Arnold and Me: In the Shadow of the Austrian Oak

Arnold Schwarzeneggers first love relives their sixyear journey during his explosive first years in America. While she watches Arnold surpass his dreams, Barbara learns to transform hers from desiring what cannot be to cherishing what is so. As a woman who spends her adult life trying to get out from under Arnolds shadow, Barbara Baker learns about the shifting direction of lifes journey. She hopes for normalcy during and after living with her stratospherically successful Austrian Oak bodybuilder. Barbara finds life anything but normal, however. Within Arnold and Me, she strips down this conjoined twosome as they launch their adult lives into polar opposite journeys. After their breakup, Arnold transcends the role of Hercules to become the Governator. He marries once and produces four children; to the contrary, the English Professor says I do four times, yet bears no offspring. Along with vintage photos and firsthand dialogue, the books resolution forces their singular lives to merge at a satisfying junction. Despite their divergent paths, both Arnold and Barbara demonstrate that achieving ones dream demands a relentlessly flexible spirit. Barbara has skillfully rounded Arnolds corners by offering heartfelt nuances about this man who marked her for life. The authors enlightened voice also resonates with those who face relationship challenges over personal identity and fulfillment. She not only lifts herself into higher consciousness, but also the willing reader. Her journey has allowed her to find lifes richness through accepting not only Arnolds daunting shadow, but also her own. This woman sings with energy, incrementally illuminating the rich lives of two exlovers within a beautifully developed, fastpaced story. Her readers continue to travel in their minds, breathing in the life of Arnold and Barbara long after the last word has been read.