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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
slow-paced
For me, this was really hard to get through (pacing wise, not content). It was really impersonable and off-putting. I can't knock the research and work that went into writing the book, but the further I got into the book the further I felt from really connecting with Robin's life and story.
Dead Poets Society has been my favorite movie for as long as I can remember. I’ve adored Robin Williams and all of his work. I found myself feeling angry or irritated reading how much of his work was NOT well received by critics. I wanted to yell to him… “ Well screw those guys … I LOVED Patch Adams AND Dead Poets Society AND Hook and all of them! “
This was a great biography. I learned a lot about a man who was always a “character”… this book really made him a human.
The last 2.5 hours really wrecked me. I don’t suggest listening to that part while driving
This was a great biography. I learned a lot about a man who was always a “character”… this book really made him a human.
The last 2.5 hours really wrecked me. I don’t suggest listening to that part while driving
I loved Robin Williams and really enjoyed reading about his life. This was a long and detailed book but well worth the read if you are a fan of him. I had no idea that his final year/years were so painful:(
"From me to you. You got to be crazy. You know what I'm talking about? Full goose bozo. 'Cause what is reality? You got to be crazy. You go to! 'Cause madness is the only way I've stayed alive. Use to be a comedian. Used to, a long time ago. It's true. You got to go full-tilt bozo. 'Cause you're only give a little spark of madness. If you lose that, you're nothing. don't. From me to you. Don't ever lose that, because it keeps you alive. Because if you lose that, pfft. THat's my only love. Crazy."
This was a very eye-opening book, I normally don't read nonfiction or biographies. But, The content was intriguing for me, all 440+ pages. I enjoyed reading about the history of his life, there was so much I never knew about him. A lot of it was before my time, and so it was interesting to peek into that time and place. I also, liked the way Itzkoff told Robin's story, he did not sugar coat it or "wax poetics" and make everything appear pure and saccharin-sweet. He told it like it was, even if it wasn't a "pretty" story, he told the story. I also, liked the way Itzkoff didn't have the story simply end at Robin's death, because the story did not end there, and so he unfolded more of it. Although, I did enjoy hearing about the making of movies and different perspectives besides just being Robin as a character in a movie or a tv show. The line that Itzkoff wrote that is going to say with me is:
"The coroner's findings raised a new mystery about Robin's final hours. Was he cognizant of who he was, and was he aware of what he was doing when he committed suicide? Or could he have been tin the grip of dissociative state brought on bye his disease when he took his own life?"
This was a very eye-opening book, I normally don't read nonfiction or biographies. But, The content was intriguing for me, all 440+ pages. I enjoyed reading about the history of his life, there was so much I never knew about him. A lot of it was before my time, and so it was interesting to peek into that time and place. I also, liked the way Itzkoff told Robin's story, he did not sugar coat it or "wax poetics" and make everything appear pure and saccharin-sweet. He told it like it was, even if it wasn't a "pretty" story, he told the story. I also, liked the way Itzkoff didn't have the story simply end at Robin's death, because the story did not end there, and so he unfolded more of it. Although, I did enjoy hearing about the making of movies and different perspectives besides just being Robin as a character in a movie or a tv show. The line that Itzkoff wrote that is going to say with me is:
"The coroner's findings raised a new mystery about Robin's final hours. Was he cognizant of who he was, and was he aware of what he was doing when he committed suicide? Or could he have been tin the grip of dissociative state brought on bye his disease when he took his own life?"
It's really really lovely to revisit one of my favorite people. I learned a lot about Williams - though nothing I didn't have a sense of before (aside from early life details.) It probabaly has the most impact around the topic of his death and the exploration of that in the context of how he lived his life. He is still someone I admire very much
informative
reflective
fast-paced
This was a compassionate look at Robin Williams, the fallible and very human man. The author looked at Williams not just as a much loved entertainer but as a living, breathing, feeling person. It never stayed too long in one place, so although the book was very long, it moved at the perfect pace. There was also no mud slinging at any Hollywood personality. Finished the read feeling sad but immensely grateful that I was able to enjoy the talent of this energetic, intelligent man.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
First off, the audio was wonderfully read by someone very good at doing Robin. Secondly, as I listened to this recounting of Williams' life and work, I realized that I was one of those people who didn't like most of the Robin Williams comedies that cluttered much of his career yet it never diminished the affection I held for him or the delight I felt at his intellect and humor when I saw him outside those roles. He was an incredibly facile entertainer from the time he exploded onto television in Mork & Mindy-- one of the few shows that as an older teenager/young adult my friends and I scheduled into our week. He also had an underlying warmth and sincerity that never left him. I was heartened to learn that he did have close, important relationships with his children, as well as a few lifelong friends and that he did strive as an actor to learn, to grow, to be taken seriously. I loved him in his serious roles and appreciate him more as a person after listening to this book.
It's interesting to read this after watching the Mr. Rogers Won't You Be My Neighbor documentary. The film stresses the importance of children growing up with a strong sense of their intrinsic value. From Itzkoff's presentation of Williams, Robin was greatly lacking in that area and had a cloying need for approval and acceptance from everyone he met. It led him to take projects that weren't really right for him and get involved with people he should have avoided. From what I saw of him, he really was a comic genius. It's too bad that comedy has such a short self-life. What's funny to one generation is not to the next. I still don't see what's funny about one of his signature lines, "I'm so excited to be here I could drop a log." That's just not funny; yet it brought uproarious laughter. Anyway, he brought a lot of people a lot of laughs. His story ends sadly, but a lot of good came before.