C.S. Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 The ebook version of Kamala Speaks recently landed on the Kindle store, so I decided to treat myself to it as a Christmas present. After reading Backlund's book, I dived right into Kamala's. I am a huge Kamala fan from childhood, so I was really excited to finally be able to devour this. As a kid, I knew I couldn't ever be Hulk Hogan or Ultimate Warrior, but maybe I could be Kamala... (I don't mean growing up to become an African savage - kind of hard for a white kid to aspire to, haha - and I definitely don't mean becoming a bodyguard for Idi Amin. I mostly mean the belly. I could rub my belly with the best of them!) I knew I'd have fun with this, of course, but I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it is. What really makes Kamala Speaks stand out is that James Harris (and/or Kenny Casanova, who is listed as the book's co-author) is not afraid to dig deep, show his emotions, and lay his soul bare for the reader - anger, sadness, regret, longing, fear, and those sweet but fleeting moments of happiness. Whether it's losing his legs or headlining Madison Square Garden with Hulk Hogan, all of his feelings are described powerfully. One of the most impactful moments of the book, for me, was when a retired Kamala returned to one of the arenas he headlined - this time as a truck driver making a delivery - and ran into his old wrestling co-workers. And Kamala definitely has some strong opinions about those co-workers - particularly Vince McMahon and Andre the Giant. He also goes into his low payoffs, racism in wrestling, the creation of the gimmick in Memphis with Lawler and Jerry Jarrett, Friday/Kim Chee, Mid-South, his WWF runs and eventual face turn there, his brief stint in WCW, his one remaining friend from the wrestling business, and all of the other topics you'd expect from his career. Occasionally, the book will slip off into weird side-tangents. In one instance, former WWF ring announcer Mel Phillips' foot fetish and accompanying scandal is mentioned - possibly to parallel Kamala's own foot amputation issues? There are also a bunch of Pat Patterson and "Brooklyn Brawler" Steve Lombardi stories. Kamala addresses those rumors head-on, apologizes for his part in them, and then goes on to make fun of Lombardi several more times anyway. It's all a bit bizarre, but it does make for strangely compelling reading. Oddly enough, Lombardi, Harvey Wippleman, and pretty much anyone from the WWE apparently refused to be quoted for Kamala Speaks - "out of fear," according to the author(s). I can believe it, because the book is pretty hard-hitting. But still, to me, it only makes everyone currently in the WWE look petty for not contributing their own thoughts to a former colleague's life story. What harm would that have really done? Kamala was going to write whatever he was going to write anyway - and he did! WWE didn't really do itself any favors by distancing itself for no reason, if you ask me. The foreword is written by Jim Ross, but the ebook version contains several unused forewords at the end and other extra material that didn't make it into the print version. There was nothing wrong with J.R.'s foreword - it was fine - but I have no idea why they didn't use Koko B. Ware's instead. It was far more personal and heartfelt. My only guess is that J.R.'s version was ultimately chosen because he's a "bigger name." There are a couple of minor errors in the ebook edition (not sure if they're also present in the print book). There are two instances where a sentence is cut off. I believe this happens in Chapters 1 and 7, but I'll have to double-check. Hopefully I can find a way to contact the authors so these tiny gaffes are corrected (easy enough in a ebook, since existing buyers can get updated versions automatically). Other than that, this is clean, polished, and professional. Overall, Kamala Speaks is fantastic - definitely up there with the best wrestling books I've ever read, and I've read most of them. Link to the ebook: http://www.amazon.com/Kamala-Speaks-eBook-Editors-Autobiography-ebook/dp/B019JJR59Q/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victory Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 Nice review. I've been on the fence about grabbing this and after reading your review I will definitely get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blehschmidt Posted January 13, 2016 Report Share Posted January 13, 2016 I've also read it, and enjoyed it greatly. Very good read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidebottom Posted January 14, 2016 Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 Good work C.S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMFabianoRPL Posted January 14, 2016 Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 Does he mention the Dawn Marie issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.S. Posted January 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2016 Thank you, victory and Sidebottom. And agreed, Blehschmidt. Does he mention the Dawn Marie issue? I could be wrong, but I don't think specifically. I believe there was just a brief mention made of charity cards in Kamala's name where he didn't see a dime of the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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