He spent his earliest years in post WWII refugee camps. He came to America and grew up in Cleveland -- stealing cars, rolling drunks, battling priests, nearly going to jail. He became the screenwriter of the worldwide hitsBasic Instinct,Jagged Edge, andFlashdance.He also wrote the legendary disastersShowgirlsandJade.The rebellion never ended, even as his films went on to gross more than a billion dollars at the box office and he became the most famous -- or infamous -- screenwriter in Hollywood. Joe Eszterhas is a complex and paradoxical figure: part outlaw and outsider combined with equal parts romantic and moralist. More than one person has called him “the devil.” He has been referred to as “the most reviled man in America.” ButTimeasked, “If Shakespeare were alive today, would his name be Joe Eszterhas?” and he was the first screenwriter picked as one of the movie industry’s 100 Most Powerful People. Although he is often accused of sexism and misogyny, his wife is his best friend and equal partner. Considered an apostle of sex and violence, he is a churchgoer who believes in the power of prayer. For many years the ultimate symbol of Hollywood excess, he has moved his family to Ohio and immersed himself in the midwestern lifestyle he so values. Controversial, fearless, extremely talented, and totally unpredictable, the author of the best-sellingAmerican Rhapsodyand National Book Award nomineeCharlie Simpson’s Apocalypsehas surprised us yet again: he has written a memoir like no other. On one level,Hollywood Animalis a shocking and often devastating look inside the movie business. It intimately explores the concept of fame and gives us a never-before-seen look at the famous. Eszterhas reveals the fights, the deals, the extortions, the backstabbing, and the sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll world that is Hollywood. But there are many more levels to this extraordinary work. It is the story of a street kid who survives a life filled with obstacles and pain . . . a chronicle of a love affair that is sensual, glorious, and unending . . . an excruciatingly detailed look at a man facing down the greatest enemy he’s ever fought: the cancer inside him . . . and perhaps most important,Hollywood Animalis the heartbreaking story of a father and son that defines the concepts of love and betrayal. This is a book that will shock you and make you laugh, anger you and move you to tears. It is pure Joe Eszterhas -- a raw, spine-chilling celebration of the human spirit.

'Eszterhas is a wonderful storyteller, and Hollywood Animal is irresistibly entertaining. The gods look down, and we look up, dazzled by the light' Guardian He spent his earliest years in post-World War Two refugee camps. He came to America and grew up in Cleveland - stealing cars, rolling drinks, battling priests, nearly going to jail. He became the screenwriter of the world-wide hits Basic Instinct, Jagged Edge and Flashdance. He also wrote the legendary disasters Showgirls and Jade. The rebellion never ended, even as his films went on to gross more than a billion dollars at the box office and he became the most famous - or infamous - screenwriter in Hollywood.

Joe Eszterhas is a legend in Hollywood screenwriting. Having spent his earliest years in post WWII refugee camps, he came to America, located to Cleveland and began stealing cars, rolling drunks, battling priests, and nearly ending up in jail. He became the screenwriter of the worldwide hits Basic Instinct, Jagged Edge, and Flashdance. He also wrote the legendary disasters Showgirls and Jade. The rebellion never ended, even as his films went on to gross more than a billion dollars at the box office and he became the most famous'or infamous'screenwriter in Hollywood. combined with equal parts romantic and moralist. More than one person has called him ?the devil.' He has been referred to as ?the most reviled man in America.' But he was the first screenwriter picked as one of the movie industry's 100 Most Powerful People. Controversial, fearless, extremely talented, and totally unpredictable, the author of the best-selling American Rhapsody has written his own unique memoir. inside the movie business. It explores the concept of fame and gives us a never-before-seen look at the famous. Eszterhas reveals the fights, the deals, the extortions, the backstabbing, and the sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll world that is Hollywood.

Joe Eszterhas had everything Hollywood could offer.nbsp;A combination of insider and rebel, he saw and participated in the fights, the deals, the backstabbing, and all the sexnbsp;and drugs. But here, in his candid and heartwrenching memoir, we see the rest of the story: the inspiring account of the child of Hungarian immigrants who, against all odds, grows up to live the American Dream. Hollywood Animal reveals the trajectory of Eszterhas's life in gripping detail, from his childhood in a refugee camp, to his battle with a devastating cancer. It shows how a struggling journalist became the most successful screenwriter of all time, and how a man who had access to the most beautiful women in Hollywood ultimately chose to live with the love of his life in a small town in Ohio. Above all, it is the story of a father and a son, and the turbulent relationship that was an unending cycle of heartbreak. Hollywood Animal is an enthralling, provocative memoir: a moving celebration of the human spirit.

The screenwriter offers an account of life and fame in the world of the film industry, growing up amid poverty as a Hungarian immigrant, his family life, profiles of Hollywood characters, and his battle with a life-threatening disease.

In this intimate illumination of fame and the famous, the National Book Award nominee and bestselling author of "American Rhapsody" offers far more than a kiss-and-tell book about the movie business. Abridged.

Joe Eszterhas is a complex and paradoxical figure: part outlaw and outsider combined with equal parts romantic and moralist. More than one person has called him "the devil." He has been referred to as "the most reviled man in America." Although he is often accused of sexism and misogyny, his wife is his best friend and equal partner. considered an apostle of sex and violence, he is a churchgoer who believes in the power of prayer. For many years the ultimate symbol of Hollywood excess, he has moved his family to Ohio and immersed himself in the mid-western lifestyle he so values.