On the heels of his acclaimed memoir, Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, beloved actor and bestselling author Alan Alda has written Things I Ov...
read full description
reviews
Sep 20, 2007
Amy
rated it: 
This book pulls out all the stops and sets your emotions rolling. I cried during the chapter about 9/11 when a lady in Kansas not knowing what else to do baked a cake or the gentleman who said what they really missed at ground zero was something as simple as a candy bar. You could feel the immense feeling of being overwhelmed by all of the people represented in this chapter.
I laughed out loud about a conversation that he and Peter Jennings had one evening when Peter said that "Y More...
I laughed out loud about a conversation that he and Peter Jennings had one evening when Peter said that "Y More...
0 comments
like
(6 people liked it)
Oct 27, 2010
Stephanie
rated it:
"And that's something else I want to tell you as we stand in this doorway today. Love your work. If you always put your heart into everything you do, you can't lose. Whether or not you wind up making a lot of money, you will have had a wonderful time, and no one will ever be able to take that away from you." ......
Throughout the decades that make up his nearly sixty-year tenure in the acting industry, Alan Alda has been asked to give countless motivational speeches at place More...
Throughout the decades that make up his nearly sixty-year tenure in the acting industry, Alan Alda has been asked to give countless motivational speeches at place More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Jun 09, 2008
Lisa
rated it:
In the spirit of full disclosure, Alan Alda has always reminded me of my own father; As such, I think I would enthusiastically applaud his reading of the yellow pages. I knew that Mr. Alda was a talented actor and his turns in M*A*S*H, ER, and West Wing always thrilled me, but I didn't realize how multi-faceted he really is until this book. He was funny and introspective and provocative and warm. His words made me think: Is my life meaningful and what IS my definition of a meaningful life? I
More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Jul 14, 2008
Molly
rated it: 
I listened to this on CD - read by Alda, who is very good, giving you the sense he's telling this story just to you. I enjoyed it, but had a few minor issues. For one, it seems to ramble somewhat at times. The other was more with the format (the audio) than the book itself; the book is a collection of Alda's speeches, as well as his reflections on them. Because sometimes he reflects in the middle of a speech - which I'm sure in the book form is expressed through formatting or paragraph break
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Mar 17, 2008
Andrea
rated it:
I listened to this on CD on a road trip this past weekend. I was astounded at the number of times Alan Alda has spoken at commencement exercises or other public forums. A lot of the book was excerpts from these "talks" he had given. I enjoyed it, though some aspects of his life he repeated many times (like his mother being schizophrenic). Not that that is a problem, but listening to it it came off as being repetitive. If I had actually been reading the book I would have highlighte
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 16, 2008
Cate
rated it:
Got it from the library -- want a copy so I can underline all the funny and so-true quotes.
On the back of the book it says it's a great celebrity memoir, and that's true.
He's a great guy who could be a total snot and totally reclusive now that he's showing his age, BUT he doesn't! What a cool guy. Humble, honest, out there -- way out there; on top of mountains, interviewing all kinds of "little" people who are interesting. And funny -- oh so funny -- with heart. More...
On the back of the book it says it's a great celebrity memoir, and that's true.
He's a great guy who could be a total snot and totally reclusive now that he's showing his age, BUT he doesn't! What a cool guy. Humble, honest, out there -- way out there; on top of mountains, interviewing all kinds of "little" people who are interesting. And funny -- oh so funny -- with heart. More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 30, 2011
Vivian
rated it: 
I would not have read this if it hadn't been assigned for one of my book groups for June. And the day that I finished reading (it only took 2 days of a couple of hours here and there), the June facilitator decided to change her book to GONE BABY, GONE! Anyway, I love Alan Alda as an actor (I have easily seen every single episode of M*A*S*H at least 5 times) and as a good person and humanitarian. But as a writer-distiller of his thoughts and reflections, he can tend to get a bit full of himsel
More...
Feb 16, 2011
Danielle
rated it:
I like Alan Alda so much. I'm in love with him from "The West Wing" where I had to keep reminding myself that I couldn't actually vote for him, more's the pity. Anyway, I also like his voice quite a bit, so I figured I'd enjoy his reading of this book on CD, regardless of the content. As it turns out, I did, and the content was only so-so.
This book is basically a collection of talks (mostly commencement addresses) Alda has given throughout the years. So, it's heavy on the "L More...
This book is basically a collection of talks (mostly commencement addresses) Alda has given throughout the years. So, it's heavy on the "L More...
Sep 24, 2011
Added 9/8/11.
9/23/11 - I finished listening to this audio-book about a week ago. Alda covers a number of subjects and, at the same time, gives us some advice on how to live a good life. I read somewhere that the book includes parts of graduation speeches Alda has given over the years. The book is interesting but has a rambling quality.
The product description at Amazon, says that Alda discusses:
======================================
"...things he’s heard himself More...
9/23/11 - I finished listening to this audio-book about a week ago. Alda covers a number of subjects and, at the same time, gives us some advice on how to live a good life. I read somewhere that the book includes parts of graduation speeches Alda has given over the years. The book is interesting but has a rambling quality.
The product description at Amazon, says that Alda discusses:
======================================
"...things he’s heard himself More...
Aug 01, 2009
The_Mad_Swede
rated it: 
Earlier this year, I read Alda's book Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned, which I really enjoyed.
Because of my appreciation of that first, wonderful and thoughtful memoir, I picked up the sequel, as it were, Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself, and it doesn't disappoint. Not by a long shot.
Following his near death encounter in South America and the book it caused him to write, Alda ponders on the meaning of life. He chooses to do so by looki More...
Because of my appreciation of that first, wonderful and thoughtful memoir, I picked up the sequel, as it were, Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself, and it doesn't disappoint. Not by a long shot.
Following his near death encounter in South America and the book it caused him to write, Alda ponders on the meaning of life. He chooses to do so by looki More...
Sep 18, 2010
Rach
rated it:
Another truly enjoyable book by Alan Alda, and the audio book of this one has the benefit of being read by the man himself. While Alda's first book definitely falls into the genre of memoir, this one can more accurately be described as inspiration and advice. Every chapter is based around a speech Alda has given, whether it be a public commencement speech or a private conversation with family. This isn't just a transcript of those speeches, though. Alda takes the time to set up the circumstances
More...
Oct 14, 2011
William
rated it:
Alda is amazing at merging humor with deep thought. That mixture definitely makes you take note of his attitude toward life. This book contains separate antidotes and stories about some of the speeches that Alda has given and how he has learned from them. He goes into more depth about his speeches and sets up stories for each of them so that you get both a deeper meaning to his point and to his life. I don't recommend this book to those who don't want a pep-talk, but it would be great for those
More...
May 08, 2009
Melody
rated it:
I should have a shelf called "I knew better". This audiobook would go right in the center, if I had.
Alda's passionate, articulate, engaging but somehow I still found this book both fatuous and smarmy. I don't think it's intentional, of course. I found it desperately annoying. Maybe it's my own bias showing- if I'm deeply touched, I generally respond with humor or sarcasm (preferably both at once), and I think I am embarrassed in the presence of ingenuous emotions like Alda' More...
Alda's passionate, articulate, engaging but somehow I still found this book both fatuous and smarmy. I don't think it's intentional, of course. I found it desperately annoying. Maybe it's my own bias showing- if I'm deeply touched, I generally respond with humor or sarcasm (preferably both at once), and I think I am embarrassed in the presence of ingenuous emotions like Alda' More...
2 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Mar 10, 2011
I liked what Alda did with this book. It picked up right where his last book ended, but took off in a completely different direction. The book incorporated a number of speeches that Alda has given to various crowds. He not only does a great job explaining the speeches, what they mean to him, and what he thinks they can mean to others, but also gives wonderful descriptions of how nervous he was to give individual speeches and the work he did to overcome these nerves. More than taking any indi
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Dec 15, 2010
Shruts
rated it:
Excellent and inspiring book.
The premise of this non-fiction is that Alda explains the circumstances and the mood he was in while writing and presenting many of the college and university commencement speeches he has given over the decades, from the Vietnam Era (while the trail-blazing MASH series was filming) to his own daughter's graduation. We also learn of his early training and education, and his relations with his pwn Broadway star father.
While some vignettes lea More...
The premise of this non-fiction is that Alda explains the circumstances and the mood he was in while writing and presenting many of the college and university commencement speeches he has given over the decades, from the Vietnam Era (while the trail-blazing MASH series was filming) to his own daughter's graduation. We also learn of his early training and education, and his relations with his pwn Broadway star father.
While some vignettes lea More...
May 01, 2010
Tom
rated it:
Full disclosure - I love Alan Alda. I found this book to be superior to his previous book, although it's difficult for me to pinpoint why. I found it insightful for both Alda and myself. Despite his insistence in not searching for meaning in life, I found his words quite meaingful for me in my life. Even though I'm in early middle adulthood, I'm becoming more guarded with my reading time. I'm becoming aware that I'm not going to be able to re-read all my books three times over before I kick
More...
Aug 11, 2009
Tommy
rated it:
Alan Alda shows in this book why he is one of Hollywood;s, and America's, best and favorite citizen. In many ways he reminds me of a modern day Socrates with his ever inquisitive nature and thirst for knowledge.
Alda's intellectual curiosity is matched only by his wit and eloquence. He was born to give anecdotes and speeches regarding how to live life to its fullest and be happy. The way in which he weaves actual speeches he has delivered with contextual stories, flashbacks, and comme More...
Alda's intellectual curiosity is matched only by his wit and eloquence. He was born to give anecdotes and speeches regarding how to live life to its fullest and be happy. The way in which he weaves actual speeches he has delivered with contextual stories, flashbacks, and comme More...
Jul 30, 2009
Sueij
rated it:
I gave Alda's first autobiography four stars, and feel sad that I don't want to give this one more. In this one, he has gathered speeches and talks that he gave at various times and places and to various groups (lots of college graduating classes and auditoriums full of scientists), and then told the stories of what went into those talks and what was going on for him that he said what he did.
I think it really didn't do as much for me because I just really prefer novels (i.e. longer s More...
I think it really didn't do as much for me because I just really prefer novels (i.e. longer s More...
May 18, 2009
Ben
rated it:
The biographical material was interesting, but most of book is a collection of his various lectures--many of which are inspiring. Uplifting book. One bit in particular changed me: he explains that his motive for leading protests against arms proliferation wasn't done because he thought he would effectuate real change (he knew his efforts were too small), but because he wanted to do *something* to work towards changing the world--to be able to say that he tried. And if everyone did that, real cha
More...
Feb 19, 2009
David
rated it:
I am a big fan of Alan Alda. I could watch M*A*S*H episodes over and over again. I also watched Scientific American Frontiers, religiously.
I was surprised, though, how much I like his book. Mr. Alda recounts a lot of his speeches from commencement addresses to talks with doctors and scientists. He discusses what he thinks is the meaning of life and his ideas on raising his children in addition to seemingly random thoughts, which he later weaves into his theme of "what it a More...
I was surprised, though, how much I like his book. Mr. Alda recounts a lot of his speeches from commencement addresses to talks with doctors and scientists. He discusses what he thinks is the meaning of life and his ideas on raising his children in addition to seemingly random thoughts, which he later weaves into his theme of "what it a More...
May 10, 2011
Trina
rated it:
I am a fan of Alan Alda the actor but I am not so sure about Alan Alda the writer. This book takes you on the edge of something really good then distracts itself with its own pretty reflection. Alda comes off as a pompous jerk who gets his kicks by ruining graduations. He goes on about what the meaning of life should and should not be, but I never get the feeling he believes in his own assessment. There were some entertaining chapters: what he did after 9/11 and what fame is like. Unfortunately,
More...
Nov 08, 2011
Krissy
rated it:
Although a little bit of a strange arrangement for a memoir (reviews and asides of several commencement speeches Mr. Alda has given), this was a smooth and enjoyable read. Unfortunately, one of the points made by the author, that no one ever remembers commencement speeches, rang true. I enjoyed and felt touched by them as I read them, and then I immediately forgot them as I moved on to the next chapter or marked my stopping point for the day. Still, it was nice to read about searching for mea
More...
Oct 02, 2010
D'face
rated it:
Alan Alda’s second book - Things I overhead while talking to myself – is not as good as his first, at least to this reader. His first book was a memoir whereas this is a collection of his thoughts grouped around speeches that he has given at graduation ceremonies and the like. He makes a number of observations on life, his experience and what he has learnt over the years. He concludes with three essentials to a good life – make someone happy, find out how you can be helpful, and if you keep scor
More...
Jan 13, 2011
Lori
rated it:
Like a lot of us my opinion and image of Alan Alda was caught up in his character that he played on M*A*S*H, Hawkeye Pierce. Thankfully both his books were recommended to me and following are the things I learnt while reading Mr. Alda's books: He is funny (I guess that's a given), intelligent, compassionate, creative, caring, kind, respectful, extremely curious, introspective and insightful. He loves his family and shares his curiosity and enthusiasm with his grandchildren. And he takes time
More...
May 25, 2010
Kaylee
rated it:
I didn't actually read the synopsis of this before listening to it, so I was a little taken aback when, by chapter three, I realized he was really just compiling random speeches he'd given over the years.
His advice is witty, honest, and pretty much everything you expect -- but with his self-deprecation thrown in.
Difficult to feel inspired by some talks, though -- especially the ones he'd conclude with things like, "having a child makes everything worthwhile and meaningfu More...
His advice is witty, honest, and pretty much everything you expect -- but with his self-deprecation thrown in.
Difficult to feel inspired by some talks, though -- especially the ones he'd conclude with things like, "having a child makes everything worthwhile and meaningfu More...
May 04, 2009
kim
rated it:
I listened to the audio version of this, which Alda reads, but I'm pretty sure that even if I'd read it, I would've heard his voice reading this in my head. This was funny and thoughtfully political without being preachy. This was a quick and enjoyable listen, and it made me wish that Alan Alda had spoken at my college commencement ceremony, because I think there are things from this book that I will actually remember for a while (and I can't recall a single word that Michigan governor Jennife
More...
Aug 05, 2010
Serina
rated it:
I got this by chance , and said ok it is a change but sure there is nothing new , just some thoughts but this book really took me away , couldn't leave it till the end, Alda is so simple yet he has something to say in a new way, though you may have known it already. He is so full of life and embrassing it is his essence , through the pages he take you to his mind and make you wonder with him at the answers of his questions, I didn't give it a 5 because I think some ideas were a bit shallow yet i
More...
Feb 07, 2012
Maria
rated it:
I am just now starting this book - I have always been a M*A*S*H freak - I have every episode on DVD - from the old Elliot Gould movie, every TV episode, the final movie, the reunions, the bloopers...well you get the picture! Alan is wonderful - 'nuff said. I didn't know he had written another autobiography before this - so I'll read that soon.
2/6/12 - almost finished this book - in one day! Alan Alda is just as charming in "real life" (this book) as he was as Hawkeye. More...
2/6/12 - almost finished this book - in one day! Alan Alda is just as charming in "real life" (this book) as he was as Hawkeye. More...
Oct 14, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
The jacket description of this books sounds like it should read like an auto-biography. It's not.
Each chapter of the book is centered on a public speech that the author gave. Several are from funerals, several are from graduation speeches. The chapters lead up to how the author got into the situation and how he got the ideas for the speech.
There are several good ideas and the book made me want to know about Alan Alda. Even at the very end. Not good for a book that is More...
Each chapter of the book is centered on a public speech that the author gave. Several are from funerals, several are from graduation speeches. The chapters lead up to how the author got into the situation and how he got the ideas for the speech.
There are several good ideas and the book made me want to know about Alan Alda. Even at the very end. Not good for a book that is More...
Sep 29, 2008
Brendan
rated it:
This book is one of the more up and down memoirs I've encountered. Alda tells stories well, and his anecdotes shine throughout the book. His stories about working with Osse Davis on Broadway or meeting his business manager crackle with detail and zip along nicely. At the same time, the organizing principle behind this book is a set of speeches he's given to various groups and venues over the past thirty years or so. In most cases, the speeches themselves have kernels of truth but they weigh
More...
