Synopses & Reviews
Joe Eszterhas grew up in refugee camps and then in Americas back alleys. He worked as a police reporter, racing the cops to robberies and shootings. He interviewed and wrote about mass murders and serial killers. He wrote dark, sexually graphic, and violent films like Basic Instinct, Jagged Edge, and Jade.
Eszterhas knew a lot about darkness. Then, on a hellishly hot day in 2001, desperately battling to survive throat cancer and his addictions to alcohol and cigarettes, Joe Eszterhas found God. Or God found him.
And he came from darkness into light.
Crossbearer is the powerful, poignant, and sometimes wryly humorous account of a streetwise and cynical mans newfound faith, and of how he discovers God in the most intimate and routine moments of life: a family game of baseball, a childs photograph of a cloud, a dying mothers dying roses.
It is also the inspiring story of a man who must overcome his addictions to stay alive—and cant by himself. He realizes that he needs the love of his wife, his children, and especially his new friend, God, to do it.
Eszterhas is a master memoirist—his Hollywood Animal was called “powerful and affecting” (The New York Times), “absolutely first-rate” (Los Angeles Times Book Review) and “heartbreaking, funny and outrageous” (Houston Chronicle)—and with Crossbearer he reveals a fresh and completely unexpected new chapter of his life.
With surprising tenderness and a willingness to bare even weaknesses and mistakes, Joe Eszterhas has written a startling personal story about faith, values, family and love.
Review
"Eszterhas writes with his fists. You practically duck as you turn the page...you won't be bored. And you may even be moved."—Christopher Buckley,
New York Times Book Review“An extremely gifted writer…this story of penitent return is told simply and movingly…Joe Eszterhas has given us a contemporary story of the Prodigal Son.”—James Carroll, National Catholic Reporter"Tells the story of his spiritual conversion and his newfound devotion to God and family,,,His new book is evidence of Mr. Eszterhas' victory."--Toledo Blade "Followers of provocative screenwriter (Basic Instinct, Flashdance, Showgirls) and author (Hollywood Animal, American Rhapsody) Eszterhas may do a double-take when they see his entertaining new memoir branded with a cross, and a triple-take when they see he means it... Eszterhass journey is inspiring and his tough-guy sense of humor remains intact."--Publishers Weekly
"It is fascinating to hear him wrestle with his decision to remain in the Catholic church...while the memoir is raw at times, it is never short of interesting anecdotes...he is a fantastic writer."--www.challies.com
Review
"Followers of provocative screenwriter (Basic Instinct, Flashdance, Showgirls) and author (Hollywood Animal, American Rhapsody) Eszterhas may do a double-take when they see his entertaining new memoir branded with a cross, and a triple-take when they see he means it... Eszterhass journey is inspiring and his tough-guy sense of humor remains intact."--Publishers Weekly "Eszterhas writes with his fists...you won't be bored. And you may even be moved."--New York Times Book Review "Tells the story of his spiritual conversion and his newfound devotion to God and family,,,His new book is evidence of Mr. Eszterhas' victory."--Toledo Blade "It is fascinating to hear him wrestle with his decision to remain in the Catholic church...while the memoir is raw at times, it is never short of interesting anecdotes...he is a fantastic writer."--www.challies.com
Synopsis
Joe Eszterhas knew a lot about darkness. Growing up in refugee camps and then in Americas back alleys, he used this knowledge, first as a journalist, and then as a wildly successful screenwriter of sexually graphic and violent films like Basic Instinct, Jagged Edge, and Jade.
Then, on a hellishly hot day in 2001, desperately battling to survive throat cancer and his addictions to alcohol and cigarettes, Joe Eszterhas found God. Or God found him. And he came from darkness into light.
Crossbearer is the moving, and sometimes funny, story of a man who turned his back on the wild world hed immersed himself in for far too long to embrace a new life full of faith, family and love. During his journey, Eszterhas discovers God in the most surprising places: a family game of baseball, a childs photograph of a cloud, a dying mothers dying roses. Through it all, he remains thoroughly himself—wearing a Rolling Stones T-shirt as he carried the cross down the church aisle—but becomes a better version of himself than hed been before.
About the Author
Joe Eszterhas has written the screenplays for sixteen films that have made more than a billion dollars at the box office. Among them are Basic Instinct, Jagged Edge, Flashdance and Showgirls. A former senior editor at Rolling Stone, he is the author of five previous books—the second, Charlie Simpsons Apocalypse, was nominated for the National Book Award. The father of seven children, he lives with his wife, Naomi, and their four sons in Bainbridge Township, Ohio.