A BOOK

One of those jujube showbiz autobiographies which can dislodge your sense of reality if you bite down too hard. Not that anything Desi states about his climb from refugee rags to riches is a major untruth, but the essential Desi--and the Desis of this world can be fascinating case studies in gut drive--remains hidden behind a scrim of gee-whiz patter: ""I was about to drive through the gate of one of the most famous. . . studios in the world. . . I had to pinch myself to believe it."" Son of a Cuban mayor, Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha came to the U.S. in 1934, in the wake of the revolution which deposed Machado (if Desi has any real political savvy, he doesn't show it). Then the drift into Latin bands and Cugat's outfit, his own organization featuring la Conga, the stage, radio, and eventually I Love Lucy and the Desilu empire. Arnaz races through the highs and lows of loving Lucy--the two marriages, divorces and children--separations and reconciliations. But you won't learn much about Lucy 'cept she 'spresses herself adorably. But like the Lucy reruns--A predictable Book.