Reviews for Mr. America: How Muscular Millionaire Bernarr Macfadden Transformed the Nation Through Sex, Salad, and the Ultimate Starvation Diet

The average rating for Mr. America: How Muscular Millionaire Bernarr Macfadden Transformed the Nation Through Sex, Salad, and the Ultimate Starvation Diet based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-03-08 00:00:00 Mark Parkyn I am all over the boards on this one. That's why I'm giving it a middle-of-the-road rating. The author did a lot of research, clearly. He also tried some of Bernarr McFaddon's less hare-brained ideas about dieting. That added an element of interest there at the end. I don't think much of it is sustainable in the long run, however. That's one side of the coin. The other is this: while being an eccentric and larger-than-life character well beyond his musculature, Bernarr laid the groundwork for the health and fitness scene we have today. For this we must thank him. He also laid the foundation for entertainment magazines and the National Enquirer. For this we curse him roundly. His family, I am sure, did both. He ruled over their waking activities like a tyrant, dictating what they'd eat, when they'd sleep with the windows open, and how much they'd exercise. Early on Bernarr was a strong advocate of eugenics and he was trying to produce physically and mentally superior children. He didn't, but he tried a lot. He also blamed an early death of one child on his wife for 'overfeeding' the baby. He did this in one of his widely-read publications against his editor's advice. The words 'heartless bastard' spring to mind. He found himself in constant trouble with law agencies for flogging health practices that had little substantiation to prove they worked. Further trouble came from his magazines for showing a substantial amount of skin. There were shady business practices. There were four messy divorces and multiple lawsuits. He built an empire of sorts and watched it fall...ending up with nothing for himself or to leave to his children upon his death. Yes, he was not your average man, but he both succeeded and failed through such means that I could not admire him. He took everything too far.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-12-07 00:00:00 Virly Francois Admittedly, I have a slight connection to the subject. I grew up on the campus of and attended Castle Heights Military Academy, which Bernarr Macfadden owned (he bought it in 1928). I tell you this because that might bias my rating a bit. Macfadden's life story is an incredible one. I mean, in this day and age, if you read some of these life tales you would think you were reading The Onion. The last sentence of the prologue is this: His story is an odd one, sometimes verging on the fantastic, but to the best of my knowledge, everything that follows is true. There are some things in the book and the research with which I have minor quibbles, but I have some "insider information" and my quibbles won't affect the general reader's enjoyment. (Edited to say: the "insider information" isn't meant to sound posh. It's just a comment.) I can't say that I agree with a lot of Macfadden's ideas or methods, but I admire his audacity. He was never afraid that he was going to make a fool of himself or fail (and he did both many times, spectacularly). Macfadden was responsible for the first bodybuilding competitions in the US. He published magazines like Physical Culture (one of the first fitness magazines) and True Detective. He appeared on game shows alongside the likes of Buster Keaton. He jumped out of airplanes and had some grand political aspirations. It's strange how almost no one knows who he is these days. If you you enjoy biographies of someone like, for example, Howard Hughes, you will probably enjoy this book. You will also enjoy it if you are looking into the history of fitness programs, diets, or bodybuilding in the United States.