My husband and I were huge wrestling fans. We used to go over to Detroit to Joe Louis Arena for live wrestling events. We were more of the Hulk Hogan, Macho Man, and Rick Flair generation, but we did watch The Rock on Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Main Event. When these two books were offered on Edelweiss, I wanted to check them out. Of course he is know just as much for his acting career as he is for wrestling and these books showcase both of those.

For Your Consideration: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson by Tres Dean, James Anderson Foster (Narrator)

Published November 5th 2019 by Dreamscape Media

For Your Consideration: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

About the Book: Sporting a proverbial perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 100%, Certified Fresh, The Rock embodies everything we want from our Hollywood superstars…and everything we admire in those who so boldly pursue the American dream. But how did it all happen? How did a loathed professional wrestler become one of the most famous people in the world? Was it just good timing? Years of trial and error? Countless hours in the gym? A winning smile? Or his total mastery of Instagram Stories? 

My Thoughts: 3 Stars ⭐⭐⭐

I was a little disappointed with this book. If you are a Rock fan, then you know a lot about him already. You would be aware that he was a huge wrestling star and is now an actor. He has done a lot of family friendly movies as wall as some action flicks, the best known probably those in the Fast & Furious Franchise. This book basically gave a timeline of his two careers. The reason I finished it and still gave it three stars is because there was some insight into his thoughts and views. It also stressed his heritage which is very important to him. I also liked the importance he puts on family, which not a lot of public personalities do. There were some cute anecdotes that added interest to the recitations. If you are not aware, he is a great humanitarian, performing for the troops, visiting kids who are sick etc. It says it is an illustrated book, but I saw only a few drawings, but they were interesting. If you only know him as an actor, or as a wrestler, or even from his Twitter account (he tweets a lot about people and fans which is great) then you will probably enjoy this book because you will learn a lot about him.

The Rock: Through the Lens: His Life, His Movies, His World by [Hiram Garcia]

The Rock: Through the Lens: His Life, His Movies, His World by Hiram Garcia

Published September 8th 2020 by St. Martin’s Press

4 Stars:⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a photo-memoir of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. I didn’t realize that when I requested this book, but I did enjoy it. It is full of photographs taken by Hiram Garcia over several decades. He met Johnson in University and was his brother-in-law at one time. Each photo had a caption sharing what was happening at the time. I found myself heading online to check out some information about what was happening at the time of the events pictured. Despite there being little text. I learned several things that I did not know about him prior to perusing this book. The photos were amazing and showed him in so many different situations and different emotions. The fact that his family is so important to him was evident in the photos showing him with his children, wife and even his cousin that you may know as Roman Reigns from the WWF. The photos of him on set in some of his movies were also great and reminded me of some of his movies that I haven’t watched yet. If you are a Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson fan, you will love this book of photos, if you do not know much about Johnson, this might be a good book to give you just enough of his personality and career to make you want to find out more about him. I was gifted a copy of this book upon request. The rating and opinions shared are my own.

About the Book:

Dynamic, funny, and inspiring photos of global entertainment icon, entrepreneur, and trailblazer, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, featuring twenty years’ worth of candids, family moments, and snapshots from film and television sets, many never-before-seen.

Hiram Garcia, who has known Dwayne Johnson since college, is a longtime collaborator, producing partner, and talented photographer. As a film and television producer as well as in his role as the President of Production at Seven Bucks Productions, Garcia has unprecedented access to capture images on the sets of Seven Bucks’ films including such blockbuster hits as Jumanji: The Next Level, Jungle Cruise,Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, and more.

As one of his closest friends, Garcia knows Johnson inside and out, and that deep relationship informs the photographs he shares in this book. Whether it’s an action-packed photo snapped during an intense film take, or a relaxed and candid shot of Johnson with his daughters, Garcia focuses his lens on the qualities he most admires in his friend: his extraordinary work ethic, his infectious smile, his empathy and sense of humor, and the joy and determination Johnson brings to everything he does.

With scores of photos—most of them never been seen before and taken over two decades—The Rock: Through the Lens: His Life, His Movies, His World is enhanced by captions revealing the inside stories behind these remarkable images.