If you think former mayor Rahm Emanuel has a strong language inclination, then his younger brother Ari Emanuel might surprise you in his memoir, “Roll the Calls.” This book spans 57 chapters over 413 pages, many of which include a profane vocabulary. It lacks photographs apart from the cover image of the author. None of his famous clients, like Oprah or Matt Damon, appear in the recollections.
The memoir offers few stories about celebrities. Instead, it serves as a business book focused on the entertainment industry. Young professionals in Hollywood might find a limited number of pointers here. The title, “Roll the Calls,” references a common practice among talent agents who contact a list of people daily to conduct various tasks like pitching, gossiping, or trading information.
The book is not the first from the Emanuel brothers. Ezekiel, the eldest brother, wrote “Growing Up Emanuel,” published in 2014 and well-received by critics. “Roll the Calls” has been heavily promoted, with a first print of 250,000 copies. Excerpts appeared in the Wall Street Journal, and Ari was interviewed on “CBS Sunday Morning,” where some of his comments required censoring.
The memoir doesn’t reveal many secrets or explosive details. Emanuel’s opinion that Harvey Weinstein is “empty at his core” is unlikely to cause a stir. He remains discreet about much of his life and only briefly touches on his formative years. Diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD in fourth grade, these conditions fuel his notable rage. Emanuel shares, “Rage first, ask questions later, that’s been my philosophy.”
His childhood, spent in affluent Wilmette, Illinois, includes anecdotes like defending a classmate from a bully. This moment signifies a lifetime of confronting bullies. He learned lessons from his parents: “Life’s a fight… Keep your fists clenched and your head on a swivel.” The memoir lacks insights into his time at Macalester College or his early work with agent Robert Lantz in New York, who represented icons like Bette Davis and Tennessee Williams.
Emanual’s career truly began in Hollywood, where he started in a mailroom before rising through the ranks. The narrative is fast-paced yet lacks depth. Emanuel gives glimpses into his personal life: being hit by a truck, marrying, raising children, and adopting a daughter. His routine involves early mornings that start with exercise and end with meditation and light therapy.
At work, he uses a treadmill desk and follows a vegan lifestyle. He makes about 300 calls a day, asserting, “Without our Rolodexes, none of us is more than a meat puppet in a nice suit.” Ari’s personality inspired the character Ari Gold on HBO’s “Entourage,” portrayed by Jeremy Piven. Though he contributed creatively, Emanuel claims he never watched the show, but notes his brother Rahm preferred “Fake Ari.”
The memoir contains “dime-store” insights like: “Self-belief, that’s half the game, in any occupation, but it’s everything for an agent.” Assisting him with the book is J.R. Moehringer, known for memoirs like “The Tender Bar” and ghostwriting for celebrities like Andre Agassi. Moehringer attempts to maintain a brisk narrative pace despite the corporate jargon.
Now 65, Emanuel holds senior roles at TKO Group Holdings and WME Group. He reflects on leaving people and situations behind, writing, “I stopped saying goodbye on the phone in order to save time; I stopped saying goodbye in relationships in order to save myself.”
His life includes therapy, acknowledgments from his therapist, the end of his first marriage, and growing children. The memoir’s later chapters revolve around his relationship with fashion designer Sarah Staudinger, culminating in their marriage in Saint-Tropez in 2022, with Larry David officiating. The wedding reads as a crude spectacle, with notable attendees like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.
Emanuel questions whether he still has the drive to continue making deals and accumulating wealth, pondering, “At times I wonder if the fight has gone out of me?”