Random House
2005
$25 hardcover
Alan Alda's memoirs... not a full-fledged autobiography, but a collection of memories spanning his life from his childhood all the way through to the present day. Alda discusses growing up sane in a crazy family, surviving his mother's mental illness and spending a lifetime trying to analyze his relationship with his father while simultaneously building a successful career as an actor and director and a successful family life with his wife and their daughters. Not exactly a "hometown boy made good" story, more like a "sensitive oddball made good despite growing up in the less-than-wholesome environment of early Hollywood" story.
I have always loved Alan Alda, not just for his portrayal of Capt. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce from M*A*S*H, but for his other works, such as "Same Time, Next Year" and "The Four Seasons." I wanted to read his book first, because, hey, it's Alan Alda and I'm a big fan.
When I heard the title, I just had to have it... the title grabbed me. But when I read the very first line, I simply could not put the book down. The book starts out with the words, "My mother didn't try to stab my father until I was six, but she must have shown signs of oddness before that." That's a fabulous opening line if ever I've heard one. I read the book in one day.
Warning, this is not a book for anyone who wants to read an autobiography about Hawkeye Pierce or Alan Alda. This book simply is neither of those things. This book is exactly what it claims to be in the subtitle, a collection of lessons Alda learned throughout his life and career, the most important of which is that some of the best things in life simply cannot be captured forever. It is better to let them go and remember them as they were than to try to save them artificially, because nothing can maintain it's essence permanently. So... don't ever get your dog stuffed!
This is a thoughtful glimpse into this man's life, from his infancy through the births of his children and grandchildren. Included you will find few mentions of his famouse alter-ego, but more memories of growing up in burlesque to an insane mother and famous actor father, how he survived it and how he applied the lessons he learned to his later life.
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