Reality seems to have a hammerlock on Jesse “The Body” Ventura, at least as far as his reading list’s concerned.
“I tend to like to read history — recent history, because I find that much more intriguing than just a writer’s imagination,” the Hall of Fame wrestler and former Minnesota governor tells The Post’s Barbara Hoffman.
Indeed, the man who prefers the title “Governor Ventura” (his term ended in 2003) has parlayed his interest in history into a truTV show, “Conspiracy Theory,” of which he proudly says, “we go where you’re not allowed to go, including 9/11.”
Here’s where he’s gone, reading-wise . . .
Helter Skelter
by Vincent Bugliosi
“It’s written by the prosecutor [of Charles Manson and his followers]. It’s a big, thick book and believe it or not I’ve read it eight times. I remember [the murders]. It was the year I graduated from high school, and it signaled the end of the hippie era. They were all for peace and love and then came this hippie cult leader and his horrendous crimes.”
Plausible Denial
by Mark Lane
“Mark Lane wrote this book about a trial that found that Howard Hunt was part of a conspiracy to kill John F. Kennedy. A small newspaper in Florida wrote a story implicating Hunt, who sued the paper and originally won, but because of a technicality, the judge ordered a new trial. Mark Lane did the case for nothing. In the retrial, the jury found for the paper.”
On the Road
by Jack Kerouac
“I was in San Francisco this year and I had time to kill, so I went to the City Lights Bookstore — right across the street was the Beat Museum. I walked in and the guy recognized me and said, ‘Here, you have to read this.’ It was an interesting read — the equivalent of ‘The Adventures of Huck Finn.’ ”
Beneath the Surface
by Michael Phelps
“As a former competitive swimmer, I can truly understand the sacrifices and the training. Michael Phelps swam 9,000 miles just training for [the Olympics]. How many times is that crossing the United States? He’s a young man but he’s become one of my heroes — he’s the epitome of what that sport’s about.”