He’s one of America’s most recognizable and acclaimed actors — a star on Broadway, an Oscar nominee for The Aviator, and the only person to ever win Emmys for acting, writing, and directing, during his eleven years on MASH. Now Alan Alda has written a memoir as elegant, funny, and affecting as his greatest performances.
“My mother didn’t try to stab my father until I was six,” begins Alda’s … begins Alda’s irresistible story. The son of a popular actor and a loving but mentally ill mother, he spent his early childhood backstage in the erotic and comic world of burlesque and went on, after early struggles, to achieve extraordinary success in his profession.
Yet Never Have Your Dog Stuffed is not a memoir of show-business ups and downs. It is a moving and funny story of a boy growing into a man who then realizes he has only just begun to grow.
It is the story of turning points in Alda’s life, events that would make him what he is — if only he could survive them.
From the moment as a boy when his dead dog is returned from the taxidermist’s shop with a hideous expression on his face, and he learns that death can’t be undone, to the decades-long effort to find compassion for the mother he lived with but never knew, to his acceptance of his father, both personally and professionally, Alda learns the hard way that change, uncertainty, and transformation are what life is made of, and true happiness is found in embracing them.
Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, filled with curiosity about nature, good humor, and honesty, is the crowning achievement of an actor, author, and director, but surprisingly, it is the story of a life more filled with turbulence and laughter than any Alda has ever played on the stage or screen.
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Wow, my lifelong perception of Alan Alda is far different from the identity shared in this book. After reading this book I looked back through my own memories if his work and realized there’s always been a serious undertone in his work. I assumed it was a method, a way to support the writing, now I understand it’s an expression of his own …
In this book, Alan Alda shows us what the resilience of the human spirit looks like. He didn’t survive a gulag or concentration camp but rather his family’s own madhouse, where reality and unreality, truth and fiction were blurred. Somehow Alda child and man sorted it out. He doesn’t deny the events or their impact on him, doesn’t blame or stop …
I enjoyed the book.
Interesting life. Fun adventure.
A lot less than you would expect from such an experienced and talented actor.
Interesting life of Alan Alda. I did not realize how much more he did than his MASH role and how hard he struggled to succeed.
Easy to read autobiography that describes Alan Alda’s feelings and thoughts. Discovered there was more to him than M*A*S*H.
Strange!
As a closet MASH fan, this was a good find. His perspective, growing up, and his break into acting was an interesting read. His life, as he was brought along on his parents acting career, were funny, sad and priceless.The chapters about his parents, and how they dealt with mental illness, is a topic that has been always discussed in hushed tones, …
I enjoyed the author’s witty descriptions about his life and journey as a comic and actor. His unique upbringing brought forth a new perspective to his humor and acting style. Alan Alda is definitely an interesting man.
Alan Alda has always been a favorite actor. His “life history” was fascinating.
Having long admired Alan Alda in his many roles and especially M*A*S*H, I wanted to see how he was as a writer. He comes across as a wonderful human being with a big heart and an inquisitive mind that made him a lifelong learner. His writing is much like Hawkeye Pierce talks. You need to read the book to find out why.
Good pleasaant,fun read. Great when you don’t feel like being to serious. Highly recommended.
His candor touched my heart.
I chose this book, of course, because I love Alan Alda, and MASH in particular. Fascinating to learn about the life of a child growing up in show biz family during those early days and how he adapted and developed from that influence. I am also familiar with the area where he lived several years as a child, and with the Malibu Canyon area where …
Have always enjoyed Alan Alda in MASH and other roles. A delightful biography.
It wasn’t as good as advertised. The insights about M*A*S*H were interesting.
I was quite disappointed in this memoir as Alan Alda is a favorite of mine. I can’t put my finger on it exactly but it just couldn’t hold my attention. I never got past his early childhood….that in itself was tedious. I give his family credit for being adventurous though.
Learned a lot about a favorite actor, Alda.
I only knew of Alan Alda from M*A*S*H, so this was enlightening. I had no idea that he was such a thinker (which I resonate with). He’s not a thinker like “I’ve got all the answers,” but more like “I’m curious. How does that work?” He pays attention to the world around him. I gather that he is also extremely gracious when it comes to dealing with …