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becca_books's review against another edition
4.0
Audio. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 because I’m thrilled he is as kind as he seems
cheryl6of8's review against another edition
4.0
A friend gave me this as an audiobook, which made it a perfect choice for my drive home from visiting family in NJ this weekend. More than one person has told me not to get audiobooks read by the author (exception: Neil Gaiman), but I think Alan Alda is another exception. His voice is so distinctive and so familiar that it would have been odd to hear someone else talk about his life, especially his time on MASH and Scientific American Frontiers.
I enjoyed the way he found a recurring theme or two in his life and returned to them as touchstones throughout the story. The concept of having his dog stuffed and the contrast between appearance and reality is especially appropriate for a story about a life in show business and about being the son of a mentally ill mother. Alda turns out to be a more fascinating individual than I expected with a more complicated background than most people know. The combination of biography and philosophy worked well, in part because of who the public Alan Alda is and our relationship with him. An enjoyable ear-read that I look forward to sharing with other audiobook enthusiasts this weekend.
I enjoyed the way he found a recurring theme or two in his life and returned to them as touchstones throughout the story. The concept of having his dog stuffed and the contrast between appearance and reality is especially appropriate for a story about a life in show business and about being the son of a mentally ill mother. Alda turns out to be a more fascinating individual than I expected with a more complicated background than most people know. The combination of biography and philosophy worked well, in part because of who the public Alan Alda is and our relationship with him. An enjoyable ear-read that I look forward to sharing with other audiobook enthusiasts this weekend.
terrimpin's review against another edition
4.0
I love Alan Alda, so I had high hopes coming into this book. I wasn't disappointed! Alda somehow managed to convey the same enthusiasm and tone from his acting style to his writing, and I enjoyed every second of it.
Even if you don't know anything about Alan Alda, or M*A*S*H, this is an enjoyable read simple for the anecdotes.
Even if you don't know anything about Alan Alda, or M*A*S*H, this is an enjoyable read simple for the anecdotes.
araleith's review against another edition
4.0
A very awesome, honest book. I loved every moment of it, even when sad things happened.
libkatem's review against another edition
4.0
"I brought a suitcase of books to Paris. And as soon as I got there, I started filling up another suitcase with books, many of them in French, which I could barely read, and many of whose pages stayed uncut. Just having books was the point, and lugging a valise full of them to the train station and hoisting it up onto the metal rack made me feel like a scholar.
"I sat and drank hot rum at Les Deux Magots, and that made me feel like Hemingway. If I had two rums, I felt like Sartre. Sartre liked to write in a crowded cafe` and, amazingly, I found, so did I." [chapter 7]
So... that spoke to me on a personal level. This was really the first time that I really related to Alda, not that I wasn't already engrossed with his story, because I was.
His early years, Alda traveled the burlesque and vaudeville circuits with his parents; his father was an actor, and his mother had an undiagnosed mental illness. His experience with catholic schools did not line up with my (mostly positive) experiences, though I've heard horror stories similar to his. I trust what he's saying. Alda also contracted Polio at a very young age, and was quiet ill. My heart breaks for these early experiences, and Alda has a deft, precise way of writing about it.
His life has taken a lot of twists and turns, and his tremendous work ethic finally led him to M*A*S*H (which, in my opinion, will make Alda immortal), and he always includes his loving relationship with his wife and their three daughters. I have such admiration for Alan Alda, and it really only grew with this book.
I can't wait to read the next one.
(And Alan, if you ever need a hug, I'd be happy to give you one.)
"I sat and drank hot rum at Les Deux Magots, and that made me feel like Hemingway. If I had two rums, I felt like Sartre. Sartre liked to write in a crowded cafe` and, amazingly, I found, so did I." [chapter 7]
So... that spoke to me on a personal level. This was really the first time that I really related to Alda, not that I wasn't already engrossed with his story, because I was.
His early years, Alda traveled the burlesque and vaudeville circuits with his parents; his father was an actor, and his mother had an undiagnosed mental illness. His experience with catholic schools did not line up with my (mostly positive) experiences, though I've heard horror stories similar to his. I trust what he's saying. Alda also contracted Polio at a very young age, and was quiet ill. My heart breaks for these early experiences, and Alda has a deft, precise way of writing about it.
His life has taken a lot of twists and turns, and his tremendous work ethic finally led him to M*A*S*H (which, in my opinion, will make Alda immortal), and he always includes his loving relationship with his wife and their three daughters. I have such admiration for Alan Alda, and it really only grew with this book.
I can't wait to read the next one.
(And Alan, if you ever need a hug, I'd be happy to give you one.)
charlieash's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Alan Alda is writing with characteristic hilarity and compassion, both for the people who were and are a part of his life and for his younger self. A great look into the life and experiences of a multi-talented and very thoughtful, curious man.
g2pro's review against another edition
3.0
I liked him on MASH and I enjoyed the two books of his that I've read.
sunny76's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't expect a tell all book, but I honestly expected a little more about M*A*S*H and movies. The only movie I can say positively that I saw Alan Alda in was "Same Time, Next Year" and even though I didn't see him as a leading man in a romantic sense, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and I loved Hawkeye. That aside, this is truly a memoir. There is his youth, a somewhat distant father, a schizophrenic mother, and his coming of age and growth as an actor. there were laugh out loud moments, but there were more sad parts. I remember hearing about his emergency surgery in Chili, but had totally forgotten about it. What Mr. Alda became and how open his memoir seems about his life and his feelings toward his parents is inspirational. worth the read if you want some insight into Alan Alda the person, not if you want a "tell-all"
macbean221b's review against another edition
4.0
I haven't heard a negative review of Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, and I'm not going to try to start a new trend. I loved the way the book was really about him, downplaying his fame and focusing on where he came from and how that affected how he relates to and fits into (or doesn't fit into) the world at large. It's written in such a way that you kind of feel like he's sitting there across from you and talking to you face-to-face. It's an easy and fun read which I found entertaining and even moving at times. I'd recommend it to anyone, even people who aren't actually fans of Alan Alda. I think they'd still like it.
radioactve_piano's review against another edition
3.0
A memoir book read by someone who did a really great job (after hearing Alan Alda read his own writing, I decided he was not really meant to merely be listened to -- at least not when only prose was present).
This book was perfect fodder for my walks to and from work. Laughed at appropriate places...while passing strangers on a sidewalk. Loved many of his turns of phrase. Thorough enjoyment.
This book was perfect fodder for my walks to and from work. Laughed at appropriate places...while passing strangers on a sidewalk. Loved many of his turns of phrase. Thorough enjoyment.