Helpful Score: 3
This book wasn't quite what I expected, having read Alda's previous book, Never Have Your Dog Stuffed. I found myself skipping over large parts of it, seeing far more narcissism and ego than I could tolerate. The story is told through speeches Alda has given to various groups, mostly commencement speeches. The book probably will appeal to some, but I thought Alda was taking himself way too seriously.
Helpful Score: 2
I agree with the other reviewer - this was not what I expected or hoped. I also read "Never have your dog stuffed" and hoped for more insight into Alda's life. Instead, what I got was a non-cohesive conglomeration of speeches Alda gave, tied together with some tenuous segues. Perhaps Alda's publisher was so happy with the proceeds of the first book that they sent him back to the well - and this was the best he could come up with. Disappointing.
Helpful Score: 1
A good book written by a wonderful man.
Many stories about speeches he has given. Most at colleges/universities. He writes like he speaks so you can "hear" him saying these.
John O. (buzzby) -
I was pleasantly surprised. He is (of course) an intelligent and thoughtful man. I've always thought of him as someone who was trying too hard to be funny, but his writing is insightful and only a little funny. It does contain a lot of his commencement addresses/speeches, though.
If you want to read some of the speeches he's given thru-out his life, this book is for you. Otherwise, I'd probably skip it.
This is the most recent book by Alan Alda, published in 2007. It extracts portions of various speeches he's given over the years and includes commentary written later tying them together and adding perspective acquired since they were originally given.
Alda himself interests me. He's not religious, loves science, and knows his own limits and interests. In short, he looks like someone who's found a reasonable path through the chaos of life. But reading this book you discover that he's always been trying to find meaning in the world, and hasn't always been successful.
At the very end he has some words that sum up what he thinks the meaning of life is and isn't. They are deceptively simple, and close to my own take on things at this point. That doesn't mean they are something you can act upon, though, and how one reacts to them is inevitably a personal thing. Many would in fact disagree with him.
Beyond that bit at the end, though, this isn't a book I found thrilling. It wasn't bad, but I see no need to reread it in the future. Alda's an interesting person with an outlook on life somewhat similar to my own, but he would be the first to admit that he's no expert on much of anything beyond acting, directing, and writing entertainment, and maybe not even on all of those.
Reading this book to learn a bit about someone else's POV is a good thing, while reading it to find "The Answer" would be a mistake. I guess this is mildly recommended as a result.
Alda himself interests me. He's not religious, loves science, and knows his own limits and interests. In short, he looks like someone who's found a reasonable path through the chaos of life. But reading this book you discover that he's always been trying to find meaning in the world, and hasn't always been successful.
At the very end he has some words that sum up what he thinks the meaning of life is and isn't. They are deceptively simple, and close to my own take on things at this point. That doesn't mean they are something you can act upon, though, and how one reacts to them is inevitably a personal thing. Many would in fact disagree with him.
Beyond that bit at the end, though, this isn't a book I found thrilling. It wasn't bad, but I see no need to reread it in the future. Alda's an interesting person with an outlook on life somewhat similar to my own, but he would be the first to admit that he's no expert on much of anything beyond acting, directing, and writing entertainment, and maybe not even on all of those.
Reading this book to learn a bit about someone else's POV is a good thing, while reading it to find "The Answer" would be a mistake. I guess this is mildly recommended as a result.
Rather disappointing. I read his first book and enjoyed it very much. I thought this would be more of the same. Instead, it's a review of speeches he has made at various events and his thoughts about them--which, in all fairness, is exactly what the title says it is! I just didn't take the title quite so literally.
I loved his first book "Never have your dog stuffed". It was very clever--this book not so much. Interesting ideas but not what I expected.
After reading and enjoying this book quite a bit, I then read some of the reviews of it here at PBS---and was surprised to find that most didn't like it! I thought his foundation was interesting: to go back and review speeches he has given in the past (at college commencements, for instance) and try to explain what led him to those particular thoughts at that particular time in his life. His outlook is lively, upbeat, always interested in learning something new, always striving to get the best out of life. At times, I felt my mind wander while reading a speech or two. However, if I set the book aside for a bit and returned to it, inevitably I became engrossed in what he was trying to say. Perhaps I am jaded, as I am a huge MASH fan and have alwayds admired Alan Alda.
That said, this book contained a line that literally made me gasp (and that is rare indeed!). This is not a spoiler......Alda wrote, "If I could go back and do it again, I would not have shot my pet rabbits dead when I was eleven years old". Wow. Alan Alda did that? I had to keep reading...
***1/2 Three and a half stars.
That said, this book contained a line that literally made me gasp (and that is rare indeed!). This is not a spoiler......Alda wrote, "If I could go back and do it again, I would not have shot my pet rabbits dead when I was eleven years old". Wow. Alan Alda did that? I had to keep reading...
***1/2 Three and a half stars.
