Book Club Friday's (#21) - What makes Sammy run?

eldergill (52)in #bookclub • 6 years ago

About the Author

Budd Schulberg, in full Budd Wilson Schulberg, was an American novelist, screenwriter, and journalist born in born March 27, 1914, New York City, New York, U.S.—died August 5, 2009, Westhampton Beach, New York.

Schulberg grew up in Hollywood and became a “reader” and then a screenwriter after completing his education at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1936. He began to write and publish short stories and became a member of the Communist Party, but he broke with the Communists in 1939 when they insisted that his first novel is written to reflect Marxist dogma. That work, What Makes Sammy Run (1941), is his most famous work and is celebrated by many of people from different backgrounds.

A little bit about the book

I don't normally read fiction books so I was a little cautious when I first opened this book, but I had all the faith in the world that it was going to be great as it was highly recommended by Ryan Holiday who is one of my favourite authors. It certainly didn't disappoint.

Set mostly in Hollywood, it is a book about a young man called Sammy Glick, who is said to always be chasing his outrageous goals, hitting them but never stopping. He is a constant overachiever and his confidence oozes through the pages. At times, as we read I feel like there are parts of Sammy we can all identify yourself and there is a conversation between the main protagonist Al Manheim, (Who narrates the book, taking you on the journey in his first-person perspective as the 'forced friend' of Sammy Glick.) and a friend of Sammy where the friend states: 'We could all do with a little bit of Sammy within us'.

There were certainly moments when I confided within the character of Sammy. I also have audacious goals for myself, I also like to push the boundaries in my work a lot, I also feel like I have confidence similar to the one Sammy exudes where he doesn't care how old you are he will treat everyone equally on his quest to the top. He is cheeky, self-assured and is a natural born leader, perfect for the booming Hollywood industry (at the time the story is set).

But what is most interesting is that he never actually settles. He doesn't know how to be present and relax which implies that he is therefore stuck in this trap of setting new goals for himself, and achieves more than anyone can imagine at a young age but is unable to actually LIVE. He doesn't stop running, and eventually, it becomes the end of him or what you would describe as his claim for happiness.

There is a lesson for everyone in this. Sure, work hard, be driven to get everything you want in life. But remember that your relationship(s) with yourself and with others is extremely important. Eventually, all the material things you gain will mean nothing, and you will ask what's next?

So it is important to remember to live so that when you reach your deathbed you can look back and say that you gave life your all, and wouldn't change anything you did/didn't do.

Have no regrets. Sammy certainly had a few in the end.