Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
A wonderful biography and heartfelt tribute to an exceptional individual.
Many people will tell you they were the biggest fans of Star Trek back in the 60s-80s when it was possible to go to conventions with your Enterprise badge and fake ears plastered over your own. My story is a little different. I fell in love with Star Trek in the summer of 2012, obsessively watching and rewatching the show while pretending to do my math homework in high school. I idolized Spock and wanted to be Bones – I laughed at Chekov and crushed on Kirk. The intricacies of many of the moral questions and science fiction concepts enamoured me and fueled my love of space and beyond.
Suffice to say, this book was a nerdgasm for me. I found out about the origins of the mind-meld, Vulcan neck pinch and how Martin Luther King shaped Star Trek. More importantly, I learned a little more about life.
Leonard: The Conscience of Star Trek
This is not only a story of Leonard Nimoy but also of William Shatner and their complex but beautiful friendship. However, it is also the story of two men born into lower middle class Jewish families during the Great Depression. It is the story of the struggling actor, the addict and the father. This is not just the story of an American icon but the story of a man’s life that may not be too dissimilar from any of our own.
Two Men: I Have and Always Shall Be, Your Friend
I think that very much like his character, Leonard was often seen for his wisdom and clinical assessments of situations instead of for his humanness. Leonard struggles with his acting career, alcoholism and a failed marriage but also triumphs in his role as Spock, as a director, in his second marriage and his wide array of interests as well as his ability to speak fluent Yiddish. The little anecdotes that Bill Shatner gives us the pleasure of reading (such as Leonard paying a psychiatrist to speak Yiddish to him and not to see him as a counsellor, or how he was involved in the hippie culture) really enhance the story. I also appreciate immensely that Shatner knew he was often jealous, arrogant and sassy towards his friend and others around him. Both men took years before they became close friends because, I suspect, that they were both polarizing forces of nature.
Sad Truths and Happy Endings
Addiction, type-casting, familial isolation and divorces often seem to come skipping hand-in-hand to actors’ doors. I think it’s how actors like Leonard and Bill overcame these challenges that makes them all the more relatable and funny. The transcendental nature of these men’s relationship, especially as they grew older, wrinklier and had more of a fuck-the-world attitude, brought tears to my eyes. Unfortunately a fight between the two men broke out before Leonard died, and Bill never saw him again. However, Bill likes to think that Leonard read the letter of apology he sent before then.
The Fun Bits: There’s a black Woman on TV and she’s no maid!
I’ve decided to add some of my favourite anecdotes for all of you to understand the complexities of Mr Nimoy:
A little girl with a black father and white mother wrote to Leonard (addressing Spock), stating how she related to his multiracial background. The little girl explained that she was thrown with insults like “half-breed” and worse. Leonard wrote back to her and explained that she should not let the prejudice aimed at her hold her back, but rather use it as a tool to help discover herself and overcome it.
Leonard took photographs of people who wanted to be something but never had the chance. One such picture was of a woman who had had no childhood growing up – he took a picture of her in a dinosaur hoodie.
After an almost 20-year period of silence between Leonard and his son (who was overshadowed by the fame of Spock), they reunited and developed a close bond before Leonard died.
Star Trek was one of the only shows that MLK and his wife allowed their children to watch because it promoted diversity and equality. (His daughter was so taken aback when she saw it for the first time she shouted “Ma! There’s a black woman on TV and she’s no maid!”)
Leonard Nimoy sang “Bilbo Baggins” – a really, really ridiculous song about Bilbo and his adventures in the Hobbit. And I think it’s my favourite thing ever:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGF5ROpjRAU
A little personal side note: I find it really funny how Star Trek was never banned in South Africa (my aunt was a big fan in the late 70s). It featured a Russian during the Cold War and a black woman during Apartheid and this somehow slipped through the net of then-strict censorship. It featured an interracial kiss when our country’s law prohibited interracial relations. Just enjoy the irony.
Edit: Review to come this weekend since I need time as it will be comprehensive.
For now, enjoy my highly illogical tears at their adorableness.
Suffice to say, this book was a nerdgasm for me. I found out about the origins of the mind-meld, Vulcan neck pinch and how Martin Luther King shaped Star Trek. More importantly, I learned a little more about life.
Leonard: The Conscience of Star Trek
This is not only a story of Leonard Nimoy but also of William Shatner and their complex but beautiful friendship. However, it is also the story of two men born into lower middle class Jewish families during the Great Depression. It is the story of the struggling actor, the addict and the father. This is not just the story of an American icon but the story of a man’s life that may not be too dissimilar from any of our own.
Two Men: I Have and Always Shall Be, Your Friend
I think that very much like his character, Leonard was often seen for his wisdom and clinical assessments of situations instead of for his humanness. Leonard struggles with his acting career, alcoholism and a failed marriage but also triumphs in his role as Spock, as a director, in his second marriage and his wide array of interests as well as his ability to speak fluent Yiddish. The little anecdotes that Bill Shatner gives us the pleasure of reading (such as Leonard paying a psychiatrist to speak Yiddish to him and not to see him as a counsellor, or how he was involved in the hippie culture) really enhance the story. I also appreciate immensely that Shatner knew he was often jealous, arrogant and sassy towards his friend and others around him. Both men took years before they became close friends because, I suspect, that they were both polarizing forces of nature.
Sad Truths and Happy Endings
Addiction, type-casting, familial isolation and divorces often seem to come skipping hand-in-hand to actors’ doors. I think it’s how actors like Leonard and Bill overcame these challenges that makes them all the more relatable and funny. The transcendental nature of these men’s relationship, especially as they grew older, wrinklier and had more of a fuck-the-world attitude, brought tears to my eyes. Unfortunately a fight between the two men broke out before Leonard died, and Bill never saw him again. However, Bill likes to think that Leonard read the letter of apology he sent before then.
The Fun Bits: There’s a black Woman on TV and she’s no maid!
I’ve decided to add some of my favourite anecdotes for all of you to understand the complexities of Mr Nimoy:
A little girl with a black father and white mother wrote to Leonard (addressing Spock), stating how she related to his multiracial background. The little girl explained that she was thrown with insults like “half-breed” and worse. Leonard wrote back to her and explained that she should not let the prejudice aimed at her hold her back, but rather use it as a tool to help discover herself and overcome it.
Leonard took photographs of people who wanted to be something but never had the chance. One such picture was of a woman who had had no childhood growing up – he took a picture of her in a dinosaur hoodie.
After an almost 20-year period of silence between Leonard and his son (who was overshadowed by the fame of Spock), they reunited and developed a close bond before Leonard died.
Star Trek was one of the only shows that MLK and his wife allowed their children to watch because it promoted diversity and equality. (His daughter was so taken aback when she saw it for the first time she shouted “Ma! There’s a black woman on TV and she’s no maid!”)
Leonard Nimoy sang “Bilbo Baggins” – a really, really ridiculous song about Bilbo and his adventures in the Hobbit. And I think it’s my favourite thing ever:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGF5ROpjRAU
A little personal side note: I find it really funny how Star Trek was never banned in South Africa (my aunt was a big fan in the late 70s). It featured a Russian during the Cold War and a black woman during Apartheid and this somehow slipped through the net of then-strict censorship. It featured an interracial kiss when our country’s law prohibited interracial relations. Just enjoy the irony.
Edit: Review to come this weekend since I need time as it will be comprehensive.
For now, enjoy my highly illogical tears at their adorableness.
I really deeply enjoyed hearing about the friendship. and thought the ending was beyond disappointing.
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
DNF @ 2nd chapter: the loan ended on libby
Am 27. Februar 2015 verstarb die wohl größte Science-Fiction-Ikone aller Zeiten: Leonard Nimoy. Mit „Spock“ hat er einen einmaligen Charakter geschaffen, der nicht nur der Held aller Nerds, sondern eine echte Symbolfigur und der größte Sympathieträger des Star Trek-Franchise. Obwohl zuletzt ein Missverständnis zwischen ihnen stand, verband ihn mit seinem Schauspielerkollegen William Shatner eine langjährige Freundschaft, die ebenso innig war wie die zwischen Spock und Captain Kirk. Der Verlust seines Freundes veranlasste William Shatner, dieses Buch über ihn zu verfassen.
Shatner und Nimoy hatten einen ähnlichen Hintergrund: Beide sind Kinder osteuropäisch-jüdischer Einwanderer. Shatner schildert beider Jugend und Werdegang parallel, von der Kindheit in Montreal bzw. Boston, frühen Bühnenerfahrungen, die Schauspielerausbildung, das erste Aufeinandertreffen und die gemeinsame Zeit bei Star Trek, die Jahre danach, die Familienkrisen, die beide prägten, die weitere schauspielerische Arbeit bis zum Tod Nimoys im vergangenen Jahr. Den Schwerpunkt legt Shatner auf die schauspielerische Tätigkeit, das Talent und die Professionalität Nimoys, er geht jedoch natürlich auch auf das Privatleben der beiden Männer, die gescheiterten Ehen, die Alkoholsucht, das schlechte Verhältnis Nimoys zu seinem Sohn Adam und die Aussöhnung der beiden ein. Fans werden sich besonders über einige schöne Anekdoten aus der Zeit der ursprünglichen Star Trek-Serie freuen, die mich sehr zum Schmunzeln gebracht haben. Auch Weggefährten wie der Schauspieler Steve Guttenberg kommen indirekt zu Wort. Der Gesamteindruck, den das Buch hinterlässt, ist von tief empfundener Freundschaft, aufrichtiger Bewunderung und Respekt Shatners für Nimoy geprägt und macht Shatner sehr sympathisch.
Das Hörbuch betreffend muss ich anmerken, dass Shatner für dieses Medium nicht ganz perfekt ist. Er nuschelt und leiert ein wenig, liest eher herunter. Ich musste häufiger als normal zurückspulen, um Passagen erneut zu hören. Insbesondere wenn es um Nimoys Krankheit und seinen Tod geht, legt Shatner jedoch natürlich mehr Gefühl in seine Stimme. Wer nicht ganz so geübt im Hören englischer Hörbücher ist, sollte lieber zur Printausgabe greifen.
Das Buch ist selbstverständlich eine Empfehlung für alle Star Trek-, Nimoy- und Shatner-Fans. Außerdem ist es interessant für diejenigen, die sich für den Werdegang eines Schauspielers in der Mitte des vergangenen Jahrhunderts interessieren.
Shatner und Nimoy hatten einen ähnlichen Hintergrund: Beide sind Kinder osteuropäisch-jüdischer Einwanderer. Shatner schildert beider Jugend und Werdegang parallel, von der Kindheit in Montreal bzw. Boston, frühen Bühnenerfahrungen, die Schauspielerausbildung, das erste Aufeinandertreffen und die gemeinsame Zeit bei Star Trek, die Jahre danach, die Familienkrisen, die beide prägten, die weitere schauspielerische Arbeit bis zum Tod Nimoys im vergangenen Jahr. Den Schwerpunkt legt Shatner auf die schauspielerische Tätigkeit, das Talent und die Professionalität Nimoys, er geht jedoch natürlich auch auf das Privatleben der beiden Männer, die gescheiterten Ehen, die Alkoholsucht, das schlechte Verhältnis Nimoys zu seinem Sohn Adam und die Aussöhnung der beiden ein. Fans werden sich besonders über einige schöne Anekdoten aus der Zeit der ursprünglichen Star Trek-Serie freuen, die mich sehr zum Schmunzeln gebracht haben. Auch Weggefährten wie der Schauspieler Steve Guttenberg kommen indirekt zu Wort. Der Gesamteindruck, den das Buch hinterlässt, ist von tief empfundener Freundschaft, aufrichtiger Bewunderung und Respekt Shatners für Nimoy geprägt und macht Shatner sehr sympathisch.
Das Hörbuch betreffend muss ich anmerken, dass Shatner für dieses Medium nicht ganz perfekt ist. Er nuschelt und leiert ein wenig, liest eher herunter. Ich musste häufiger als normal zurückspulen, um Passagen erneut zu hören. Insbesondere wenn es um Nimoys Krankheit und seinen Tod geht, legt Shatner jedoch natürlich mehr Gefühl in seine Stimme. Wer nicht ganz so geübt im Hören englischer Hörbücher ist, sollte lieber zur Printausgabe greifen.
Das Buch ist selbstverständlich eine Empfehlung für alle Star Trek-, Nimoy- und Shatner-Fans. Außerdem ist es interessant für diejenigen, die sich für den Werdegang eines Schauspielers in der Mitte des vergangenen Jahrhunderts interessieren.
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
A great audiobook read by William Shatner. Interesting and comprehensive accounting of their relationship.