Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself by Alan Alda Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself
Book Review: Great Book
Summary: 5 Stars
If you know and like Alan Alda, you will like this book. It is definitely worth the read.Book Review: Lame rehash
Summary: 2 Stars
I have always liked Alan Alda's work as an actor and a screenwriter and heard about this new book from an interview he gave on NPR. I never read his first book, 'Never have your dog stuffed' but when he was talking about this book it sounded interesting.
When I was listening to the interview I must have missed the part where he mentioned that he just dusted off a lot of mediocre talks he gave at various and sundry events (graduations, funerals, business and educational functions etc.) and knitted that together with only mildly interesting and marginally coherent thoughts that, apparently in his mind, speak to the path he has taken to find meaning in his life. I won't tell you about the disappointment I got when I got to the end of the book.
To be honest and in the spirit of full disclosure, there is practically no point at which Mr. Alda's world view and mine make any contact whatsoever. That could be the reason I am so disappointed in the book, however, I have read many books by people I heartily disagree with and yet really enjoy their writing. I can't say that about this book. Perhaps his first was a better effort, but I am not going to risk the price of admission in either money or time to find out. I gave this book two stars instead of one because I was able to finish it, one star would mean that was something that I could not do no matter how hard I tried. I would caution you about this book unless someone is selling theirs used for just a couple of bucks. Mine will be for sale shortly, it's not worth keeping and I won't be reading it again. You alone know what your time is worth.
Book Review: Hawkeye's commencement speeches and more
Summary: 3 Stars
If you remember Hawkeye from M*A*S*H, you will hear his (Alan Alda's) voice while you read this book. It has that familiar cadence, wit, and stream-of-consciouness of the television character.
Alda provides many interesting autobiographical antcedotes. I particularly liked the passages regarding agent/actor relations. Still in places it gets boring, for instance, Alda repatedly mentions his mentally ill mother without going into much detail.
The autobiogrpahical moments are weaved in with various commencement and other speeches Alan Alda has delivered. The theme of the speeches and much of the book, is, in essence, "live with gusto . . . follow your dreams." It gets rather preachy and repetitive in places. It is easy for someoone who has the talent to win multiple Emmys as well as a Tony, and a Grammy, to say "live your dreams" To be sure, enjoying and finding meaning in life are important. However, for most peopele our dreams of success far surpass actual abilities. Too many people gamble recklessly on unrealistic dreams. Alda went through some lean times as an actor, and became quite successful. Most aspiring actors don't and for them this book would be of little comfort.
Still, Alda's message, like most commencement speeches, that hopes, dreams, and finding meaning in one's life are important and can't be dismissed. And I certainly would prefer to hear "Hawkeye" give a commencement specch than many other people.
All in all, an enjoyable, if easy read. "Things I heard" is certainly a "safe" book to give as a gift to everyone (except perhaps for the struggling actor).
Book Review: Sadly, Boring.
Summary: 1 Stars
Borrowed both this & Mr. Alda's biogrpahy, " Never Have Your Dog Stuffed", from the library, thank goodness!! At least I didn't waste my money!
Am not quite finished with this one but am afraid there will be no improvement in the last 30 odd pages. Someone convinced Mr. Alda to take his speeches from commencements, funerals, dinners, etc, & excerpt them with his post facto commentary. I'm sorry people, but if ya hafta explain the joke, forget it. This should have been forgotten!
Why did he do this? And who cares? In my humble opinion, he should have done this privately, for his own edification. A couple of times he threw out a scientific word, "valance", admitting he had no clue as to it's meaning in the scientific world. He rambles on & on about how all the peoples of the world should be as interested in, & be able to understand science as he now does, after 11 years of speaking directly and personally to & with scientists. Yet, does he define this one word for his reader? Well not yet & I am on page 176 of a 209 page book. And there is no glossary at the end. I peeked. Sure I can look it up, I know how to read a dictionary; have many times. But at this point, I just don't care! Perhaps if it is that important to All our lives, he might have given us it's definition?
What a shame. I thought, yes past tense, so much of Mr. Alda as an actor; but as a writer, I wish I hadn't read this particular book. I so wish he had kept who he Thinks he really is to himself. Like almost any book from which a movie is made, my imagination was so much better than the visuals. Sorry.
Book Review: Terrifying himself to feel alive
Summary: 4 Stars
THINGS I OVERHEARD WHILE TALKING TO MYSELF is a great example of recycling done right. Each of the sixteen chapters is built around a commencement speech or other talk given by Alan Alda, but with a wealth of new material from him on the Meaning Of Life.
It's a difficult topic but Alda has as much right as anyone to give it a crack. He builds on his near-death experience in Chile and tells stories of his childhood, his family, his career, and people who touched his life. In each case the story is entwined with the speech to illustrate a life lesson. The editing may be a bit loose in some cases, and the book meanders toward a conclusion, as if you were taking a leisurely stroll with a wise and confident friend.
An example of Alda's meandering is the chapter named "A Passion for Reason." For reasons not made entirely clear, he was asked to give a talk on Thomas Jefferson to a group of historians, Jefferson scholars, and trustees of Monticello. Also for reasons not clear to him at the time ("Sure ... That sounds like fun"), he accepted.
Alda came to understand that he accepted because the prospect terrified him. "Nothing feels as good to me as doing something I know how to do. But if I do it too many times, it feels easy and a little slick; it loses some of its pleasure." In the end he found a key to the meaning of Jefferson's life through the work of a scientist in China. I was interested in the way Alda challenged himself and coped with his fears, even if for me there was no "a-ha! moment" in the connection between Jefferson and the Chinese rice paddy.
In the chapter "Celebrity and its Discontents," Alda writes about his Grand Rounds lecture at Cornell Medical School. His subject: celebrity and its central role in modern life, from entertainment to politics to marketing. The points out the positive and negative impact on public health of celebrity role models and the personal challenge of being yourself when that isn't what the public wants of you. "The difficult part of celebrity," he writes, "is when you're recognized not for what you do, but simply for being famous." It's a chilling commentary on our modern values.
The final message of this book, Alda's distilled wisdom about life, is to NOTICE life. An excellent message, whether to a graduating class or to the readers of this book.