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jaynamac's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars - As others have said, I was going to read this book regardless of reviews. And I'm glad that I read it. Shatner's admiration for Nimoy -- as an actor, an artist, and a friend -- shines clearly and honestly throughout the book.
However, many (MANY) pages deal with Shatner's own accomplishments and experiences, completely separate from Nimoy's experiences. At times, these lengthy "celebrations of self" felt akin to the protestations of a younger sibling: "Well, yeah, but look at what I did! I'm important, too!"
Given the success of Nimoy's Spock, perhaps Shatner did feel like the red-headed step-child. He's enjoyed tremendous success on his own, but he spends so much time reminding the reader of that, one wonders whether he always felt over-shadowed.
Your reward for sticking with this book are the moments of transparency -- those times when you can feel that Shatner is sad and simply misses the person who was very probably his best friend.
The end of their friendship is, frankly, tragic. I didn't know that part of their story before reading the book. It isn't well explained, and there seems to be so much confusion about it on Shatner's part that I doubt we'll ever know the cause. Frankly, I feel quite sad for both of them that Nimoy died before they could reconcile.
But there's no doubt about Shatner's feelings, even now, for Nimoy. This book is a love letter to him in the great beyond: "I'm sorry. I love you. And wherever you are, live long and prosper."
However, many (MANY) pages deal with Shatner's own accomplishments and experiences, completely separate from Nimoy's experiences. At times, these lengthy "celebrations of self" felt akin to the protestations of a younger sibling: "Well, yeah, but look at what I did! I'm important, too!"
Given the success of Nimoy's Spock, perhaps Shatner did feel like the red-headed step-child. He's enjoyed tremendous success on his own, but he spends so much time reminding the reader of that, one wonders whether he always felt over-shadowed.
Your reward for sticking with this book are the moments of transparency -- those times when you can feel that Shatner is sad and simply misses the person who was very probably his best friend.
The end of their friendship is, frankly, tragic. I didn't know that part of their story before reading the book. It isn't well explained, and there seems to be so much confusion about it on Shatner's part that I doubt we'll ever know the cause. Frankly, I feel quite sad for both of them that Nimoy died before they could reconcile.
But there's no doubt about Shatner's feelings, even now, for Nimoy. This book is a love letter to him in the great beyond: "I'm sorry. I love you. And wherever you are, live long and prosper."
lizzycatslibrary's review against another edition
3.0
This book is like 80% Shatner and 20% Leonard... But I guess that shouldn't really surprise me. I do question Shatner's whole assertion they were bffs. Hmm...
freckleduck's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book, but it was not written for me. I felt at times it was tedious and not relevant to my life. I thought it was an interesting read though and gave me some insight into Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner.
qu33nofbookz's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting and short look into the life of Leonard Nimoy. The first half of the book is a quick overview of Leonards life before Star Trek and is compared with the life of William Shatner. Then we learn a little of what it was like for the men during the filming of the series. The last bit of the book covers snippets of times the two actors were together, Leonard's career after the series and films and his struggle with the creator and studio as well as his personal struggles at home with his son and his health. A decent book but has a lot of what has been told in other biographies and is only half about Leonard and a small time spent on his friendship with William.
or10n's review against another edition
emotional
informative
slow-paced
5.0
I should really reread this book. I read it over quarantine, but I hardly remember anything about it other than it had me weeping like a baby. After reading it, I watched the documentary that Leonard Nimoy's son made, and that had me even more wrecked. I will say, neither the book nor the documentary did a thing to assuage the homoeroticism surrounding both Kirk/Spock and William/Leonard, and for that I am forever grateful.
esshgee's review against another edition
3.0
3 1/2 stars. I'm still figuring out how I feel about this book. It was very interesting reading about Leonard Nimoy's history and of course by default, Bill Shatner's, but I'm still trying to decipher why he wrote this book? There is a lot of love and honesty in Shatner's writing, and some tales are incredibly heartfelt. But Shatner and Nimoy had not spoken in nearly 4 years before Nimoy's death, and so the friendship had waned. No mention is made as to whether Nimoy's family gave their permission/blessing for the stories to be printed - I suppose most of them are Shatner's stories too, or in public domain, so that doesn't matter legally, but maybe ethically? Was it a way for Shatner to put forward his reasons for not attending Nimoy's funeral? This book posed lots of questions for me, and I found it an enjoyable read.
keeyoh's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism and Death
idrils's review against another edition
5.0
well-researched, devastatingly honest and full of fun behind-the-scenes anecdotes of star trek you're not likely to find anywhere else. if you love leonard nimoy, spock, or william shatner's self-deprecating stories i recommend this book!!!