"Traveling the world with my father, watching him interact with people, famous and ordinary, observing up close his balls-out sense of adventure, and having a larger-than-life personality to live up to had a profound effect on me and the formation of my character." —From the foreword by Steve Aoki, Grammy-nominated producer and Billboard award-winning DJ
Hiroaki "Rocky" Aoki was a man who succeeded in everything he pursued. From wrestling, ballooning, underwater exploration, and car and boat racing to founding Benihana, Rocky's passion for life infected all around him and accelerated the exchange of Japanese culture and cuisine with America. Rocky's rags to riches story, from dishwasher and busboy to owner of a multi-million-dollar restaurant empire, is an American dream realized unlike any other. Running and expanding the business would be all-consuming for most people, but Rocky would not be deterred. His determination for the business rivaled the drive he demonstrated in his other interests, some of which almost killed him. American Hiro by Jack McCallum, who had full access to Rocky Aoki and those in his enterprises, provides the only full inside account of one of the most famous symbols of cultural assimilation and capitalistic zeal in modern United States history—a champion in business, sports, and life.
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“Previously released in 1985 as Making It in America: The Life and Times of Rocky Aoki, Benihana’s Pioneer, this update adds an additional chapter summarizing the last 23 years of Aoki’s life…A fun, light, and entertaining read.”
— Library Journal
“David Lee Huynh’s straightforward, accent-free narration [is] a perfect match for detailing Aoki’s rise to fame and fortune as one of America’s most successful entrepreneurs.”
— AudioFileBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Jack McCallum is the author of Seven Seconds or Less and a longtime member of the staff of Sports Illustrated. He has edited the weekly Scorecard section of the magazine, has written scripts for various SI Sportsman of the Year shows, and is currently a contributor to the magazine and SI.com. He has won the Curt Gowdy Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Women Sports Foundation Media Award and teaches college journalism. He lives with his wife in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.