I Hated to Do It: Stories of a Life

by Donald C. Farber

For over 40 years, Donald C. Farber was Kurt Vonnegut's attorney, literary agent, and close friend. In this deeply felt memoir, Farber offers a rare portrait of Vonnegut that is both candid and entertaining. A renowned entertainment lawyer with a largely famous clientele and a highly acclaimed author in his own right, Farber provides colorful anecdotes that detail the daily realities of working with Vonnegut from the perspective of the person who knew him best. The millions of fans around the world who mourned Vonnegut's passing will treasure this new and intimate portrait of him, not just as an acclaimed author, but also as a witty, eclectic, and brave personality that contributed greatly to our culture.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography

228 pages, Hardcover

First published December 19, 2014

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a goodreads first reads winner of "I Hated to do it Stories of a Life" Donald C. Farber was the attorney for Kurt Vonnegut. He was also his literary agent and close friend. Mr.Farber also became friends and sometimes attorney to many different famous people through out the business. Especially in New York. A lot of this book is devoted to Kurt Vonnegut. Mr.Farber has many stories and fond memories he shares about the author. There is more to this book however. I found the part where the Farbers decided to invest in this "little play" called The Fantastics. pretty good investment since it is still playing on NYC 50 years later. The author of this book has met many famous people and offers little tidbits of his experiences working with people in the business. I admire Mr.Farber's devotion to his good friend Kurt Vonnegut. A nice read. I may even have to get around to reading a book by Mr.Vonnegut. I hear there are some pretty good ones out there.

[Mim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as I'd hoped. More about the author with anecdotes about Vonnegut.

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!

[John Nondorf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not perfectly written, but has some great insights into Kurt Vonnegut told with respect and love.

[J. Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

More a scattered collection of notes dictated for a potential memoir than a finished, edited, organized book, I HATED TO DO IT does offer a few interesting behind-the-scenes snippets of life in the shadow of Kurt Vonnegut. Certainly the author has attended innumerable parties and dinners with famous people in the second half of the 20th century. We get a lively account of the VIPs and their very boozy lifestyle, but only in the most superficial way. The constant name-dropping is, after all, the key to the book. As agent and lawyer, the author socialized with a lot of famous people. He is very very much in awe of the company he keeps, and wants you to know it. (The word "famous" appears over 50 times in a book of barely 100 pages.) It is equally important that we understand that these people are, not just his clients, but his "friends" (a word that appears over 100 times). Yet when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, to offering juicy details on Vonnegut's relationships, pill overdose, moods, income, literary fame, personal life, etc. the author invokes attorney-client privilege, and simply taunts the reader with secrets that cannot be divulged. For those interested in show business and literary trivia, this is a quick and entertaining read from a star-struck, kindly, devoted, well-intentioned, full-of-himself, successful, influential, financial manager with a backstage pass and a piece of the action.

[Tom Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I live in Indianapolis and actually give tours in the cemetery where Kurt Vonnegut's parents, sister, both sets of grandparents, both sets of paternal great-grandparents, the parents of his first wife Jane, etc. etc. are buried. So I don't necessarily read everything by or about him, but I do read a lot of it. This was a chatty little read, certainly not all of it just about Kurt. Mr. Farber not only became Vonnegut's trusted attorney and agent, but a very close and dear friend who was with the author in the good times and the bad on, as he claims, an almost daily basis for over 40 years. He also knew many other famous people whose names he drops not just for the sake of dropping them, but because he really did interact with them personally and professionally, and this book is just as much his story and it his remembering Kurt Vonnegut.

So it is a pleasant little read, pretty quick, and with a few insights about both men.

[Ginni · Rating 2 out of 5]

(From a Goodreads giveaway.)

It's never a good sign when a book opens with a pretty convincing argument for why it shouldn't have been written. "I have advised clients that no one wants to read about their relationship with famous people unless it is about their sex lives," he writes in the introduction. He goes on to explain that he disregarded his own advice and wrote the book anyway. Okay.

I'm sure the author's life was exceptional, but it does not make for exceptional reading. There are a few poignant or amusing anecdotes about Kurt Vonnegut that I was glad to have read, but they would have been better included in an actual biography rather than in this memoir. It's the literary equivalent of that girl who went to middle school with Taylor Swift and won't ever shut up about it.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read this book because the Farbers had a summer home on the other side of the woods from our friends Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist of Red Cedar Farm in Saugerties, NY. Once back in the 70's or 80's they even invited us over to their house while we were visiting. All I remember of the visit is that they had a long church pew in the entryway and that Mr Farber was a theatrical lawyer and that he represented Kurt Vonnegut. So I was happy to find a section of the book about events at this house and the fact that he hosted the wedding of Lucie Arnaz and Laurencel Luckenbill there.

[Liz Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short book by Kurt Vonnegut's lawyer, agent and friend. Vonnegut called Donald every morning about 9. I did learn about Vonnegut and a lot of other people too. It is an old lawyer's ramblings and just when you think you don't want to read it anymore, you become fascinated again. Donald Farber was a lawyer for Broadway and off Broadway Theater as well as Vonnegut. He partied with them all. If you like Kurt Vonnegut, Broadway or old lawyers, you may like this. My favorite part may have been how the author named the book.

[Sabra Kurth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romping with Kurt Vonnegut

Don Farber served as Kurt Vonnegut's literary agent, attorney, confidant, and friend. In and of itself, that would be a great story, but he also was an entertainment lawyer in New York in the late 20th century, investing in The Fantasticks, bringing other plays to fruition, as well. Farber's story always comes back to Kurt--this book could have been edited better, but it was still fun and Mr. Farber can namedrop with the best of them.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don Farber was correct in saying that this isn't a book about Kurt Vonnegut, but rather a memoir of all of the interesting people he came in contact with, most interestingly being Kurt, of course. It has an "oohh... ahh" factor in it thanks to all of the name dropping, which makes up for it being written by a novice (everyone has to start somewhere). So it goes.

[Jane K. Washburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Knew Don Farber

I am so moved by hearing Don’s voice again. He was such an interesting, genuinely caring man who impacted my life many years ago. I couldn’t put this down. It was great to spend the afternoon with my old friend Don.

[Elizabeth Barton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mostly dull stories with a nauseating amount of name dropping.

[Yard Gnome · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story from Kurt Vonnegut's agents and lawyer, wonderful information in here.

Man this guy likes theatre.