Before he became an Oscar-winning filmmaker and all-round thorn-in-the-side of corporate America, it turns out that throughout his life Michael Moore had an uncanny knack for showing up just where history was being made. One moment he's a lost eleven-year-old boy being found by Bobby Kennedy; the next, he's in a cemetery with a dazed and confused Ronald Reagan. He begins his first underground newspaper in fourth grade; sixteen years later, the police are raiding his printing office. On top of all that, he becomes one of the youngest elected officials in the country at eighteen - but not before planning a 'dry-run' escape to Canada with his stoner friends in case they get drafted to Vietnam. Fast-forwarding to 2003, his Oscar acceptance speech leaves audiences open-mouthed. And none of that even comes close to the night a friendly priest decides to show him how to perform his own exorcism. Here Comes Trouble takes readers on an unforgettable, take-no-prisoners ride through the life and times of Michael Moore. It might just be the most hilarious, provoking, poignant and inspiring non-autobiography you ever read.

Reviews

In Moore's (Dude, Where's My Country?) most personal book to date, he opens with the fallout from his 2003 Oscar acceptance speech/jeremiad after Bowling for Columbine. The reactions ranged from death threats persistent and credible enough to justify the employment of a squadron of bodyguards to a public embrace from a studio head at the Governor's Ball to hectoring and name-calling from the general population. It is this last that occasions the composition of a memoir designed to present the man behind the muckraker. Moore nostalgically describes a Midwestern coming-of-age replete with sandlot baseball, awkward teenage romance, and a neighborhood where neighbors looked after neighbors and factory workers could afford to own homes and raise and educate families. Moore effectively asserts that his political activism stems from his defense of this way of life. Verdict Readers who are sympathetic to Moore will view this work as a vindication; those who are not won't be swayed. Ultimately, this is a memoir not without charm that makes a potent case for individual political activism. [Multicity tour; see Prepub Alert, 5/23/11.]-John Frank, Los Angeles P.L. (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Michael Moore narrates this audio version of his memoir, an impressive collection of life episodes that is not likely to change the minds of those who love him or hate him, but does provide a personal picture of the controversial documentarian. Moore's stories mainly highlight major moments of enlightenment and change that lead him to become the person he is. The book culminates with the screening of his first documentary, Roger & Me. Moore's delivery often relies on his trademark faux-naivete and self-righteous condescension. However, there are some extremely intimate moments; when Moore describes challenges and difficult decisions, his voice resonates with authenticity and emotion. His narration is far from perfect at times, but Moore is certainly the only person who could tell his story. A Grand Central hardcover. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.