Boy Wonder

I read this book when it first appeared in paperback, and have read it countless times since. It is truly one of the most savage, satirically funny books ever written. Reading as an oral biography of film director/producer Shark Trager from his birth (at the drive in cinema, no less) to the bitter end, it features some of the most over the top, laugh out loud, "Oh my God!" moments in literary history. Though not for those of a nervous disposition, Boy Wonder will reward anyone with an interest in Hollywood and the "creative process" involved in making movies. It also has the best Academy Awards scene ever written--why don't the real Oscars ever give us as much real drama!?! If you do buy this book, guard it carefully. If you loan it out, you will certainly never get it back!

This book is among the most impressive I've written. You dive into the story of Shark Trager, become part of his life and wonder, if he really existed. His life is both successful and tragic, and you begin to feel with him - and with all the people seriously damaged by him. The really kick of the book is, that the author makes you believe that all the most bizarre stuff could have possibly happened in real life. If you have a heart and are open to strange insights, you will love to follow shark on his way to heaven and hell.

I first read this book when I was 18, back in 1989. I've read it just about every year since and hope to read it every year for the rest of my life. It's one of those books that has you evangelising to your friends, knowing that you're raving like a nutty born-again, but unable to stop yourself. I can wholeheartedly recommend this book above all others, except maybe "Fuel-Injected Dreams" by the same author. I see that secondhand copies cost a fortune, but if you've read the other reviews here, you'll know that purchasing a copy is a lifetime investment, not just an ordinary purchase.Rest in peace, Jim, you may be gone but your work lives on and your fans are more devoted than ever.

Like most people who love this book I read it by accident, picking it up in a seconds shop. To say I was pleasantly surprised as I finished it 10 feverish hours later, would be an understatement. But it would take many readings to fully appreciate the many levels of irony, both subtle and hammer-like, that Boy Wonder functions on. A fictionalised biography of Shark Trager, a monstrous film producer, narrated in addictive chunks by his bizarre family, friends, lovers and enemies; it works as an original character study and laugh-out-loud assault on the movie biz. Basically the whole story is a series of wicked movie parodies as Trager's life mirrors the story of Hollywood in the 60s, 70s and 80s in all its excesses. (I thought this was OTT until I read Easy Riders and Raging Bulls and the Don Simpson biog and realised its a accurate portrait of the era.) Along with American Pyscho and The Talented Mr Ripley I think of Boy Wonder as an unholy trilogy of great books about sociopaths. Like those novels it's studded with violent death and an inventive use of household implements ( most memorably as Shark makes a slasher movie about his childhood friend/serial killer, employing the pyscho as "Creative Advisor") But it's a lot more fun, satirizing the banal horrors of corporate Hollywood. Basically everyone who stands in Shark's way gets totally destroyed but they do so in ways that are as hilariously unlikely as they as horrible. As the story gets more and more outrageous and operatic, every time you think that Shark (and Baker) has surpassed himself, he manages to trash yet another of our few remaining taboos, right up to the incredible Oscar night finale and Shark's memorable death (I'm not giving anything away: you know he's going to eventually self-destruct right from the first page.) I often think this would make a great movie except no studio would touch it. This is not an affectionate send-up but all-out attack on everything Hollywood (and America values.) Baker was a frustrated screenwriter and you can just feel his delicious anger directed at the men-in-suits. One of the more surprising things about Boy Wonder, is it's sub-plot about the movies' dilemma between art and commerce as Shark's career veers between personal flops and trite block-busters and in the unanswered question: was Shark an irresponsible genius or "mediocre whore"? So don't hold your breath for the Jerry Bruckheimer version, instead trawl through the second hand shops to find a copy and decide for yourself.

This is the best book I have ever come across, I was totally enthralled from start to finish.The unique way it was written (as a print documentary) worked so well, I'd call this a modern day cult masterpiece of a book.The characters and situations are truly unforgettable....The finale is hilarious!James Robert Baker is reality's Shark Trager....pure genius!