Let's Face It: 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning

by Kirk Douglas

He has been one of the brightest stars in Hollywood, a hard-charging actor whose intensity on the screen has been mirrored in his personal life. As Kirk Douglas has grown older - he turned ninety in December 2006 - he has become less impetuous and more reflective. In this poignant and inspiring new memoir, Douglas contemplates what life is all about, weighing current events from his present frame of mind while summoning the passions of his younger days. Kirk Douglas is a born storyteller, and throughout Let's Face It he tells wonderful tales and shares favorite jokes and hard-won insights. In the book, he explores the mixed blessings of growing older and looks back at his childhood, his young adulthood, and his storied, glamorous, and colorful life and career in Hollywood. He tells delightful stories of the making of such films as Spartacus, Lust for Life, Champion, The Bad and the Beautiful, and many others. He includes anecdotes about his friends Frank Sinatra, Burt Lancaster, Lauren Bacall, Ronald Reagan, Ava Gardner, Henry Kissinger, Fred Astaire, Yul Brynner, John Wayne, and Johnny Cash. He reveals the secrets that have kept him and his wife, Anne, happily married for more than five decades, and talks fondly and movingly of times spent with his sons, Michael, Peter, Eric, and Joel, and his grandchildren. Douglas's life has been filled with pain as well as joy. In Let's Face It , he writes frankly for the first time about the tragic death of his son Eric from a drug overdose at age forty-five. Douglas tells what it was like to recover from several near-death episodes, including a helicopter crash, a stroke, and a cardiac event. He writes of his sadness that many of his closest friends are no longer with us; the book includes many moving stories such as one about a regular poker game at Frank Sinatra's house at which he and Anne have been fixtures along with Gregory Peck, Jack Lemmon, and their wives. Though many of the players are gone, the game continues to this day. In Let's Face It , Douglas reflects on how his Jewish faith has become more and more important to him over the years. He offers strong opinions on everything from anti-Semitism to corporate greed, from racism to Hurricane Katrina, and from the war in Iraq to the situation in Israel. He writes about the importance in his life of the need to improve education for all children and about how we need to care more about the world and less about ourselves. A must-read for every fan, this engrossing memoir provides an indelible self-portrait of a great star - while sharing the wit and wisdom Kirk Douglas has accumulated over a lifetime.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Memoir, Autobiography, Biography Memoir, Film

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch, ) was an American stage and film actor, film producer and author. His popular films include Out of the Past (1947), Champion (1949), Ace in the Hole (1951), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Lust for Life (1956), Paths of Glory (1957), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), The Vikings (1958), Spartacus (1960), Lonely Are the Brave (1962),The Fury (1978) and Tough Guys (1986)

He is No.17 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time. In 1996, he received the Academy Honorary Award "for 50 years as a creative and moral force in the motion picture community."

He was one of the last surviving actors from Hollywood's "golden age". He passed away on February 05, 2020 at the age of 103.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm being a little generous with the star rating, but I've always had a lot of respect & admiration for Douglas & really liked his other books. This one is rather uneven & repetitive at times, poorly edited. It's very much the reflections of a 90 year old, very similar to listening to my neighbor who is also this age. I enjoy it, but prefer my books more tightly wrapped. Due to his stroke, he didn't narrate this either which cut down on my enjoyment.

A 5 star thread that runs like a cable through the book is the death of his son Eric due to an overdose at the age of 45. Being an alcoholic & the same age as Eric, Kirk's thoughts on this from a father's POV were well worth listening to. Addiction & suicide are not solitary, they affect many people very deeply.

I really didn't care for Douglas' views on religion. On the one hand he says people shouldn't take it too seriously. On the other, he obviously does. He defines himself as a Jew, talks about putting prayers into some wall in Israel (He's 2 for 4 on getting them answered, yet doesn't seem that as chance.) & going through a second Bar Mitzvah. He ridicules Muslims for suicide bombings in the belief they'll get 72 virgins in their heaven, yet quit being friends with Jimmy Carter due to a book he wrote. Well, apparently Carter was factually incorrect & unapologetic about it, so that is a good reason IMO, too.

Douglas name drops a lot, but he can. It was awesome to hear about the many famous people he knows & knew. There were a lot of little details that were fun. Loved the story of the making of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

His disparagement of NASA & the space program are as ignorant as any I've heard. He makes it out to be a huge waste started by a pissing contest. He talks of millions & millions of dollars wasted on putting men into space without ever considering the real benefits of the research & spin-off technologies that we've been reaping for years. He also never puts the money spent into perspective & completely loses it on the safety record. NASA's mission is huge, yet its budget is a very tiny slice. As for safety, for its size, NASA is safer than almost any other industry of its size & they keep this record while playing with rockets & untried technologies.

He definitely went through some trying times & has come a long way from being dirt poor & just The Ragman's Son, a kid who had to run from a gang that called him a Jew-boy & Christ-killer. He's raised a great & talented family & is trying to give back to his community. He & his wife have done some great work with schools & he's right about how poorly ours are handled, although I'm not sure that throwing money at the problem is the answer. Certainly teachers & other staff deserve far better pay.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Douglas is not your average empty headed Hollywood star. This is his ninth book, written when he was 90 years old. (He is still alive at 97 as of this writing.) I do not think anyone ghostwrote this. He finished college and is very well read.

In this memoir he contrasts between the young Kirk and the old Kirk. The young Kirk did a lot of foolish things and was self-centered. The old Kirk is much wiser and more focused on others. Although he remains a supporter of many liberal causes (he broke the Hollywood Blacklist) he has embraced many conservative values over time, including his role as a world wide ambassador for the United States, staying faithful and married to his wife for 50+ years, recognizing the importance of supporting Israel and having a strong military, and actively engaged in private charity instead of demanding that government be the solution.

[Chanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of reminiscence filled with the joys and sorrows Kirk Douglas experienced over his 90 years. Life, love, experience and random thoughts. I thought a lot of it was thought provoking. What will be our legacy that we leave behind? Will we be remembered as an admirable person or someone who was selfish and never looked out for their fellow man? I found a lot of his personal story intriguing. It gave an inside look at the man he is or the person he wants to be. I never knew he was a good will ambassador or that he was interested in politics. All in all it was better than I thought it would be.

[Carolyn Scarcella · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I'm reading is called "Let's Face it: 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning" by Kirk Douglas. I just love his sense of humour. I enjoy reading his book, a simplistic, heartwarming, honest, and wise one he wrote. His real name is Issur Danielovitch. What a legend he was, and he has faced some near-death encounters. He is a romantic at heart. He once said, "You get more romantic as you get older." He produced ninety-one films. He dedicated this book to his grandchildren. He passed away in 2020 after living for a further 23 years. This final book was written and was released by him in 2007.

[Sonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most truthful biographies I’ve ever read. I’ve never been a big fan of Mr. Douglas. As he says in his book, “His younger self was very arrogant & self absorbed”. In his older age, he became a much better & thoughtful man.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirk Douglas has written many books over the years. This one is part memoir, part non-fiction, and essay. It basically essays of his thoughts on many subjects. Some personal like the death of his youngest son Eric. and of his family and career in show business. Other essays vary his feelings of how people can have so much hatred against one another. Religion, dealing with death and aging. A good read by a good author. enjoyed this read very much.

[Pandora · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Kirk Douglas reflects on what has learned from life. Unlike The Ragman's Son this is not a chorological biography. It is more a collection of essays on various topics. One painful subject he talks about in this book is the death of his son Eric. I have now read three of Kirk Douglas nonfiction books and have enjoyed all three. In his writings Kirk Douglas is very honest and direct. He does address his shortcomings as well as his strengths. His books also have a strong conservational style to them. If you have any interest in Kirk Douglas you will enjoy these books.

Quotes:

With the Marshall plan, we even helped our former enemies. We were the most popular country on the planet. How times have changed.

Our freedoms-freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom to believe what we want to believe-are very fragile and they must constantly be protected. Yes, even now.

Don't be too religious-it's dangerous

Instead of trying to spread democracy by a gun, let it be by example.

On spanking Eric:
Michael said, "Dad you were guilty of child abuse."
I was stunned. "How can you say that?" I asked
His answer was "Whenever you hit a child in anger that's child abuse."

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit rambling and scattered, but what do you expect from a guy entering into his 90's? Hey, when you reach that age, you've earned the right to ramble--especially if you've lived as accomplished a life as that of Kirk Douglas.
In LET'S FACE IT, Mr. Douglas takes stock of his life, his generation, and the state of the world at large. In very personal fashion, he expounds on his triumphs and failures, both personal and professional. He shares some of his biggest interests and darkest fears. And, as with any memoir written by someone this old, the subject of death is always close at hand.
Much of this book consists of Douglas' personal views on various religious and social issues. Many of his views I share, some I don't. Far more interesting to me was the stuff about his movie career, though I was disappointed by how much I already knew from reading his subsequent book, I AM SPARTACUS!.
Also, since the audiobook of I AM SPARTACUS! was narrated so effectively by Kirk's son, Michael Douglas, it was a bit jarring to find that this one was narrated by Jason Alexander. That's like having Bruce Willis' autobiography read by Jon Cryer. Anyway, Mr. Alexander did an excellent job, but having George Costanza's voice in my ear the whole time was a bit distracting, to say the least.

[Marin Katic · Rating 5 out of 5]

A smart and honest autobiography.
Most of it is very interesting and engaging but sometimes gets a bit stuck in contemplation, which is understandable due to the age of the writer.
Douglas is very clear on his politics and ethics, but does not force the reader to agree with him. He almost always states his case in a clear and short manner.
We can all learn a lot from the experiences of this, at the time 90 years old actor.
He really made a change in the world and for the better.
Hi did the same with this book.

[Ione · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would have never thought I would like a book by Kirk Douglas as much as I liked this one. I enjoyed his insights about life from the perspective of someone his age. Gave me several things to think about.

[Laura Cobrinik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kirk Douglas wrote this book upon turning 90. I thought parts of it were good but not all. He repeated descriptions of his estate and the many statues in his garden...A little overdone. However, I felt for him when he wrote about his late son, Eric. From this book one can tell That Mr. Douglas loved his wife Anne, that he had high regard for children in general, especially those students at the Kirk Douglas High School.
It also appears that Mr. Douglas had regrets that he did not listen to his father and become a Doctor. However, he loved acting and was critical about some of his roles and those of other actors. I felt that the famous people who were mentioned in the book were real friends...Even though Mr. Douglas was happy about his Judaism, and very close to Israel, he did not make his sons or his grandchildren choose Judaism--because their Mother was not Jewish. Mr. Douglas was quite surprised that one of his sons had a Bar Mitzvah, that he did not even attend, and he seemed doubly proud that one of his granddaughters became Bat Mitzvah, by her own choosing. I who have a father, who is a few years younger than Mr. Douglas--and myself coming from a Jewish family, Mr. Douglas's "falling-out" with President Jimmy Carter sounded very familiar--which was based on President Carter's book on Palestine, which did not take the Israeli side. I was glad that Mr. Douglas mentioned Sister Rose Thering, a Dominican Nun who wore both a cross/and the Star of David--and who changed the books which Catholic Children used in schools by changing the negativity against the Jews in the textbooks. I recommend this book to all groups and this should be a textbook for all who take coursed in Religion. Good book for High School Students too.
And for anyone who is not happy about becoming older this book is a must!
Laura Cobrinik
Boonton Township, NJ

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a book by Kirk Douglas and his wife last year and enjoyed it enough that I checked this one out this year though this one was written before last year’s read. In some ways this book was like going to visit a grandparent and listening to their stories. I say this more because of the repetition of stories from one book to the other than because this book was dedicated to Kirk Douglas’ grandchildren who he names multiple times throughout the book, and addresses directly occasionally. Sort of like visiting a beloved elder and hearing all their stories again I didn’t really mind the repetition of stories here. I’d forgotten most of them until he started retelling them. (Actually, I suppose the retelling was really in lsat year’s more recent book.)

Kirk Douglas is arrogant, but its tempered by his self awareness that he’s arrogant, and his sense of humor. He spends a lot of time addressing a two headed sculpt of himself that’s out by his pool. One head is himself as a young man, and the other is him as a mature man. He also quotes his own letters to people-I guess he makes copies before he sends things? I was more amused/bemused by this (in both books, though I don’t remember the statue in last year’s book) than irritated by it.

Me. Douglas has had a full life and I enjoyed reading his memories about his family and friends, and his thoughts and perspectives on many of the national and world events of his lifetime. I appreciated the perspective of someone who had lived through all he’s lived through on some of the modern events I have also lived through.

[Andy Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I expected but I enjoyed it. Less reminiscences than the thoughts and opinions of an old man facing death. Lots of religion and politics. Of course some of this is linked back to past happenings and there is quite a nice device where he describes talking to his young and old selves in the form of a garden statue at his California home. There is some sad reflection about the loss of one of his sons to addiction. And much affection for his wife of 50 years. I would perhaps have liked to hear more showbiz anecdotes from the golden age of Hollywood but I probably need to read one or more of his nine other books for that and it is commendable that he offered something new here without regurgitating those. Incidentally the old 90 year old author mulling his twilight years lived a good long time more, eventually dying at the age of 103.

[Enrique · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 90-year-old man who shares his point of view over what he lived and how he sees what is coming to us.

I have read most of his books and have probably seen all his movies from 20000 L-Under the sea when I was 6 years old until... well that does not matter. I am doing this introduction just to show I am not impartial, I like the guy, who has been with me almost all my life. This book is an excellent summary of this life if you are interested.

Now, If you do not know him, then consider reading it just to see the point of view of a guy who was born the year the Great War started (Yes WW I), whose work mobilized millions (I am one) and made him a star and from there he describes how he used his stardom, how he saw his world, and how he interpreted it. Along the way, he shares his view of what is coming our way.

[Linda Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, and have enjoyed Kirk Douglas' acting. Some people might not like the way it jumps around from topic to topic but I found it refreshing, as if I could hear his voice saying those things. He muses on religion, climate change, the Middle East and other general topics but the most interesting to me is when he talked about his family. He loves his children, although he admits he wasn't always the best father, or husband. One son died from drugs and he has always felt guilt for it. His childhood was hard and he was very poor but he never pulls the sympathy card. He says it as a matter of fact. Like, that's how it was, and I like that about the book.

[Richie Garner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always been a fan of Kirk Douglas and there were some interesting passages.

It just about gets into a three star rating because I do like the way that KD presents himself, his thoughts and philosophies but it just didn’t captivate like a book should to obtain a higher rating from me.

A pleasant and interesting read with some interesting commentary that flows well.

I suppose I wanted a little more presence and substance.

Never the less, an easy going account from one of my favourite actors of yesteryear.

Worth the pennies.

[Tracy Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirk Douglas has always been one of my heroes. His work on breaking the blacklist in 1960's Hollywood was, and still is, the most amazing thing.

This book is full of anecdotes from his life as well as thoughts on life. The anecdotes are generally very funny - my favourite is Walter Matthau cursing a horse in Yiddish - but the reflections on his life felt a bit preachy.

Overall, not bad and worth a read, but beware the preachy bits.

[Lil Glennon · Rating 4 out of 5]

You did the best you knew how. A good heart.

I really enjoy Mr. Douglas' writing. He he a flair for poetry. Then the book becomes very Jewish. I have no problem with holidays. But then it is too much information. I am glad he lived a long life . He loves his family and worries about his grandchildren. We all make mistakes along the way in life...our children never fully understand our good and bad choices. There are no reruns in life.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a book by quite an actor and man. This book delves into his son, Eric’s suicide and a number of other topics. He is very comfortable in his own skin at this point in his life. I’ve not read his previous autobiographies to compare. There are many stories about his life as an actor and about being Jewish. He is very steadfast in his beliefs. I’ve always liked that about him, you always knew where you stood with him and he had no qualms in letting you know it. Definitely recommended.

[Jacqueline K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, yet deeply morose. Douglas is a fine story-teller and I’ll go read his earlier works. At 45, I just tired of hearing the sadness in the words. I will read it again when I am older, perhaps, but at this reading I just struggled with the negativity about what has been a remarkable and blessed life. When I’m 90, I hope I’m a little more upbeat about how I lived.

[Jonathan Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting it to work, but Jason Alexander reading this was really good. I forgot how good of an actor he is, even just with his voice.

This is basically just Kirk reminiscing and thinking about death and looking back on his life. So if you loved the Ragman's son, you'll probably enjoy it.

[Mark Holencik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirk wrote this book at age 90. Kirk compares his younger self with who he is now. He tells us his views on the world and his life.

[Nela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've enjoyed less the parts on politics, but all in all a well written one.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read and a fascinating life!

[Amy Schroeder]

Can't get enough of old Hollywood stories...but these, wrapped n a love story and a trepidation of death, will stay with me. I love the Douglas family and Kirk just became my favorite.

[Katherine Thornton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the only book on Kirk Douglas I’ve ever read. I understand he’s written a few. Good stories throughout.

[Jeff Ferry · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average book by a great actor.

[Sean Conley · Rating 2 out of 5]

An aging Hollywood narcissist complains about the world…

[Barb Coyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jason Alexander did a great job narrating the audio book. Entertaining book.

[Tonya Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story - thinking about looking at his other works.