The Secret Life Of Houdini: The Making Of America's First Superhero (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
First published on Booking in Heels.This is the only biography of Harry Houdini that I have read, so I have no idea how it measures up in comparison to any others. However, I can tell you how much I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I whipped through this thick, fairly heavy non-fiction in three days and enjoyed every second. It's engrossing, accessible and just generally fascinating throughout.To begin with, it's thorough but not to the point of boredom. I don't feel the need for biographies to tell me the minutiae of the subject's life and Mr Kalush and Mr Sloman have respected my wishes in this area. It begins with Houdini's childhood but provides only a brief summary, for which I respect the book even more. Then we're straight onto his magic and escapism, which is conversely extremely in-depth.It covers a lot of different areas - aviation, films, the Secret Service, the army, his challenges, his fellow magicians, etc. Naturally some are more interesting than others, but I never knew he dabbled in so many different things. Did you know he was the first person to a plane in Australia? Oh, and let's not forget the 'spy' rumours. I hadn't heard these before, but on the blurb of a different edition it says 'in exchange for his cooperation, the governments of these two countries (Britain and America) facilitated his rise to the top of the world stage.' Apparently it's A Thing that Harry Houdini was a secret agent. I would have automatically disbelieved it, but there is evidence (and I'm a lawyer - I'm holding them to a high standard of proof!) that he reported back to his government on the conditions of German jail cells and trained certain agents in escaping from restraints. I'm sceptical that he was involved any more than this, but it's still amazing that he actually was part of the war effort.That's partly the conclusion I've come to, actually. I'm not sure he was a nice man (judging by his arrogance and how aggressively he denounced his competition), but I do think he was a good one. He spent $50,000 (back then!) just on entertaining the troops during the War and funded several charities with varying objectives, not to mention his perseverance in debunking fake mediums.Ah yes. Spiritualists. I learnt an awful lot about this particular area and it was written absolutely amazingly. I had no idea he was so politically active - he tried to push a Bill through to prohibit phony mediums completely and attending every meeting to demonstrate how fake seances could be pulled off. He became such a threat that there were several attempts on his life by the spiritualists.Which leads me neatly to Arthur Conan Doyle. Yes, that one. This part had me on the edge of my seat and opened my eyes to all sorts of new information. Did you know his wife was a medium and he was actually an active Spiritualist? He died with very little money due to opening a psychic bookstore near Westminster, just as an off-side. Anyway, apparently he and Houdini used to be good friends until this debacle exploded and well... spoilers! I didn't have a clue about any of this previously but now I think of it every time I see a Sherlock Holmes book. It just doesn't add up in my head with the methodical fictional detective!I've somehow ended up reviewing the man instead of the book, haven't I? Sorry. Well, it's good, anyway. It's written in a strange mix of styles that actually works really well. A chapter will begin written almost like a story, with proper dialogue, thoughts and feelings but then switches almost seamlessly into standard non-fiction. It's weird, but I liked it. It might not be for everybody though - my boyfriend started to read this book but the style annoyed him to such an extent that he got distracted by something shiny and gave up. Clearly Harry Houdini was the basis for books like Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. He created his own magical encyclopaedia, controlled his own magazine, refused to recognise any theories but his own... Sound familiar? He does seem like he should have been a fictional character, which makes reading a biography all the more entertaining. The fun of a story, but you're learning! *shocked face*I've done it again, haven't I? *swooshes back to discussing the actual damn book* Anyway, believe it or not, there are facts about Harry Houdini that I haven't already told you in this review, so you should go buy the book and learn them. It's well-written, entertaining and impartial (for the most part), so it's an excellent place to learn more about the legend you thought you already knew.
Being Hungarian, there are a few things we take credit for: goulash, the Rubik’s Cube, and Houdini (born In Hungary to Austro-Hungarian parents). William Kalush and Larry Sloman’s “The Secret Life of Houdini” came to my attention after visiting a local museum exhibit on fellow-Hungarian Houdini and magic. Although looking forward to “The Secret Life of Houdini”; I almost forfeited (before even truly beginning) when the authors announced that they have “dramatized scenes, “shifted what people said in time”, and “turned facts into dialogue”. This declaration defeats the purpose of a historical biography and turns the piece into historical fiction. Elaborating on that, “The Secret Life of Houdini” suffers from an identity crisis, lacking a solid structure. Combining a historical biography with dialogue, narratives, and storytelling; the book is filled with choppiness, loss of chronology, repetition, and confusion. Not to mention, tedium. “The Secret Life of Houdini” is simply difficult to follow as it has many voices/styles amongst the pages and feels like reading author notes versus a seamless stream.Furthermore, “The Secret Life of Houdini” is more of a re-telling of career highlights. Although these descriptions are vibrant and illustrative; they are all told the same way which gets tiresome and results in a lack of information regarding Houdini’s personal life or thoughts. One does get to know Houdini more intimately than perhaps the average reader but it is on a deductive level and not authenticated. “The Secret Life of Houdini” also strives to prove Kalush and Sloman’s hypothesis that Houdini was a spy. This aim is very thin, flimsy, and a rather poor conspiracy theory. The accusations are made but the evidence is hardly discussed and is far-fetched, making it unbelievable. On the other hand, the authors successfully clarify that Houdini was not claiming to be involved in spiritualism and “magic” but instead, he was proving the capabilities of a human body plus used strong public relations to do so. Whatever one may think of Houdini, the authors demonstrate that he was intelligent, an entertainer, and a business man. Although the second half of “The Secret Life of Houdini” features some very interesting moments (such as Houdini’s psychological reactions to his mother’s death); it is overall extremely slow and is over-saturated with minor details causing an extreme disconnect from Houdini. This lag makes the book difficult to read and almost “pointless” at times. A large chunk of the latter portion of “The Secret Life Houdini” surrounds Houdini’s avid mission to debunk spiritualism. At this point, the book gains momentum and gathers excitement but then drags out again and even ventures on tangents, producing thoughts of, “When will this end?!”The ending was stronger than expected, exploring the controversy surrounding Houdini’s death and the lives of key figures/relationships after he passed. Sadly though, no suggested reading or author notes were available (although they are accessible through download). However, “The Secret Life of Houdini” does contain many photos, illustrations, and drawings which add some strength to the text.Overall, “The Secret Life of Houdini” is a good resource for gaining knowledge concerning Houdini’s professional life but not a strong insight into his thoughts, psyche, or personal relationships. Plus, the writing style makes it even less powerful. It is suggested for those wanting to read all they can regarding Houdini but not necessary for those seeking the best biographical piece.
What do You think about The Secret Life Of Houdini: The Making Of America's First Superhero (2006)?
You know, I'm totally the kind of person who should have LOVED this book but...it wasn't very lovable. Yes, it was very well researched--the authors even brag about some creepily detailed computer program they built from scratch to track Houdini's life "day by day, as much as possible. But the book had no soul, no effusion, and no ease. Houdini lead a fascinating life and was a fascinating person--why is this book not fascinating? Partly because the authors are too focused on "proving" their flimsy thesis, which is that Houdini was an important spy. They also avoid actually telling you how Houdini did most of his tricks. It's not that they don't know, it's that they don't think youI'm a big Houdini fan, and have been for awhile. I read lots of books about him between the ages of 10 and 16. His story is so appealing--rags to riches, intense self-improvement, MAGIC, a stormy marriage, a long list of villains. But I found myself skimming this book, instead of being immersed in it.
—Rory
An enjoyable trip back to my youth, when I was fairly completely obsessed with Houdini. So were most kids back then, I suppose. I'm not sure if he's the cultural icon now as he was then. I never knew (or didn't remember) that he was deeply involved in the early aviation days. The book says he was the first person to fly a plane in Australia. I've read since that is debatable, but still, no one doubts that he was one of the earliest aviators.Nearly half of the book is a deep look at his fights with "Spiritualists" of the 1910s and 1920s. It goes so far as to imply that his death was the result of a an assassination plot by rabid spiritualists. This seems far fetched these days, when we look back at Spiritualists as misinformed and misled saps - kind of funny with their seances and "automatic" writing. On the other hand, they were as fanatical and rabid about their beliefs as any fundamentalist Christian or Muslim is now. And no one would doubt a murder plot hatched from a modern day religious fundamentalist group. In any event, Houdini gave Spiritualists ample reason to wish him dead. Most of the latter part of his life was devoted to exposing and destroying them on a daily basis.I didn't buy the speculation in the book that Houdini served as a type of spy or super-secret-agent. If you're going to need a spy, you probably won't turn to someone who is currently the most recognizable person in the world. But you can't deny he had access to a lot of police and government officials, wherever he went.All in all, a detailed overview of the life of Houdini. There's been no one like him since his death.
—Tom
I suspect that I am an easy mark when it comes to books.There are many reasons why I liked this book, the least of which is the largest word in the title: Houdini.I have not read any prior biographies of the man, but he has been an interest for years and I have been to the Houdini Historical Center in Appleton, Wisconsin.This book details some of the off inconsistencies which surrounded Ehrich Weiss aka Harry Houdini before, during and after his ascendancy to the world stage. As a talent & achiever, he is on par with any celebrity in history, having worked tirelessly for years to make a name for himself with his self promotion, then throwing himself into another discipline in order to master it and make himself a household name again.The new tweak for the authors is their suggestion that he was involved with the establishment/training/working for the U.S. OSS/CIA before World War I. They make a good case.I quite enjoyed the book.
—VanHalen
