Never Have Your Dog Stuffed
Alda, AlanAward-winning actor Alan Alda tells of his childhood spent travelling with his father's burlesque company; memories of his dog, Rhapsody (before it was stuffed); coping with his mother's mental illness, and the highs and lows of his acting career. This is a touching and poignant memoir of a boy growing into a man, and events that would make him who he is today. [Larger font]
Comments from Groups
We all enjoyed this book. Very well written. Alda may now be a world famous actor, but being raised by a mentally ill mother meant it hasn't all been easy for him. Auckland 020 Good discussion about a world we knew little about. The title generated lots of discussion about 'moving on', and not trying to continue things when their time is over. Easy to read. Not gripping but interesting. Upper Hutt 001 We had a lengthy discussion, and everyone felt they had a new perspective on 'Hawkeye'. Some interesting comments were made about improvisation, ADHD, relationships and family. We also felt that the courage to act when feeling self doubt, was huge. One comment was that the last few chapters seem hurried, and could have come straight from his diary - needed editing, and was a weak point in an excellent read. Newport 013 A good honest read. Not so much an autobiography - more a series of snapshots. Masterton 004 While we all found the book easy to read and fairly interesting, we thought it was slightly lacking in substance...Ohaka 001
Pages
224
224
Year
2005
2005
Reviews
09-01-2023
Everyone enjoyed it.
05-05-2022
The group thought the book was thoroughly enjoyable. We were surprised that Alan Alda has another side to him, and was so interested in science etc.
22-10-2021
All but one of our group enjoyed this book. An interesting and different life.
04-07-2020
The message about not standing still in life resonated with us. Interesting life and pretty easy to read.
13-11-2019
Generally enjoyed - all found him much more complex than we expected.
05-04-2019
Most enjoyed this book.
28-03-2018
We all like a good biography but this isn't one of them. It is entertaining but at the end of it I felt I knew nothing more than I did at the beginning. It is more of a chronological list of events in his life. That makes it sound worse than it is but just regard this as light reading.