Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself

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. Alda's voice is so familiar that he's easy to listen to. There's 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 (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

June 25, 2007
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 liberalâ€) 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.