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Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself
 
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Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself (Hardcover)

by Alan Alda (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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From Publishers Weekly

After actor Alda (Never Have Your Dog Stuffed) recovered from a nearly fatal intestinal obstruction, he decided to live as if he'd been given a second life. To make his new life as meaningful as possible, he wanted to remember those rare moments when a special stillness had come over him, the kind that hits you when you hear something that goes to the core of who you think you are. These were moments when he'd had some understanding about the meaning of his life, his reason for living—the central questions that Alda grapples with, as he looks back over his life. While poking good-natured fun at some of his earlier rhetoric (the ravings of a naïve Hollywood liberal) he shares highlights of the various commencement speeches and keynote addresses he's given to future doctors and physicists, or even to the odd group of Jefferson scholars. He phrases it differently for each audience, but the message is consistent: It's not what you do in life, but how you do it. Notice everything. Always be open to new ideas, new experiences. Alda is chatty, easygoing and humble, rather like a Mr. Rogers for grownups. His words of inspiration would be a perfect gift for a college grad or for anyone facing major life changes. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile

As a follow-up to his bestseller, NEVER HAVE YOUR DOG STUFFED, Alan Alda has scored a perfect 10. This very funny and hugely insightful memoir picks up where his previous book left off--with his having emergency surgery after nearly dying on a mountaintop in Chile--and introduces new stories of life, love, and the meaning of it all. This audio presentation is excellent in every way. Aldas voice is so familiar that hes easy to listen to. Theres no doubt his purpose is to share the wisdom he has acquired in his long and productive life, a life that is far from over. His straightforward style helps makes this audio presentation meaningful, heartwarming, and just plain funny. M.R.E. 2008 Grammy Nominee © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Terrifying himself to feel alive, Dec 3 2007
By Linda Bulger (Avon, Maine) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
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.
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