Running Scared: The Life and Treacherous Times of Las Vegas Casino King Steve Wynn

Book Description

Steve Wynn is the former owner of the Bellagio — Las Vegas’s latest monument to conspicuous consumption whose hotel and casino contain over $300 million in fine art and $1.5 billion in Wall Street money. He’s a mogul whose empire at one point included the Mirage, the Golden Nugget, and Treasure Island. But how did he gain and wield his tremendous power in Nevada? And why did a confidential Scotland Yard report prevent him from opening a casino in London? When this biography, written by a local reporter, was first released in 1995, Steve Wynn brought suit against its original publisher and forced him into bankruptcy. Now available in paperback, the inside story of the biggest phenomenon to roil Las Vegas since Hoover Dam gives readers an intimate glimpse at the real business that’s conducted beyond the gaming tables.

Customer Reviews:

focuses on facts, not perceptions.......2007-07-08

This is an excellent book for anyone wanting to know more about the character of the man who is Steve Wynn. It is a true account of the way he has conducted himself over his history in Vegas and Atlantic City, not the image projected of him by Steve Wynn and his company. It is well written and concise. John L. Smith does an excellent job presenting the information, including several of the more uncanny incidents Steve Wynn has been involved in over the years by merely presenting the facts as they happened. He asks some very good questions that should have been asked but never were because of who the man is. He also points out numerous things that have been glazed over by the press and various agencies involved. Very informative. A definite must read.

Wynn Tries to Supress The Book.......2007-03-05

So damaging to his super clean image, Wynn drove the original publisher into bancruptcy and tried everything he could manage to keep this book out of circulation. Steve Wynn vs. the First Amendment (1st 1, Wynn 0).

Certainly did improve Vegas by leaps and bounds, but at what cost? Using public water to build his exclusive Shadow Creek golf course, buying art, jets and NY condos with stockholders money as the stock sank into takeover waters, untimately being shown the door by casino magnate Kirk Kerkorian. Once owned by MGM, things changed. The golf course was opened, the art, NY condo and jet all sold.

How does one man undermine Federal law to build a dolphin attraction? he is on film meeting with a known mobster who used his Atlantic City casino (Golden Nugget) to launder money, but can't seem to remember anything about it.

Fact: the son of a Bino Hall operator rises up to be one of the worlds leading casino developers and owners through some very shady associations. He influences Nevada politics as all people with money are able to, so no surprise there. The mob associations are clearly documented and associating with a convicted felon (Milken) is grounds for losing your gaming license, yet Wynn does so with impunity.

Wynn has brought some great changes to Las Vegas, but after reading the other sidie of the story, you have to ask yourself if the ends justify the means.

John L. Smith has done a great job with the facts surrounding Steve Wynn. Hat's off to him!

Inside scoop on Steve Wynn's Vegas.......2007-02-19

This book is a real page turner. It is amazing it ever got printed, given Wynn's many attempts to strangle the unflattering portrayal it in its infancy. That in itself is reason enough to pick it up and study it.

Fascinating Read.......2005-05-25

I'm not sure how true all of the "accusations" / "observations" are about the infamous Mr. Wynn, but the book is extremely well written. Paired with the "Green Felt Jungle" (another excellent book) you will be hard-pressed to put these two books down. I would recommend this book to everyone.

A true story about today's Las Vegas.......2005-05-01

(...) Steve Wynn is truly a fascinating guy and his story needs to be fully told to appreciate his diverse talents, "associations," and background. Running Scared tells the brutal truth about a facinating Vegas character. Thank goodness the mob was run out of Vegas years ago!

Average customer rating:

The Wives of Mick Sapphire are Running Scared
Street smart women
Strong Women, Terrific Bad Guys, Super Thriller
Had My Pulse Running Like a Banshee on Speed
My Fingers Burned Through the Pages!

Running Scared
Ken Douglas
Manufacturer: Bootleg Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0974524654
Release Date: 2005-09-12

Book Description

Joey Sapphire wakes next to a dead man, the son of the American Ambassador to Trinidad, in a boat at anchor. It quickly dawns on her that she has to get rid of the body, because it looks like she did it and they hang murderers in Trinidad. So she weighs it down and drops it overboard. But she knows she's not safe, because the killer knows about her. She finds out that her husband Mick is blackmailing the daughter of the President of the United States and that the dead ambassador's son was Mick's partner. Now some very bad men think she is in on the plot. Joey is in trouble and she has nowhere to run.

Customer Reviews:

The Wives of Mick Sapphire are Running Scared.......2007-03-03

When I started reading RUNNNG SCARED I thought I was in for your typical romantic suspense type story. I guess because of the woman's face on the cover. It kind of reminded me of an Iris Johansen novel. Well, there was suspense, lots of that, but no romance. You got a couple guys and a couple girls, but the guys spend most of the book trying to kill the girls, because they supposedly know something about the President of the United States and his daughter. Only problem is, they don't know what the bad guys think they know.

South African born Joey Sapphire lives on a boat and is slowly sailing around the world with her American husband, Mick. Currently is Christmastime, their boat is anchored in Trinidad and Mick in Texas, visiting his parents. Well, that's where he's supposed to be, but actually he's in Brazil, where he marries (yes that's right) Nina. On their honeymoon night someone breaks into their room and Mick, rather than defending his new bride, runs for his life.

Meanwhile, back in Trinidad, Joey wakes up on a strange boat. She'd been drugged. She figures this out pretty fast as there is a dead man lying naked next to her. She disposes of the body in a grisly (brrr) scene, because she's afraid she'll get blamed for the crime. Then she goes back to her own boat and tries to track down her husband, to no avail

Nina knows Mick's yacht is in Trinidad, so she goes there straightaway, only to find Joey instead of her knew husband. Mick had told her he and Joey were divorced, but here she is. Obviously Mick is a liar. What else is he? The two wives of Mick Sapphire are not given too much time to contemplate that as the bad guys I mentioned in my opening paragraph show up and pretty awful things start happening to these two women. Together they just might find out what's going on, divided, they don't have a chance.

This was a fast, enjoyable book with an ending I just loved. Also, I was glad to see a couple quirky characters I came to know and enjoy in DESPERATION MOON come back and make a reprise here. The old lady Dottie is simply divine, but her great dog Sherman is to die for. I just loved RUNNING SCARED and I think you will too.

Street smart women.......2005-12-24

Two men decide to get their jollies using the date rape drug. They compound that by taken photos, and make the mistake of getting involved with blackmail. They overstep themselves, and find themselves hunted by some hired guns.

Events are compounded when Joey Sapphire, the wife of one of the bad guys, goes partying when her husband is out of town. She wakes up with a dead body next to her in bed, and doesn't know how she got there. Events are further compounded when her husband decides to have a girl in every port, and illegally marries a second woman in another country - a bad mistake on his part as he does not really know the woman, and does not know about her "friends."

There is a lot of sailing action when Joey finds herself on the run using a stolen sailboat, and more action as Joey and her new found friend try to elude the hired guns, getting some help along the way including some help from a very large dog that has taken a liking to Joey's friend.

Needless to say, the bad guys are dealt with, and the women position themselves for a new life.

Strong Women, Terrific Bad Guys, Super Thriller.......2005-08-12

I imagine living on a sailboat and sailing the ocean blue is a life full of danger, wonder and adventure. There is certainly a lot of all three in this excellent woman in trouble thriller. Two women in trouble actually, who are wrongly pursued, abused and falsely accused by a couple ex-CIA agents who are trying to track down their dirty, lowdown rotten, bigamist husband.

The dirty rat is blackmailing the president's daughter and has set of a plot that will lead to her death. The young women, a Brazilian ex-hooker and a South African ex-Olympic swimmer, have to smuggle themselves into the United States, then cross the county in a race against time with those CIA guys on their trail every step of the way.

Running Scared stole away a Saturday, but you know what, I didn't miss that old day a bit. Why would I want to go to a movie when I can sail through a lightning storm, battle a helicopter, rescue a president's daughter? You should read this book, I just know you'll love it as much as I did.

Reviewed by Stephanie Sane

Had My Pulse Running Like a Banshee on Speed.......2005-07-01

What a stinking louse, Joey Sapphire's husband Mick is. First he leaves her alone over Christmas on their boat in the Caribbean, pretending to go home to Texas to visit his parents, when he's really going to Brazil to marry his pregnant girlfriend. He tells the girlfriend he's divorced, but he's not.

Right after his new and very illegal marriage, someone breaks in on their nuptial bliss and tries to kill Him. He runs away, leaving his new, young wife Nina alone to face the attacker. Mick is a coward as well as a bigamist. He's also trying to blackmail the President of the United States.

Meanwhile, while Joey is waiting for him to return, she wakes up next to a dead man, who happens to be the son of an American Ambassador and also Mick's partner in crime. It turns out the president's wife has hired some very nasty people to deal with Mick's blackmail attempt and with Mick on the run, these guys have sighted in on Joey and Nina, who now have to team up, despite the fact that they are both married to the same cowardly rat, to save their own skin.

RUNNING SCARED had my pulse running like a banshee on speed. There is more tension and suspense in this book than you can shake a stick at, plus the characters, Joey and Nina, are to die for.

My Fingers Burned Through the Pages!.......2005-07-01

I'd read "Desperation Moon" by Ken Douglas awhile back and I liked it very much, so I bought "Running Scared" and I have to tell you I was up all night with a tub of Starbucks Coffee Almond Fudge, gorging myself as my fingers burned through the pages of this delicious thriller. It's a good thing I had that ice cream to cool them down.

South African Olympic swimming medalist Joey Sapphire is sailing around the world with her new husband, Mick. He is a snake in the grass if ever there was one. She is a little naive. They are stopped for awhile in Trinidad and Mick is supposed to be in America, visiting his parents over Christmas and Joey is alone, taking care of the boat. She goes to a Christmas party, has a little too much to drink and wakes on a strange boat next to a dead man, who just happens to be the son of the American Ambassador.

Joey is in trouble deep. She's afraid to call the cops, because they hang people for murder in Trinidad. So she weighs the body down and deep sixes it. However, she soon realizes she's not as safe as she'd thought, because there is a killer on the lose who probably knows or can figure out what she has done.

To make matters worse, a couple days later a young Brazilian hottie named Nina shows up, claiming to be Mrs. Mick Sapphire, a title Joey thought she had the exclusive rites to. But before she can confront Mick about this other wife, she's arrested on trumped up drug charges and her only friend appears to be that other woman her husband married, who also happens to be pregnant.

And that's just the beginning of this thriller that has two women running from the Caribbean to California with a deadly stop off in Arizona that will absolutely get your pulse racing like it's never raced before. If you're in the mood for a thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat, then this book is for you.

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Love of Family

Running Scared
Ralph, R DiSibio
Manufacturer: The Paladin Group LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Reel Lessons in Leadership

ASIN: 0977927326

Customer Reviews:

Love of Family.......2007-01-14

Thank you Ralph. You have given the Family an account of your experiences growing up as a young 'rough' in Camden, NJ, during the 1950's. The Love you experienced from your parents, sister, aunts, uncles and cousins pour over the pages like a raging dam that has been breached. The vivid details you share from the homes you lived in and visited put the reader in the living room or in the barber's chair; I smelled the talc powder from my grandfather's blond brush on my neck as if I was actually there. I felt like I was in the house when my grandmother awoke annoyed only to find my grandfather had passed away in his sleep while the TV went fuzzy white. Lastly, you told the truth as you envisioned it, and you were able to bring out the best in everyone you wrote about in the book. My suggestion: Read the book and/or write your own. My love to the Family. PS--Great words I share with you from my best Pal in the world while I was away in the Marines: "Pal, I miss you more than you can possibly ever imagine, and I love you more than I miss you."

Average customer rating:

Too Many Characters
Disappointing at best
Not that Great
Beyond Boring
A WELL PACED READING OF THIS MYSTERY

Running Scared
Elizabeth Lowell
Manufacturer: Avon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0061031089
Release Date: 2003-05-27

Book Description

In the scorching heat of the Southwestern desert, a frightened old man knows his time is quickly running out . . . as the lethal secret he protects can be hidden no longer.

Risa Sheridan knows everything about gold—its mysteries, its allure, its perils. Her boss, Shane Tannahill—owner of the ultra-successful Las Vegas gambling mecca, the Golden Fleece—is addicted to the stuff. Now an ancient Celtic piece is being offered to Shane for his collection, with the promise of more to come, and the casino owner is hooked. But though she shares Shane's enthusiasm, Risa is wary—because something about this particular artifact is mysterious and troubling, something that says "stay away." It is a voice that should be heeded, because soon people are dying all around them. And whether it's an ancient curse that has taken hold of their lives or the simple, murderous greed of unscrupulous adversaries, there is suddenly no place in the surreal, blinding glitter of Vegas for Risa and Shane to hide . . .

The most dazzling, spine-tingling combination of adventure, thrills, and sensuality yet from the gold standard in contemporary suspense fiction.

Download Description

"PerfectBound e-book exclusive extras. The remarkable Elizabeth Lowell is a master alchemist who miraculously transforms the elements of suspense, adventure, and sensuality into New York Times bestselling gold. Risa Sheridan knows everything there is to know about gold -- its history, its secrets, its allure, its perils. Her boss, Shane Tannahill, owner of the ultrasuccessful Las Vegas gambling establishment the Golden Fleece, is addicted to the stuff. Now an ancient Celtic piece is being offered to Shane for his collection. But something about this particular artifact troubles Risa -- something about it says ""stay away."" It is a voice that should be heeded but is not, and the artifact places Risa and Shane at the center of an insidious plot in the mad whirl and blinding glitter of Las Vegas. Elizabeth Lowell's many remarkable historical and contemporary novels include the New York Times bestsellers Forget Me Not; Only Love; A Woman Without Lies; Autumn Lover; Winter Fire; and her acclaimed contemporary suspense novels, including Moving Target and Running Scared. Lowell has more than twenty million copies of her works in print. Visit www.elizabethlowell.com."

Customer Reviews:

Too Many Characters.......2007-07-23

This book started out promising enough, with a mysterious, cursed treasure and a haunted old man in the desert. However, by the time Lowell started giving entire chapters to every annoying, sexist/idiotic tertiary character she could think of, I was ready to throw the book out the window. The main characters Risa and Shane were initially interesting. They semed to both be kind of scholarly, nerdy types--which would have been original for her if she flushed them out. Yet Lowell really doesn't develop them beyond "I hate my body" and "I hate my father." Their relationship as well lacks the passion and sexual tension of her other lead couples, with one very unsatisfying, slightly pornographic sex scene. There were so many story threads that she introduced and then never fully pursued: magical celtic gold, childhood friendships gone sour, broken father-son relationships, Las Vegas casino life...there is enough for five books here Liz! Like another reviewer said I'm not sure why I even finished it.

Disappointing at best.......2006-07-14

I was a long time fan of Elizabeth Lowell, but in recent times her books have become more formulated and her characters less likeable, Running Scared is no exception. Take a valuable commodity- in this case gold- and write a story based on the high stakes of that world and the characters in it. That part is getting redundant for E. Lowell books. What is new is the increase in coarse language and vulgarity, it's not profanity that's there because it's appropriate to the circumstances, it seems to be profanity that's in place for the sake of making the book seem tougher and grittier- and frankly it makes the main characters seem that much less attractive as human beings.

Even the "good guys" in this one aren't likeable in any way. They seem remote and aloof, hardly characters that you care about. The human characters have lost their vulnerability and humanity, which makes them just dull and forgettable. After previously devouring E. Lowell books in a single day, alas I could not even finish this one.

Not that Great.......2005-11-08

While I usually appreciate Ms Lowell's attention to detail, her research into the background of her novels, and her character development, "Running Scared" is a sloppy choppy read that places too much importance on subplots and distracts the reader from the main story by overstuffing the book with annoying and uninteresting secondary characters.

Risa Sheridan is an antiques expert primarily dealing in gold who works for the powerful and brilliant Shane Tanahill. Shane is a bad boy gone good, a gajillionare in Las Vegas with his own love of gold. While the two have chemistry, and the scenes where they give into the chemistry are well written, more time should have been spent on developing them as individuals. For example, it's mentioned many times throughout the book that Shane has a bad relationship with his famous father, and yet we don't see that in action.

Risa's scamming childhood friend quite randomly stumbles across a heretofore undiscovered treasure trove of druid gold and involves Risa and thus Shane in a mess of lies, money and murder. I understand that suspension of disbelief is necessary, but an uneducated grifter from the South who suddenly happens upon gold in Arizona and whose childhood friend happens to be a gold expert is pushing the boundaries a little too far. Added to that is a random assortment of casino bosses who all want to take Shane down for various reasons. The action jumps from location to location, character to character with no real transitions making for a jarring read.

Too much time is spent on secondary characters and not enough time is spent on developing Shane and Risa. The result is a story with only a few worthwhile scenes, and small glimpses of Ms Lowell's usual talent.

Beyond Boring.......2004-08-16

This is a very hard book to read. I found the characters to be shallow and uninteresting. I also found the storyline very unintering. I guess you could say in short the entire book is just plain long winded and boring.

The one thing this book did do was make me take a look at the Celtic civilation as a whole and I found somethings about that interesting.

I was very disappointed in this book after having read Elizabeth Lowell's previous novels. This one did not live up to any expectations.

A WELL PACED READING OF THIS MYSTERY.......2004-08-02

Elizabeth Lowell fans know what to expect and they're not disappointed - it's an entertaining mix of suspense and romance in which good triumphs over every sort of evil machination and the gal gets a guy or vice versa. There's something comforting in knowing what you're in for when you open a book or listen to an audio version, and folks stand in line for Lowell.

Experienced Broadway actress Maria Tucci gives a well paced reading, using the low registers of her voice for emphasis. She's a vet and it shows in this vocal performance.

Set in Las Vegas and Arizona "Running Scared" is a tale of gold, graft, and gumption. Risa Sheridan, is knowledgeable in the field of antiquities, more precisely gold. When casino owner Shane Tannahill is offered what he believes to be an ancient Celtic gold piece he can't wait to own it - perfect for showing off at an upcoming gallery event.

However, Risa's not so sure about this gift from the Druids. She's even less sure as the body count mounts. Someone's out to destroy Shane and perhaps take out Risa with him.

Lowell offers a mix of murder, thievery, and rivalry - everything to make a listener's heart beat faster.

- Gail Cooke

Nancy Drew Files Collector's Ed (Wrong Track/nobody's Business/running Scared)

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This book is filled with chills and thrills

Nancy Drew Files Collector's Ed (Wrong Track/nobody's Business/running Scared)
Carolyn Keene
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0671019317

Book Description

Your All-Time
Favorite Detective!
Your All-Time
Favorite Stories!

Packed with fun, adventure, and romance, here are three exciting mysteries, together for the first time in one special edition. It's all here...and it's all yours!

The Wrong Track

Posing as a reporter for a ski magazine, Nancy checks into a ritzy winter resort where crime has taken a chilling turn. She's in hot pursuit of a thief down an icy trail of terror!

Nobody's Business

A plan to tranform a grand old inn into a hot new rock club has turned into a design for disaster. Nancy's determined to stop a saboteur before the dirty business gets downright deadly!

Running Scared

Nancy's friend George is set to run a marathon alongside the country's top female athletes. But big bucks are at stake, and that means big trouble...as Nancy looks to protect the star runners in a race against danger!

Customer Reviews:

This book is filled with chills and thrills.......1999-03-16

This book is my favorite Nancy Drew book of all time. It has everything any reader would want.

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Stop Running Scared
Herbert Phd Fensterheim
Manufacturer: Laurel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0440204240
Release Date: 1981-12-15

Running Scared (Mysteries in Our National Parks, Book 11)

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RyAn'S ReVeIw

Running Scared (Mysteries in Our National Parks, Book 11)
Gloria Skurzynski , and Alane Ferguson
Manufacturer: National Geographic Children's Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0792269489
Release Date: 2002-11-01

Book Description

An invitation to study the declining bat population takes the Landons to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. With them is Sam, a young foster child. As Jack, Ashley, and Sam tour the underground wonders, a park worker suffers a seizure. The kids try to stay calm, but they know it will be a matter of only minutes before the candle burns down, leaving them in total darkness. It is definitely time to panic!

Customer Reviews:

RyAn'S ReVeIw.......2006-11-14

I thought that this book was one of the best books I've ever read so far in the series. It was very suspenseful and thrilling and had a lot of detail.

This book is about Jack,Ashley and their parents going to Carlsbad Caverns National Park and they bring a eight year old boy named Sam Sexton and he is with the Landons because his dad died and his mother is in the hospital because she overdosed on drugs. Sam becomes attached to Jack and when they go to Dr Rhodes office she tells them a few facts about the bats that live there. Then the get a park ranger to bring them into left hand tunnel but then when they go to lunch Sam thinks that he saw Consulea take drugs and he tries to tell Jack and Ashley but the don't believe him. Then they go into the tunnel and Consuela starts acting funny the next thing you know it she faints and Sam gets freaked out and runs into the tunnel. Jack and Ashley run in after him but the soon get lost and then they find him but the better thing of something fast because it the candle burns out they will be left in total darkness.

I recommend this book to an 8-13 year old or someone who likes mystery books.

Average customer rating:

It was great, with a lot of twists in it.
non stop scary thriller!!
I really like this book because was action packed.

Running Scared
Kate Daniel
Manufacturer: Harpercollins (Mm)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Horror | Teens | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0061067288

Customer Reviews:

It was great, with a lot of twists in it........1999-11-06

I loved this book! I couldn't usely sit and read a book, then a few weeks later read it again and not get bored. But I did with this book. It has a lot of twists you wouldn't expect. It was great.

non stop scary thriller!!.......1999-05-12

Running Scared is a non stop scary,twisted thriller and more that you'll love to read! In fact It took me only three days to read this book which included 232 pages. Running Scared is one of those books you can't stop reading because right when you think its time for a little rest another wild thing happens. Donna saw something she wasn't supposed to see and something she wishes she hadn't seen. But Donna told the police and they promised to protect Donna and her mom. Now Donna and her mom live in a new home, have a new name, and a whole new identity so the killer won't go after them. But someone else knows what Donna saw and I'am not going to tell you because I want to see your jaws drop like mine did! Overall I'd rate this a five because Kate Daniels, author of Running Scared, does a really good job in capturing the readers attention. She also had a unique plot structure that fools every one.

I really like this book because was action packed........1998-10-15

I really liked this book because it opened my eyes to good reading. It was a great book with action packed and a good chase too. It had very good qualities such as good dialoge and a very good plot. This was a very excellent book and I am glad I got to read it.

Average customer rating:

Running Scared
Linda Ladd
Manufacturer: ereads.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0759224420

Book Description

Kate Reed is surely the happiest woman alive when her husband Michael arranges the adoption of baby Joey after many years of unsuccessfully trying to conceive a child. From the first moment Kate embraces little Joey, she feels as though everything is finally complete. And when Michael suggests they escape the noisy city to find solace and comfort in the Missouri Countryside, she feels like everything is falling into place for her and Michael.But when Michael's behavior suddenly becomes bizarre and unexplainable, Kate wonders whether he's got a bad case of the fatherhood jitters. It seems reasonable enough until sinister men arrive on her doorstep to claim her little one.Kate's only escape seems to be the woods where she fearfully remains with baby Joey. When she encounters an unkempt man named Booker, and the two learn she is wanted for kidnapping and murder, this old friend of her grandfather does everything he can to protect Kate and Joey. Of course she has no idea just who this man is, but suddenly she trusts him more than anyone else…

Running Scared: Masculinity and the Representation of the Male Body (Culture and the Moving Image)

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Running Scared: Masculinity and the Representation of the Male Body (Culture and the Moving Image)
Peter Lehman
Manufacturer: Temple University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

History & Criticism | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Our patriarchal culture keeps the male body—and especially male genitals—out of sight. This scheme, Peter Lehman argues, maintains the "male mystique" and preserves the power of the phallus. Society's intentional blindness to male sexual representation cultivates "good taste" and avoids perversion. Lehman draws back the curtain. Running Scared brings representations of phallic masculinity into the spotlight at last, documenting the pervasive anxiety underlying images of the male body.

Lehman confronts cultural taboos primarily through his re-reading of films, as well as through analyses of novels, paintings, photographs, popular music, jokes, and videos. He examines the male polarity of hero/vulnerable failure through many lenses, from a study of the symbolic enculturation of males in feral child films—The Wild Child, Kaspar Hauser, and Greystroke—through an analysis of the loss of culturally sanctioned power in Rio Bravo.

Abandoning distinctions between "high art" and popular culture, Running Scared invokes Jim Thompson's noir novel The Nothing Man along with works by Hemingway and compares hard-core pornography with classical cinema. Lehman examines the work of openly gay filmmakers such as Almodovar and Fassbinder to see what they say about heterosexual male and female spectatorship. Focusing on Nagisa Oshima's In the Realm of the Senses, he compares Asian representations of the male body to Western representations.

Exploring the reverse of the macho image—the vulnerable, passive, masochistic, or humiliated dreamer—in the concluding chapter, Lehman addresses the fears and homophobia of heterosexual men that have resulted in near silence on issues of the representation of male sexuality.

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