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Amazon.com Review:
Surely there are few untold stories about Hughes, the brilliant inventor and shrewd businessman who pioneered commercial aviation, became the only individual ever to personally own a movie studio, led Trans World Airlines to become the preeminent international air carrier, womanized his way across the tabloid headlines of the 1920s and '30s, and descended into frightful paranoia and drug addiction in his old age. Authors Broeske and Brown concentrate on the womanizing in this entertaining biography, which chronicles Hughes' affair with Katharine Hepburn, among many others.

Rating : - Impressed so far.
I am almost finished reading the book, "Howard Hughes: The Untold Story," and I must say, this book (Howard's life) is certainly a page turner. It is clear that Howard Hughes was a lot of things: Manipulative, Egocentric, Playboy and Eccentric! He was also, after reading most of the book about his life, NEVER BORING. Not for one second. Every moment in his life is so meaty and juicy you would think it was a written Soap Opera, meant to stimulate the viewer at every moment and increase ratings, but it's not. It's just Howard being Howard.

Howard Hughes spent most of his life in close proximity to his mother. The woman, who many believe, smothered and later caused his bizarre behavior in regards to germs and illnesses. She bathed him from head to toe and regularly inspected his body for any signs of infection or sickness. Howard Sr, realizing the dangerous bond between his son and wife, tried to seperate the son and mother pair by sending Howard away to school and camps. Howard didn't put up much of a fight. In fact, even though he was a recluse, he tried his best to fit in at the camp and the school he attended. He told his mom on many occassions, that he looked forward to the new skills he was learning at the camp. His mom, however, eventually pulled him out of the camp after writing many letters and warning Howard of the dangerous germs floating around in the camp. She had believed that scaring Howard in these letters would result in his return home, however, Howard very much wanted to stay. It was his mother who pulled him out eventually.

From Howard Sr., Hughes learned many things which would cause him to be the talk of the town in Hollywood. Howard Sr. made it abundantly clear to his son that everything is for sale. In one case, Howard Sr. paid to enroll his son in a school that only accepted 60 students per year. 60 was the cut off and under no circumstances would the Directors of the school allow that to change. Senior cared less, he payed off all the right people and his son would join the only class to allow 61 students to attend. Howard Sr. didn't just teach Hughes to buy his way through life, Hughes also became a womanizer just like his father. Hughes was very well aware of the fact that his father cheated on his mother regularly and the his mother knew about it. He also knew the heartbreak it caused his mother after reading a letter from his mom to his father, asking that he stop. Hughes never stopped and his wife died in her 30's. Howard Sr. death soon followed.

Howard was devastated. This devastation didn't stop him from fighting for the wealth that belonged to him. He fought family members, headed to court and convinced everyone around him that he was ready to inherit the family company even though he was just a kid. With his new wealth, Howard headed to Hollywood and aimed to become a Top Producer and Avaitor.

Howard spent most of his life in the air, chasing beautiful starlets, creating movies and taking aviation to the next level. He was a daredevil in every aspect of his life.

Too many, Howard seemed to have the world in the palm of his hands. However, Howard struggled with a terrible secret. He had what many didn't understand at the time and something that just wasn't discussed: OCD. His symptoms worsened with age and with the many car and plane crashes he had in his life. Also, one can not discount the amount of stress that poor Howard struggled with on a daily basis. It is clear to me that this stress pushed Howard's symptoms to uncontrollable levels! Also, the book makes clear, that the discovery that the FBI had been following his every move for the past 5 years increased his distrust of others.

I haven't finished the book yet but I can't wait to finish reading about Howard's amazing life. Like I said before, this man is clearly far from boring. I would definetely enjoy living life in his shoes even if I had to deal with OCD. This man did it all and was clearly a genius. God rest his soul and thank you Howard for your many contributions to aviation!