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Oct 23, 2009

Brad rated it:

When I was a kid I would sit in our playroom and watch M*A*S*H* on my black and white TV while everyone else was busy doing their thing. I remember Little House on the Prairie being on at the same time, so my sister and Mom must have been watching the Ingalls. And my Dad...well he wasn't interested in M*A*S*H*. He hated Alan Alda.

According to my Dad, Hawkeye, and Alan Alda by extension, was a bleeding heart liberal, and the only things worse than bleeding heart liberals in our house More...

23 comments like (31 people liked it)

Jan 02, 2009

Krissy rated it:

This book wasn't too bad, considering that I don't really like memoirs. Mostly it's about how he learned to act and stuff. Actually, the only reason I decided to read it was because my Dad watches a lot of MASH so I thought it might be interesting, but there's really not much in there about the show at all. There's only like 10 pages and even then, it doesn't give hardly any detail. So I have to say it was a little bit boring. I did like the parts where he describes what it was like growing More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 05, 2009

Sarah rated it:

i do love me some m*a*s*h. i’ve had a little crush on alan alda forever. there’s a picture of him as hawkeye that’s in the intermission deli at home. has been since they were in olde city. i want it. i always want to offer to buy it from them, but never do.

anyway. i really enjoyed his autobiography. i was expecting that it was gonna be all about mash (because that’s what publishers like to see--stories about things they already know that people love). but it was more about his life More...

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Jan 02, 2009

bookczuk rated it:

A while back, mr czuk and I had a driveway moment- one of those times when what is on the radio is so interesting, you don't want to get out of the car to go inside. What was so interesting? One of our favorite NPR shows, "What do you know" with Michael Feldman was on with Alan Alda as the guest for the first segment. Alda was so great in telling stories from his childhood that I turned to mr czuk and said, "I'll have to try and find his book. It sounds great." I was gifted t More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Dec 27, 2011

trishtrash rated it:

Alan Alda is one of the most engaging actors I’ve seen; it was no surprise to learn that the outward twinkle is driven, in part, by an inward need to have, to control, and to please, an audience… he’s driven by other things, too, and his ability to break these factors down and present them to the reader makes this an honest and charming memoir. As sad as some parts of his personal history are, he doesn’t flinch in presenting them to the reader for mutual examination, and even laces them with hu More...

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Oct 05, 2011

Rob rated it:

I'm not certain what possessed me to pick this up, other than a vague childhood fondness for MASH and a general sense that Alan Alda is a thoroughly good sort. On the latter point, I was absolutely right: he manages to write with a complete lack of ego, whilst describing himself as the sort of person who craves attention and the need to perform. He also manages to write about his mother's psychosis in a way that is moving yet wholly removed from any sense of this being a 'misery memoir'. Inde More...

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Oct 03, 2011

Jill rated it:

I read this because as a MASH fan, I am naturally an Alan Alda fan although I know little about his other work. I found the book really interesting and enjoyable. I was a little disappointed that the 11 or so years of MASH was covered in only one chapter but I guess that Alan wanted us to know that there is more to him than Just Hawkeye and we certainly go on a journey of discovery to find that out. His descriptions of his early childhood around the vaudeville theatres is both disturbing and More...

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Apr 28, 2011

Saxton B. Little rated it:

Before reading this book I knew little about Alan Alda. Of course I was one of the millions who welcomed him into my living room each week as he portrayed Hawkeye on M.A.S.H. Later, went the lights went off and Alda went on to other things, I’d see his warm face from time to time, but never paid much attention to his career.

Our book group chose this, a bit different than most memoirs we have read before. Memoirs in themselves can be sketchy, just giving a bit of a life but not the who More...

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May 27, 2009

Karen rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Nov 26, 2010

Matt rated it:

I've always liked the Alan Alda I see on TV, especially in M*A*S*H, of which I have seen every episode multiple times. The Alan Alda in his first book, "Never Have Your Dog Stuffed" is much like he has always been in interviews, but with the subject matter being as sometimes sad as it is, the tone feels a lot heavier.

If you are looking for a lot of fun stories about M*A*S*H, you should look elsewhere. Obviously there are mentions because it was such a huge part of Alda's life More...

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Sep 15, 2010

Amy rated it:

I grew up with a slight crush on the gawky, womanizing, liberal Hawkeye Pierce of M*A*S*H* glory. When I reached high school, my crush developed into full-fledged adoration of the Alan Alda who engaged in smart, well-mannered conversation on Scientific American Frontier. When I picked up the book, I was hoping to find a balance between these two ideas of the man I "knew" from t.v.

Alda's book is an autobiography in the best sense in that he talks about himself, and does so More...

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Apr 28, 2011

Carol rated it:

Before reading this book I knew little about Alan Alda. Of course I was one of the millions who welcomed him into my living room each week as he portrayed Hawkeye on M.A.S.H. Later, went the lights went off and Alda went on to other things, I’d see his warm face from time to time, but never paid much attention to his career.

Our book group chose this, a bit different than most memoirs we have read before. Memoirs in themselves can be sketchy, just giving a bit of a life but not the who More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 22, 2007

Laurel rated it:

A poignant, funny, book describing Alda's life - from traveling with his parents - his father was a comic in a burlesque troup - thru his mother's mental illness, to near-death in the Andes. Written in a very modest tone, we share what Alda has learned by hearing about how much he thought he knew - and didn't. His career was much more wide-ranging than I knew - much stage work, and writing. Highly recommended.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 29, 2010

AJ rated it:

If you're going to read something by Alan Alda, get the audio version and have it read to you by Alan Alda.

I knew nothing about his life and I am so glad I picked this up. He grew up in the world of vaudeville, learning the theater from the wings. For anyone interested in acting, this is a good look of what to do and what not to do.

It's not a study of acting though, but you can't have Alan Alda's autobio without information on acting.

The most powerful moment More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 02, 2011

Denise rated it:

This was Alda's first autobiography, and I must say that I couldn't put it down. Having been raised on reruns of M*A*S*H, I bought the book as a present for my mother. I month or so later, she mailed to me insisting I read it too. She was right. The same quick wit and blunt one line observations of life that make Hawkeye so endearing make this book completely engaging. As it turns out, Alda was very much involved in the writing and direction his character took on that classic show. This book, ho More...

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Jul 13, 2009

Katie rated it:

I never read celebrity memoirs, ever, but Alda's mother had schizophrenia, so I picked this one up. He doesn't write a whole lot about her, but I am reminded of the fact that I love Alan Alda. Partly because when he smiles in a certain way he looks a little bit like my dad, but also I like his work. He turns out to be a wonderful writer. He wanted to be a writer as a boy and he has really worked at it, a lot, all his life, a lesson to all of us...Who knew he had polio when he was 7 or grew u More...

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Aug 03, 2008

Karen rated it:

If you were(are) a M*A*S*H fan and you loved Alan Alda as Hawkeye Pierce, you will really enjoy this book. A quick read made better because you can hear Alda's voice reading it. Alda was raised by his mentally ill mother and handsome actor father. Times weren't always fun and games, but he relates his memoir with wit and energy. I laughed out loud throughout.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 20, 2009

The_Mad_Swede rated it:

Alan Alda's memoir Never Have Your Dog Stuffed: And Other Things I've Learned is an excellent example of what a good memoir should do (in my humble opinion) and lives up to its both serious and witty title. This is not by any means an excercise in name dropping (which can certainly happen in authobiographies and memoirs by famous people), but rather about Alda's journey through life and what he's learned on that journey. In fact, if anything, Alda underplays the fact that he certainly must ha More...

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Sep 11, 2010

Anthony17 rated it:

I'm not reading this sequentially. It doesn't seem to be required.
I remember sitting with old men on lawn chairs on warm days (not all at the same time, none of them famous). I would say something, usually a question. They would start talking in a mumble. Then the mumble would hit a memory and they might be off on a clear string that worked it's way into the past. They would be looking somewhere. Sometimes I think they went back and I was looking at a broadcast in the form of an ol More...

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Apr 18, 2009

Surreysmum rated it:

The paperback edition of this autobiography looks slim, but don't be fooled: its 235 pages are packed with striking anecdotes and the philosophical musings of a highly intelligent and sensitive man with very much his own unique outlook on life. The quick tongue and passionate humanism of Hawkeye in M*A*S*H is, it seems, mirrored in his most famous interpreter - and that's not always the case with actors, as we all know. Alda doesn't plod through for the sake of plodding - I'm sure fans of partic More...

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Mar 05, 2011

Cass rated it:

Periodically throughout the book I would turn back and look at the front cover in order to remind myself that I was indeed reading the autobiography of Alan Alda, who is remembered not only for being the answer to every four-letter crossword question starting with A, but as the beloved Hawkeye from M*A*S*H.

His has lived the most fantastical life. From making the newspapers as a two-year-old boy with a pipe smoking habit (also reported to have broken his mother's nose) to his attempt More...

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Nov 11, 2009

Katie rated it:

This book is fantastic. Not only is Alda an entertaining writer, but he offers many insights into the process of both writing and acting which I found fascinating. Also a bonus is the fact that he and seem to be very similar. For example, when asked to recall what was going through his mind at a random moment, his answer was so inanely detailed that his listeners called him insane...but it was the same kind of perseverating thought process that I go through day after day. Wonderful.

More...

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Mar 09, 2011

David added it

I felt as if, at least for me, this book had two parts. The first part was before MASH was mentioned and the second was after MASH (no pun intended). In the first part, Alda did a great job describing parts of his life I could have never imagined he went through. It was interesting, funny, and while he tried to throw some life lessons out to the reader, it never came across as overly preachy. When he finally got into talking about MASH, it was like another great rendition of a story I've hea More...

1 comment like

Aug 25, 2010

BarkLessWagMore rated it:

My dad use to watch M*A*S*H when I was a kid but I would usually leave the room or pick up a book to block it out, war stuff scared me and was never my thing. Those little snippets were all I knew about Alan Alda but the title of this one called my name.

This isn’t one of those gossipy tell-alls and the book barely touches on Alda’s time on M*A*S*H. It’s a memoir about his entire life and I found it fascinating and quietly funny. Alda grew up surrounded by performers and parents wh More...

5 comments like (8 people liked it)

Jul 18, 2010

Meg rated it:

I have had a crush on Benjamin Franklin Pierce since I can remember. I own and have seen every episode of MASH. One of my cats is name Hawkeye. This is all proof---that Alan Alda is probably one of my favorite people. That being said, this book was good, but I got a little bored. The best chapter was about his emergency sugery in Chile....that was extremely interesting, but earlier chapters were a bit boring.

Alan Alda has had an interesting life---and I didn't know he spoke French o More...

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Jul 04, 2009

Ben rated it:

Alan Alda-ish tongue in check humor. There's neither a literary break through here, nor exceptional writing skills. Alda does tell mediocre stories though. He's really an ordinary guy in an ordinary world, and I respect him for not spicing up his acting or personal life with sensational lies. I laughed a couple of times and felt his emotions about his parents, but he didn't quite zone in on any specific details until his abdominal surgery in Chile. If you're looking for a calm read that's not ri More...

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Jan 15, 2009

Jannice rated it:

An interesting and quick read. Alda gives us a look into his early days around vaudeville and burlesque, then eventually shows us how those days made him the person he grew to be. I was glad this was not a 'tell all' book, I'm so disgusted with seeing that kind of 'crap' on tv. I wouldn't call this a funny book but it does have it's humorous moments. If you are a fan of Alda's, you will want to read this one! Never Have Your Dog Stuffed And Other Things I've Learned More...

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Nov 03, 2009

Pterodactyl rated it:

I'll admit that I don't read many celebrity biographies, so I can't really say if it's accurate, but Alda at one point talks about the usual biography being a chronicle of the celebrity's "rise to stardom", as it were. Alda brings it up because that's really not what his book is about. There is a chapter on M*A*S*H, but it's not the end of the book, it's somewhere near the middle. Alda writes more about self discovery, and not only with regards to acting, but primarily in learning h More...

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Dec 09, 2010

Elizabeth rated it:

Alda's memoir is unexpectedly insightful, poignant, and beautifully written, as he tells his story -- the story of a boy, and then young man -- coming to terms with a nontraditional upbringing (his father was a traveling burlesque man, and later, a Hollywood leading man) and the chaos of living with his mother's mental deterioration as schizophrenia overtook her. He tells of how he came to be an actor, director, and writer, yes, but he tells more of his journey to uncover and own his emotions, t More...

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Jun 25, 2011

Dev rated it:

Pleasant and engaging. Sitting from a position of wry perspective, Alda spins tales of his life growing up in the saucy days of vaudeville to his high school days under the thumb of the Catholic church - he favored the former. Not all light hearted chit-chat, Alda does a fair job of taking on his mother's growing mental illness and his, at least for a time, unmet desire to act from a deep place of personal truth. Surprising light on MASH anecdotes, the book is a bit slight throughout. Regard More...

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