Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It “Alan Alda is my kind of people.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“Alan Alda is my kind of people.”
Julia B wrote this review Wednesday, November 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“ I enjoyed the book thoroughly. So much, I went back to the library and read his other book.”
Valerie D wrote this review Monday, September 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Alan Alda has some fabulous words to say - and says them well. This book is one that recounts some of his talks - those for his daughters, to a group of graduating physicians, scientists, etc. Each time Alan feels "what do I say to these people?" But say great things he does mentioning memorable people, events, his thoughts on various aspects of life and some vignettes of plays, movies and TV programs he's been involved in. He mentioned one man, a scientist I'd not heard of : Richard Feynman. And I should have heard of him; after all, he'd worked on the atomic bomb, among other amazing things in my lifetime. So I'm going to try to find a book (one I can understand, of course) about this man. Alan Alda idolized him for many reasons.”
Marie T wrote this review Thursday, August 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Alan Alda nearly died on a mountain top in Chili. Forever grateful to still be alive, Alda decides to write a book that "listens in on the things he's heard himself saying in private and in public." The end result is a wonderful book filled with humorous stories about his life both before and after he became an actor. He also includes excerpts from some of the speeches he has given over the years. I have to say I was surprised at the depth of this man. I really cared about what he had to say, and I wanted to hear more. He has found a new fan, or rather friend, in me...you'll need to read the book to see why I said that!”
KimBear wrote this review Wednesday, August 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“KimBear said: 4 stars
Play Book Tag Shelf wrote this review Saturday, August 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Alan Alda nearly died on a mountain top in Chili. Forever grateful to still be alive, Alda decides to write a book that "listens in on the things he's heard himself saying in private and in public." The end result is a wonderful book filled with humorous stories about his life both before and after he became an actor. He also includes excerpts from some of the speeches he has given over the years. I have to say I was surprised at the depth of this man. I really cared about what he had to say, and I wanted to hear more. He has found a new fan, or rather friend, in me...you'll need to read the book to see why I said that!
Tenia F said: 5 stars
Alan Alda the star of M*A*S*H, writes candidly and hilariously about his life. In this book, he writes about old speeches, commencement pieces and his family. Written shortly after he almost died on top of a mountain in Chili, Alan takes a look weather he made a difference in this world.
”
“ Alan Alda the star of M*A*S*H, writes candidly and hilariously about his life. In this book, he writes about old speeches, commencement pieces and his family. Written shortly after he almost died on top of a mountain in Chili, Alan takes a look weather he made a difference in this world.”
Tenia F wrote this review Saturday, August 1 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“He shared many interesting life perspectives. What's really stayed with me as truth in that some of the most important things a person will say are said at the door just before saying goodbye.”
Diane W wrote this review Tuesday, July 7 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is Alan Alda’s second memoir. I never read his first one because the title of it (Never Have Your Dog Stuffed) led me to believe that it would be humorous but not thought provoking. I think I was wrong, and I may read it someday.
Karen wrote this review Wednesday, April 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Alda is an inquisitive person who loves life. He is interested in many topics and not afraid to admit ignorance and then proceed to find out. He is willing to take on challenges and cares about his fellow human (e.g. support of equal rights amendment).
Some book quotes follow:
page 234 where Alda is quoting Richard Feynman “’Not knowing,’ he [Richard Feynman] said, ‘is much more interesting than believing an answer which might be wrong.’”
page 251 while discussing his movie “The Four Seasons,” Alda muses about friendship making an analogy with seasons “Finally, I saw that this was a story of the four seasons of friendship: spring, where everyone is fresh and attractive and new to one another; summer, where the glare of the sun begins to show everyone’s blemishes; autumn, where the fig leaves finally fall and you see who they really are; and winter of friendship, where you either drop them and start all over again with another springtime set of friends or take them as they are and hudle against the cold winds of aging.”
page 331 “…exchange ignorance for curiosity. Now you’ll notice I said curiosity and not knowledge or truth. That’s because I think the opposite of ignorance is not jut knowing something, it being curious about it. A lot of the things we know for sure are really just rough drafts of reality.”
page 335 “Everything is more complex than it first seems, and being passionate doesn’t make you right.”
page 337 “You may be expected to tell people only what they need to know to make the sale. But if you learn to find out what they actually need and help them get it, I bet you’ll feel better and even do better. It takes more energy—much more energy—but it’s also more fun.” [This rang so true to me in my profession—elementary teacher. I could have simply followed the teachers’ manuals and only use the meager materials that the school provided, but to get the most from my students, I felt the need to anticipate (called metacognition in educationese) their needs and to mostly make and sometimes buy materials that would be more affective. And yes, as Alda said, it did take more energy, but it also made teaching more fun and affective.]
”
“Picked this up recently...mainly because I have always admired Alan Alda. This book is very uplifting, written in his wonderful humorous style.”
Rhett D wrote this review Monday, November 24 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Like his first book, this one sparkles with wit and whipcrack storytelling. My one quibble is that reading the text of speeches he has given (the titular 'things I overheard') was a bit dull.”
Lady Starblade wrote this review Thursday, October 9 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
