House of Nails: A Memoir of Life on the Edge

by Lenny Dykstra Narrated by Patrick Lawlor

Overview

""Tough, straight, upsetting, and strangely beautiful. One of the best sports autobiographies I've ever read. It comes from the heart."" -Stephen King

Eclipsing the traditional sports memoir, House of Nails, by former world champion, multimillionaire entrepreneur, and imprisoned felon Lenny Dykstra, spins a tragicomic tale of Shakespearean proportions -- a relentlessly entertaining American epic that careens between the heights and the abyss.

Nicknamed ""Nails"" for his hustle and grit, Lenny approached the game of baseball -- and life -- with mythic intensity. During his decade in the majors as a center fielder for the legendary 1980s Mets and the 1990s Phillies, he was named to three All-Star teams and played in two of the most memorable World Series of the modern era. An overachiever known for his clutch hits, high on-base percentage, and aggressive defense, Lenny was later identified by his former minor-league roommate Billy Beane as the prototypical ""Moneyball"" player in Michael Lewis's bestseller. Tobacco-stained, steroid-powered, and booze-and-drug-fueled, Nails also defined a notorious era of excess in baseball.

Then came a second act no novelist could plausibly conjure: After retiring, Dykstra became a celebrated business mogul and investment guru. Touted as ""one of the great ones"" by CNBC's Jim Cramer, he became ""baseball's most improbable post-career success story"" (The New Yorker), purchasing a $17.5-million mansion and traveling the world by private jet. But when the economy imploded in 2008, Lenny lost everything. Then the feds moved in: convicted of bankruptcy fraud (unjustly, he contends), Lenny served two and a half harrowing years in prison, where he was the victim of a savage beating by prison guards that knocked out his front teeth.

The Daily Show's Jon Stewart, channeling the bewildered fascination of many observers, declared that Lenny's outrageous rise and spectacular fall was ""the greatest story that I have ever seen in my lifetime.""

Now, for the first time, Lenny tells all about his tumultuous career, from battling through crippling pain to steroid use and drug addiction, to a life of indulgence and excess, then, an epic plunge and the long road back to redemption. Was Lenny's hard-charging, risk-it-all nature responsible for his success in baseball and business and his precipitous fall from grace? What lessons, if any, has he learned now that he has had time to think and reflect?

Hilarious, unflinchingly honest, and irresistibly readable, House of Nails makes no apologies and leaves nothing left unsaid.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

As far as sports autobiographies go, what can I say? NAILS NAILED IT!” — Jack Nicholson

“THIS BOOK IS GOING TO BLOW YOUR MIND! Obviously everyone has to buy it.” — Howard Stern

“A memoir as brash and uncensored as the man himself. ... Dykstra’s life story is Shakespearian in scope.” — Playboy

“A swaggering salute to a steroid-fueled career of exceptional excess.” — New York Times

“[A] gripping memoir. ... The man knows how to entertain.” — Esquire

“Tough, straight, upsetting, and strangely beautiful. ONE OF THE BEST SPORTS AUTOBIOGRAPHIES I’VE EVER READ. It comes from the heart.” — Stephen King

“A head-spinning trip. ... House of Nails is far more entertaining than your typical player memoir.” — Vice

“[An] unsparing chronicle. … pure, weapons-grade gossip. … a no-holds-barred success. … Dykstra is bleedingly, strikingly human. … Darkly funny.” — The Ringer

“Will rekindle memories for baseball enthusiasts and entertain nonfans. ... Tales of the author’s lifestyle are mindboggling.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Astonishing. ... I got to read that f#ck*ing book!” — Denis Leary

“It’s phenomenal. You got to get your hands on it.” — Brandon Tierney, Tiki & Tierney

“A fast-paced read with plenty of zany yarns. ... A very entertaining book.” — Baltimore Post-Examiner

“WOW! Hopefully they’ll make a movie out of this bad boy.” — Adam Carolla, The Adam Carolla Show

“The book is as action-packed as an autobiography can be because that is how Nails’ life has always been, and how it continues to be.” — Bookreporter.com

New York Times

A swaggering salute to a steroid-fueled career of exceptional excess.

Playboy

A memoir as brash and uncensored as the man himself. ... Dykstra’s life story is Shakespearian in scope.

Esquire

[A] gripping memoir. ... The man knows how to entertain.

Stephen King

Tough, straight, upsetting, and strangely beautiful. ONE OF THE BEST SPORTS AUTOBIOGRAPHIES I’VE EVER READ. It comes from the heart.

The Ringer

[An] unsparing chronicle. … pure, weapons-grade gossip. … a no-holds-barred success. … Dykstra is bleedingly, strikingly human. … Darkly funny.

Howard Stern

THIS BOOK IS GOING TO BLOW YOUR MIND! Obviously everyone has to buy it.

Denis Leary

Astonishing. ... I got to read that f#ck*ing book!

Vice

A head-spinning trip. ... House of Nails is far more entertaining than your typical player memoir.

Jack Nicholson

As far as sports autobiographies go, what can I say? NAILS NAILED IT!

Brandon Tierney

It’s phenomenal. You got to get your hands on it.

Baltimore Post-Examiner

A fast-paced read with plenty of zany yarns. ... A very entertaining book.

Bookreporter.com

The book is as action-packed as an autobiography can be because that is how Nails’ life has always been, and how it continues to be.

Adam Carolla

WOW! Hopefully they’ll make a movie out of this bad boy.

Playboy

A memoir as brash and uncensored as the man himself. ... Dykstra’s life story is Shakespearian in scope.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173721129
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	06/28/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged

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