Confessions of a Self-Help Writer: The Journal of Michael Enzo

A funny, audacious, and devastating work of fiction loosely based on factual events. Some readers laughed, some cried, some were disgusted, and other's felt they had gazed into the eyes of God. As much a comedy as a tragedy, "Confessions stands out to as a piece of unique literature that should be remembered for its originality as much as for its actual relevance as a mantra for living life in today's harsh reality."  AJ Klatch
 
D. Donovan, eBook Reviewer, MBR (Midwest Book Review) wrote, "not just one man's obsession, but the psychological trappings of the self-help industry as a whole.... reads like a thriller but is true life confession at its best."

Who is Michael Enzo? You certainly haven't heard of him. As previously mentioned he has written over 108-self-help books.  That's more published work than Agatha Christie, Dean Koontz and Stephen King. As DeHaven writes, only 54 of these books are directly attributed to Enzo.  Almost his entire canon was published under the names of movie stars, politicians and business leaders.  There are rumors abound that no less than 2 of the world's ten wealthiest men are said to have used Enzo as a ghost-writer.  In my extensive research, I couldn't find a single person who willingly admitted to knowing Enzo, let alone that he wrote a book for them.  I feel it imperative to opine that to me many of those people were obviously lying.  Conversely, in interviews with readers of Enzo's many books, I encountered glowing remarks.  Many of whom attribute their status in life to his words.  None of those readers cared for a minute that the famous names appearing on their books were not the actual portents of such sage advice.
What did Enzo write about in his journal?  If you've been helped by any of his books then you probably don't want to find out. If you want to know the truth (or his version of it) then you'll get a glimpse of someone most easily classified as a psychopath.  Enzo wrote self-help books purely for profit.  Hypocrite isn't a strong enough word to describe him.  Michael recounts drug deals, catastrophic gambling losses, molestation of Virginia Ham, defiling the bathroom habits of cats and dogs alike, abandoning friends in need, sympathizing with underage prostitutes, supernatural proclivities in dorm rooms and the deaths of the closest of friends, some of whom he didn't even know.  The confession that is most upsetting is that he would fall back on his tremendous talent, writing self-help, only as a last act to pay his debtors and ridiculous lifestyle.
Benjamin DeHaven is also a recurring character in Enzo's stories and it's easy to understand why the two are no longer friends.  Research tells me the two scribes were business partners, several times over, with all enterprises ending badly for DeHaven.  They may have been each other's sponsor at various times via multiple incarnations of anonymous meetings.  Their bond is so close that they even shared the same love for a woman named, Susan, who may or may not have been a porn star.  DeHaven shares his own perspective of the Enzo years and at times seems to be admitting some responsibility for his counterpart's bad behavior.  However, he claims his goal in releasing this journal is to destroy any positive connotations of the Enzo name.  Frankly, DeHaven is often times shown in a very negative light, which to me adds a much needed layer of credibility to such a fantastical story.
In conclusion, the confessions of both, Michael Enzo and Benjamin DeHaven, leave me wondering just how close these two actually were.  I can't tell if DeHaven truly wants to ruin any remaining good name Enzo may have or if he's actually doing it out of love, reaching out to the one person who is still lost.  Michael Enzo, wherever you are, pick up a self help book and give it a read.  Who knows, you may have written it.
 
PalookaMA Entertainment, Mark Amos