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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
He was a genius, and I once saw him live at Catch a Rising Star, so I wanted to wallow a bit in his life.(file: kindle)
I was too young to know Robin Williams the stand up comedian, but I grew up with Robin Williams. He stared in favorites that were played in my house time and time again - the Aladdin series, Mrs. Doubtfire, Jack, Jumanji... And then later, he acted in my favorite movie of all time, Good Will Hunting.
I remember hearing about his death and feeling devastated. I was in Boston shortly after and visited the bench from his infamous scene with Matt Damon and could tell I wasn't alone. The sidewalk was full of flowers and chalked with messages to the late actor and comedian.
Reading this book gave me a whole new understanding of Robin as a human being and the constant struggles he was facing. It was well-written and well-researched. We get to hear voices from throughout Robin's life, including those of the people that were closest to him. He spent his life worried about the happiness of others and pleasing others and somewhere along the line he stopped worrying about himself. His comedy that we all came to know and love masked something very dark inside of him. It is hard to believe somebody so beloved had so much self-doubt. I just hope he knew how much he mattered.
I remember hearing about his death and feeling devastated. I was in Boston shortly after and visited the bench from his infamous scene with Matt Damon and could tell I wasn't alone. The sidewalk was full of flowers and chalked with messages to the late actor and comedian.
Reading this book gave me a whole new understanding of Robin as a human being and the constant struggles he was facing. It was well-written and well-researched. We get to hear voices from throughout Robin's life, including those of the people that were closest to him. He spent his life worried about the happiness of others and pleasing others and somewhere along the line he stopped worrying about himself. His comedy that we all came to know and love masked something very dark inside of him. It is hard to believe somebody so beloved had so much self-doubt. I just hope he knew how much he mattered.
This was a very in depth biography of the late Robin Williams, which made me realize how little we all knew of him.
This large book goes into detail about Robin’s life, with the help of interviews he gave, and comments from other people near him. It starts from his birth and goes through the end of his life, giving quite a detailed history of the man. At times it’s a bit too detailed and it lingers in some aspects of his life that I wanted to move out of, but otherwise I now feel like I understand what he was really like - and how well he kept that side of him hidden from the world.
This large book goes into detail about Robin’s life, with the help of interviews he gave, and comments from other people near him. It starts from his birth and goes through the end of his life, giving quite a detailed history of the man. At times it’s a bit too detailed and it lingers in some aspects of his life that I wanted to move out of, but otherwise I now feel like I understand what he was really like - and how well he kept that side of him hidden from the world.
Outstanding book. Made me feel sad about his death all over again, but now that I understand his final months, I feel that he knew what he was doing and why. Terrifying. This book was an excellent encapsulation of his storied career - a worthwhile read for any fan!
the writing here was a bit dry for my taste so i couldn't stay invested even though i was interested in learning about robin williams
Funny peculiar
A really moving portrait of a comedy original. And incidentally a wonderful view of a comedy world in flux. I enjoyed it very much.
A really moving portrait of a comedy original. And incidentally a wonderful view of a comedy world in flux. I enjoyed it very much.
This was a moving and detailed account of the life of a complicated soul. I grew up watching Robin Williams and always considered him to be “one of the greats”. I enjoyed the thorough portrait painted by David Itzkoff and feel this book gave me further appreciation for the life and work of Robin Williams. I laughed, cried, and at times cried while laughing while listening to this audiobook. I highly recommend this book.
While they’re may be a little too much “he was amazing” throughout he was...well amazing and the bio brings an honest portrayal of his life and a devastating but informative look at his end.
informative
medium-paced
As a 10 year old, in the mid 1990's I found my mom's briefcase of cassettes from the 80's. Next to Whitney Houston and Frank Zappa was a stand-up comedy recording of Robin Williams. Was it appropriate for a 10 year old, of course not. Did I understand all the jokes, nope but I understood enough to be an instant fan. I had watched some of his movies (Awakenings, Dead Poets Society) and developed a small obsession with the Good Morning, Vietnam soundtrack. I then started to record myself pretending to be a deejay mimicking Robin's style.
For many years, Robin was my favorite actor hands down. Like the rest of the world I was shocked by his passing. I sobbed for a stranger I never met for two days.
All of this resulted in me shelving this book for years. I was avoiding the inevitable sadness. This book captures the entire span of his life, it was completed after his passing. I only cried about five times. I felt the book was gentle, it was committed to the perceived reality of his life. The author wrote the book with love.
For many years, Robin was my favorite actor hands down. Like the rest of the world I was shocked by his passing. I sobbed for a stranger I never met for two days.
All of this resulted in me shelving this book for years. I was avoiding the inevitable sadness. This book captures the entire span of his life, it was completed after his passing. I only cried about five times. I felt the book was gentle, it was committed to the perceived reality of his life. The author wrote the book with love.