Andre the Giant

I've always been a huge fan of Andre the Giant, ever since I discovered The Princess Bride as a child. This graphic novel pieces together Andre's life and it comes apparent pretty quickly that it wasn't all rosy. Andre was ridiculed as a child, and when he finally made it to the doctor as an adult he was told that with his condition he wouldn't live past 40. Despite all the odds, he made a career in wrestling and gained popularity all over the world. He may not have been a saint, but he was a lost soul, looking for acceptance and a pain free life. Fantastic, albeit depressing, graphic novel. A must read for wrestling fans, or anyone who ever admired Andre the giant.

At Dawn

It took me a hot second to get into this book about a young man down and out on his luck, but once I did get into it, I read it in one sitting.

Stratton leaves New York life and heads to Chicago with nothing but a duffle bag and $300 in his pocket. He soon learns that achieving the American dream isn't going to be easy. Stratton is desperate for anything, anything that will help him forget his troubled past, but he soon discovers that he has to reconcile the horrible things that happened in his youth or he'll lose everything he's tried so hard to achieve.

There are some pretty good characters in the book and I particularly enjoyed getting to learn about Gene, a former Vietnam vet and Stratton's landlord. He seems a perfect elderly gentleman who I would love to have a drink with.

Overall, this book isn't quite a beach read but it is good nonetheless. Just don't expect to be in a chipper mood at the end. It's a gritty look at life, but it's real and relatable.