The Way I See It

by Eddie Cantor

A comedian tells his wise, witty, heart-warming philosophy behind his years of full, successful living.

Genres: Nonfiction

204 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1959

Reviews

[Amy Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've ever wished you could talk to Eddie Cantor and pick his brain about how his mind works, his success or how to become one yourself, this book just about gives you that ability, here Cantor has honestly and unflinchingly written about nearly every topic you could think of. This is an autobiography, but instead of memories it's his thoughts on life, it's almost like a self-help book. He covers marriage, children, the government, immigrants, how to go after your dreams, taking care of heart health (he'd had a serious heart attack and he passed from another just 5 years after this book was published), slowing down and enjoying the now, the changes he's noticed in the entertainment industry for worse and better, self love, manners and many other topics.

I really enjoyed this intimate volume, it was so neat to "get advice" and wisdom from someone I admire who passed a couple of decades before I was born. I was excited and glad that I found myself wholeheartedly agreeing with everything Eddie wrote in this book, he was all about love, kindness, acceptance, grace, positivity and enthusiasm. He stands up for women a lot in this book too, there was only one page where he sounded a bit outdated saying girls should 'spruce themselves up before their man gets home' and later saying they should maintain their figure, other than that he was a great empathetic voice for women. From his stances, I know he would be appalled by American politics right now.

There are many things he speaks about that need to be changed and better in the future, those were interesting because many of them haven't changed much since 1959, we're still hoping the same things will get better. And things he disliked and hoped would go away, like vulgarity, swearing and adult content in movies, has become far worse. He also notes how at the time, young people chasing their dreams were all trying to seem cool and offhand instead of enthusiastic and alive with passion, that's definitely something I think is still a thing now and I agree, we need to show our joy not act so sophisticated!

While there are a couple of chapters that were more dry and draggy, I really enjoyed this special book and would definitely recommend to Cantor fans!