Vin Diesel XXXposed

Book excerpt: Vin Diesel is everywhere -- the newly crowned king of the box office and the newsstand. But who is he really? The world's hottest star is also its most mysterious. Few fans realize that this so-called overnight success is actually the product of a lifetime of planning and struggle. This book follows every step of Vin Diesel's rise from his days as a poor but happy mischief-maker in New York's Greenwich Village -- where an act of vandalism led to his stage debut at the age of seven -- through the long years spent toiling as a bouncer in Manhattan's trendiest clubs while trying to break into Hollywood -- to his first "big break" from Steven Spielberg. Take a look behind the scenes of each of Vin's films -- the roles he fought for, the role he walked away from after filming had begun, and the leading ladies he continued to see off-screen. VIN DIESEL: XXXPOSED takes on the rumors about his background and his ego and reveals how fame has taken its toll on the intensely private star. This is the unlikely and inspiring story of how an outsider who wouldn't give up transformed himself into the action hero of the new millennium.