wrestling champion. As a collegiate football player, he was also a two-time Big Eight champion. Under legendary coach Barry Switzer, Steve went to three major Orange Bowls, the Sun Bowl, and the Fiesta Bowl. He also played professional football as a defensive nose guard for the New Jersey Generals in the United States Football League (USFL). Because of his amateur wrestling background, Steve was generally regarded as one of the most dangerous "shooters" in the business. This tough reputation earned him the nickname "Dr. Death." For the past 20-plus years, he has worked for all major wrestling promotions throughout the world, including World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Steve has held numerous titles and received a plethora of accolades during his career. In 1985, he was named Most Improved Wrestler and First Runner-Up, Tag Team of the Year (with Ted DiBiase). One year later, he defeated the One Man Gang at the 21:43 mark in Houston, Texas, to become the winner of the $50,000 Pro Wrestling Illustrated/UWF Challenge Cup Tournament. In 1991, Steve and his partner, Terry Gordy, became the first American tag team to win All Japan's annual tag-team tournament in consecutive years. Most recently, in 2003, Steve won the NWA Heavyweight title from Terry Taylor in China. Steve is also an Asian wrestling icon, for he is the only American who has ever worked for two major companies at the same time in Japan--New Japan and All Japan. Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Arcade, Good Books, Sports Publishing, and Yucca imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. Our list includes biographies on well-known historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as villains from history, such as Heinrich Himmler, John Wayne Gacy, and O. J. Simpson. We have also published survivor stories of World War II, memoirs about overcoming adversity, first-hand tales of adventure, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Benoit

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Author :
Publisher : ECW Press
ISBN 13 : 1554903157
Total Pages : 158 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (549 download)

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Book Synopsis Benoit by : Steven Johnson

Download or read book Benoit written by Steven Johnson and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2010-12-15 with total page 158 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Four noted wrestling writers discuss the life and death of Chris Benoit, a Canadian professional wrestler who became one of the most popular athletes in professional wrestling before committing a double-murder suicide in 2007.

Ring of Hell

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 364 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Ring of Hell by : Matthew Randazzo, V

Download or read book Ring of Hell written by Matthew Randazzo, V and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Ring of Hell" is the true story of Chris Benoit's journey through the destructive, dysfunctional, and bizarre pro wrestling industry, and the catastrophic physical and mental breakdown that led to his grisly end.

Tokyo Underworld

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Author :
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 0375724893
Total Pages : 402 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (757 download)

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Book Synopsis Tokyo Underworld by : Robert Whiting

Download or read book Tokyo Underworld written by Robert Whiting and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2000-09-26 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A fascinating look at some fascinating people who show how democracy advances hand in hand with crime in Japan."--Mario Puzo In this unorthodox chronicle of the rise of Japan, Inc., Robert Whiting, author of You Gotta Have Wa, gives us a fresh perspective on the economic miracle and near disaster that is modern Japan. Through the eyes of Nick Zappetti, a former GI, former black marketer, failed professional wrestler, bungling diamond thief who turned himself into "the Mafia boss of Tokyo and the king of Rappongi," we meet the players and the losers in the high-stakes game of postwar finance, politics, and criminal corruption in which he thrived. Here's the story of the Imperial Hotel diamond robbers, who attempted (and may have accomplished) the biggest heist in Tokyo's history. Here is Rikidozan, the professional wrestler who almost single-handedly revived Japanese pride, but whose own ethnicity had to be kept secret. And here is the story of the intimate relationships shared by Japan's ruling party, its financial combines, its ruthless criminal gangs, the CIA, American Big Business, and perhaps at least one presidential relative. Here is the underside of postwar Japan, which is only now coming to light.