True Strength: My Journey From Hercules To Mere Mortal And How Nearly Dying Saved My Life (2000) - Plot & Excerpts
This is a terribly-written book that is not about Kevin Sorbo's life or career. It's about his illness and he spends about 2/3's of the book doing nothing but complaining. Though it's meant to be "inspiring" and he does bring a small element of faith to the discussion, overall it's depressing and makes him look incredibly weak.Sorbo starts by skipping through his first 25 years in just a couple of pages--don't look for any details because none are given (you don't even know where exactly he grows up in Minnesota until much later in the book). He quickly jumps to Hercules, really the only significant credit he has and one that he repeatedly calls "the most-watched show in the world." No lack of humility here. He acts like a superhero on screen and off.When he is hit by a series of small strokes he begins to blame everyone around him--his chiropractor, his doctors, his work load, his uncooperative producers, etc. He complains, then complains, and then complains some more. There is nothing entertaining about any of this--we get no insight into the shooting of the TV show, no behind-the-scenes look into the life of a Hollywood star (other than how difficult it is for him to have to sign an autograph while sick! ha!) or not even much about his actress wife. The author drones on and on about how bad he feels and how he doesn't want to work or doesn't want to go to an event.By the end of the book he decides to quit Hercules, take up a new show Andromeda (which he again claims is an amazing #1 success, which ignores reality) and by the closing pages we're still pretty much stuck in the year 2001. The book was published in 2011. He quickly covers his kids' births in a couple pages, tosses in a "I still don't feel well but have learned to take the good from the bad" ending, and suddenly it's all over. It looks like it was actually written ten years earlier and sat on a shelf. There's a good reason why--it's pretty bad.The book jumps back and forth without explanation. Others write chapters or sections of chapters without explanation. And this man of faith becomes friendly with an "acupuncturist/witch" without explanation.Whoever published this needed to cut out at least half of the whining, put in much more personal details so he doesn't look like such a perfect guy (no pillow talk revealed here), and then include more about the last ten years of his life! A pretty weak attempt from a man who claims to be so strong. I read this book while seriously depressed and looking for something uplifting. It will touch anyone who has ever felt like things were going well, you had everything under control, and then BAM! The world throws you a curve ball like you've never seen before and your entire world changes in a blink of an eye. This book can help give you hope, help you forgive yourself for being full of yourself in the past, lift you up from doubt, and affirm your faith. I can't say enough good things about this book. Very positive.
What do You think about True Strength: My Journey From Hercules To Mere Mortal And How Nearly Dying Saved My Life (2000)?
Kevin Sorbo seems like a good guy, and I'd really like to say I enjoyed reading this, but I didn't.
—najaha
loved that it was Kevin Sorbo and his wife reading the text---made it even better!
—sassypants
Not great writing, but good story of growth and learning to trust.
—surtle
The book was awesome. It was hard to put down.
—didiyana
