August 13, 2008

Houdini: The Secret Life of Houdini

Rating:
Awards:
Author: William Kalush and Larry Sloman
Narrator: Adam Grupper
Category: Biography
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Release Date:
Length: 6 hours and 13 min
Abridged

An Overview:
Houdini: The Secret Life of Houdini is an account of the legendary escape artist and master magician who has captivated the minds of generations.

Renowned magician William Kalush and best-selling writer Larry Sloman team up to find the man behind the legend. Years of research culminates into this biography describing in detail the great Houdini's almost mystical life.

The book is a national best seller, and for good reason. William Kalush and Larry Sloman through years of research have produced this very detailed biography with a passion that becomes very obvious as you listen through this audio book.

The biography takes you from Harry Houdini's early days as a struggling magician to the time when his career began to blossom on the Orpheum Circuit through to his first big break by performing for royalty, right through to the time of his death.

Houdini's life was one of many changes in the early years having worked in various jobs to help sustain his family. He spent many of his years debunking spiritualism which brought with it many continuous death threats.

Harry died on Halloween October 31, 1926 (aged 52) one week after receiving 3 blows to the stomach by one of his students, an amateur boxer. The student asked Houdini if he could test his ability to withstand any blow above the waist, but struck Houdini before he was prepared to except the blows. It is thought that this event was contributory to Houdini’s death one week later.

Houdini's fame has endured through the years, and even his name has become an official word in the dictionary.

The Narration:

Reviewed by Peter Markovic