Here Comes Trouble

Stories from My Life

By: Michael Moore

Narrated by: Michael Moore

Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

Number one New York Times best-selling author Michael Moore returns with his first major book in eight years - a blend of memoir, history, and politics that only he could write.

"I had an unusually large-sized head, though this was not uncommon for a baby in the Midwest. The craniums in our part of the country were designed to leave a little extra room for the brain to grow in case one day we found ourselves exposed to something we didn't understand, like a foreign language, or a salad".

Michael Moore - Oscar-winning filmmaker, best-selling author, the nation's unofficial provocateur laureate-is back, this time taking on an entirely new role, that of his own meta-Forest Gump.

Breaking the autobiographical mode, he presents 24 far-ranging, irreverent, and stranger-than-fiction vignettes from his own early life. One moment he's an 11-year-old boy lost in the Senate and found by Bobby Kennedy; and in the next, he's inside the Bitburg cemetery with a dazed and confused Ronald Reagan. Fast-forwarding to 2003, he stuns the world by uttering the words "We live in fictitious times...with a fictitious president" in place of the expected "I'd like to thank the Academy".

And none of that even comes close to the night the friendly priest at the seminary decides to show him how to perform his own exorcism.

Capturing the zeitgeist of the past 50 years, yet deeply personal and unflinchingly honest, Here Comes Trouble takes listeners on an unforgettable, take-no-prisoners ride through the life and times of Michael Moore. No one will come away from this book without a sense of surprise about the Michael Moore most of us didn't know. Alternately funny, eye-opening, and moving, it's a book he has been writing-and living-his entire life.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2011 Michael Moore (P)2011 Hachette

LOVED IT AGAIN!

Loved this when I read it when it first came out and loved it even more listening to Michael Moore narrate it himself. I so wish he'd write another book!!

One of the best books I’ve ever listened to

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I was moved to tears and laughter and felt such gratefulness and appreciation for how well Michael Moore let me into his life experiences via this book AND how well he reads it. Not only that but his experiences moved me to see our democracy in a whole different light and left me believing it IS possible to have effect in changing things for the better. I could go on and on about how superb this book is but I will just say don’t miss this one as it’s one of the best. You will love it.

it was a very interesting read

I have never reviewed a book before, I like to keep my opinions to myself. Yet, I really felt the need to comment on this book. It was informative, interesting and actually very funny. Truthfully, I didn't know a lot about Michael Moore beyond the very negative things I have read about him and his movies (I have yet to see one). This book showed me a whole other side of him that I hadn't read about. Now, I'm not saying every word is factual, it's supposed to be, considering he is reading it as his life story, but who knows. It has however given me pause, to think to myself, (not that this is something my parents didn't teach me)...... be careful not to believe everything you hear, even from the government. Well, this book reminded me about that. Whether it is the government or Michael Moore's account of things, don't take anything at face value. Beyond that, I'd like to say about Michael Moore's book, it was VERY entertaining. His recollections of his life (and the stories of his ancestor's lives before him), is completely engrossing. He has a wonderful way of telling a tale and his stories about himself growing up are particularly funny. He is very quick to make fun of himself. Although he sounded like an amazingly precocious child he also lets you see what a pain in the ass he could be. If you are anything like me, you will listen to this book driving in and out of work and sometimes you will have to drive past your own house because you are not ready to turn it off.

Moving, Maddening, and Entertaining

Whether you love him or hate him, you have to agree that Michael Moore is a man passionate about his beliefs who knows how to tell a good story. 'Here Comes Trouble' is an entertaining and engaging non-chronological memoir told through a series significant stories from Moore's life that help us to understand how he evolved into the committed, controversial filmmaker that we know today. If you are expecting a long political harangue, you'll be pleasantly surprised. Many of the stories focus on Moore's familial relationships, his friends, awkward adolescent moments, his spirituality, etc. I never knew, for example, that he attended seminary and planned to become a priest--until he was expelled for asking too many questions. Or that he campaigned for Richard Nixon.

Moore opens with a story that relates the backlash that followed his Oscar acceptance speech, from the young man who called him an a--hole as he walked offstage, to Glenn Beck's suggestion that killing him would feel pretty good, through a series of threats and actual attacks that caused him to hire a cadre of bodyguards--most of whom were tough former Navy Seals--to protect him and his family. Whatever you think of Moore's politics, you will (or should) be appalled by what he went through in a country that supposedly values free speech.

Personal memories intermingle with the more political: his mother's death, a favorite teacher, the pros and cons of attending a Catholic school, family vacations, his teenage crushes, an oddball neighbor ostracized for what Moore later recognized as his homosexuality. But one thing the connects all of the stories is Moore's penchant for asking questions--the habit that ultimately led him to become first the editor of a small liberal newspaper in Flint, Michigan, and later a documentary filmmaker. Why wouldn't his mother allow him to skip a grade, considering how bored he was in school? Why couldn't his Catholic grade school have a newspaper? Why was Boys' State accepting sponsorship from an organization that excluded African-Americans? How, in a state that outlawed abortion, could he help a close friend who had gotten pregnant? What options would he have if he was drafted? Why wasn't the president keeping his campaign promises? How was it that people he liked and respected were revealed to hold racist views? Was it right to honor the German war dead if among them were fallen Nazis? Why was the government sponsoring business seminars promoting job outsourcing?

If, like Moore and me, you grew up in the late 1950s and 1960s and remember the turmoil of the 1970s, you will find a lot to relate to here. (I was born in Detroit, grew up in the suburbs, and didn't leave Michigan until 1990, so many of Moore's recollections were personally familiar.) If you're younger, I can't think of a better introduction to those decades. Moore's stories are variously funny, surprising, moving, maddening, uplifting. Whether you're a fan or foe, 'Here Comes Trouble' will convince you that Michael Moore is a man who loves America, who strives to love and understand his fellow humans, and who deserves respect for living by his convictions.

I listened to the book on audio, read by Moore himself--a great choice, as no one else could have told his stories with quite the same effect.

Warm stories in cold times...

Michael Moore tells stories of his childhood, youth and some special events of his life. He shares the experiences of developing a sense of injustice and general fairness based on moral values of the Michigan working class family embedded in the basic principle of "live and let live". He never tries to hide that he belongs to the "lucky ones".

The book is a collection of single well written stories with a sense of style. The stories are funny and sad and expose the hypocrisy of politics and company CEOs as well as school boards in the style of his well known documentaries. It makes you reflect on the system and its flaws.
If you stop after one story you can come back without any problems after weeks.

Even if you don't like Michael Moore you have to acknowledge that this man has passion and that he cares - not only about himself. This is incredibly rare and cannot be highlighted enough. I would recommend this inspirational and hopeful book as a gift for every college kid!

Wow

Would you listen to Here Comes Trouble again? Why?

Yes. Because the narration is just plain brilliant.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Here Comes Trouble?

How he was elected to the school board, and stayed there.

Have you listened to any of Michael Moore’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I only heard him in movies and I love his earlier works a lot more (Roger & Me, Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11) but this audiobook is just raw and amazing.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!

Any additional comments?

This was an unexpected buy for me since I prefer leadership & business books over autobiographies. But Moore has shown a lot of examples of resilience, hardwork, perseverance and love towards his country.

Unexpected surprise

Would you consider the audio edition of Here Comes Trouble to be better than the print version?

I didn't read it

Who was your favorite character and why?

Micheal was my favorite, followed by his gay dancing jewish neighbor.

What does Michael Moore bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

OMG his delivery was hysterical~!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

What you don't know about Michael Moore

Any additional comments?

Didn't know much about Michael Moore besides that he liked to stir things up ...A LOT, but now I see he had a purpose and he was RIGHT!

The Forrest Gump of Activists

What made the experience of listening to Here Comes Trouble the most enjoyable?

The remarkable journey that brought Michael Moore to

Who was your favorite character and why?

Michael Moore - well 'cause its Michael Moore

Have you listened to any of Michael Moore’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The Zoey story is very poignant and personal and very well told...especially from Moore's Irish Catholic perspective.

Any additional comments?

Nice to have an audio book made of of these 'short stories'....easy to read and go back to from time to time.

Thank you Michael, for being you.

What a lovely gift to get to read this book. I guess you now know what I think about Michael Moore, what my politics probably are and who I probably voted for in the last presidential elections as well as local elections no matter where I live. Your guesses would be right. (I am not a Democrat, however.) Is this all about me?? NO. It means that there is never ever any doubt where Michael stands on the issues. It means he never bought in to ..."It isn't proper to discuss politics" It means he has more courage than almost anyone living. Dennis Kucinich has it. Ralph Nader has it. I am lucky to have some personal friends who have it. The special gift is that Michael has it plus being a great story teller and such a wit.

Now I know where that brilliance comes from.

Michael Moore has the body and the skull (the look, some might put it more gently) of a stupid person (not that I am more attractive than he is, frankly I know I am not). But once he opens his mouth you realize how smart a person he is.

I was always intrigued by that. This audiobook, as would a documentary on Michael Moore by Michael Moore, lifts that mystery completely.

And he is a TERRIFIC reader