Halfway Through the Door: An actor's journey toward the self

by Alan Arkin

Dust jacket has numerous indentations. Front jacket has 1/2" tear at bottom left. Pages are tan. Text is clean and unmarked.

85 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Alan Arkin was an American actor, director, author, and screenwriter.
In a career spanning seven decades, he received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award as well as nominations for six Emmy Awards.

Reviews

[Rev. Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard for me to be objective about this book as it is a favorite of mine for sentimental reasons. I read it very early in my spiritual development before I even knew what spiritual development was. It was a case of the right book coming to me at the right time and the things Arkin had to say about meditation made me hungry to learn more.

I love this book because it's written by a man who is honest with himself, and with us, about his own ego and his own shortcomings. It's also a love story of sorts, about a man surrendering himself completely to his guru and ultimately to his own higher self.

Perhaps one of the biggest blessings to me from this book was this one line: "The purpose of this work has been to let you know I am not unique, and you are not alone." For me, it all started from there.

[Shibumi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great memoir by a great actor.

[Emilie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alan Arkin is one of my favorite actors. I thoroughly enjoyed his memoir AN IMPROVISED LIFE. I love reading about spiritual journeys. With all of that in mind, I expected to enjoy this book, but I stopped about halfway through it. I have to wholeheartedly agree with the Kirkus Reviews write-up of this book, which characterizes it as a "dreary pamphlet."

Maybe Arkin has mellowed with age because while he seemed down to earth in AN IMPROVISED LIFE, he comes off as rather arrogant here in spite of claims of now being on the road to enlightenment. I've seen that sort of attitude with people who have found themselves a new philosophy or religion: they're excited, they want you to know about it, but they often come off as condescending towards anyone outside their new mindset. A very human reaction, especially if your new mindset rescues you from malaise or meaninglessness, but it's also off-putting.

I would highly recommend AN IMPROVISED LIFE-- it also goes over the writer's personal journey and search for meaning, but in a much more generous, even-tempered manner.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Open, honest, revealing, fascinating, surprising, inspiring.