The announcement came after a week of wavering. Schwarzenegger says before he headed to the TV appearance, his wife handed him two pieces of paper with talking points she had written: one in case he decided to run, another in case he decided not to.
He writes that Shriver went on to become a key ally and adviser to his campaign and eventual governorship.
Schwarzenegger has often said that Maria's mother and her father, Sargent Shriver, were essential to his eventual decision to seek public office, and the most "extraordinary human beings I've ever met." But he also writes in the book that he often teased his wife that the close-knit Democratic Kennedy clan was "like a bunch of clones" because there was such conformity among them.
A spokesman for Shriver, Matthew DiGirolamo, declined to comment on the contents of the book.
Total Recall will officially be published next week. The Associated Press purchased an early copy.
Schwarzenegger also writes he had a "hot affair" with actress Brigitte Nielsen at a time he and Maria Shriver were dating and already living together.
