Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress – A Theater Star's Straight-Talk Memoir on Reconciling American Desires with Greek Traditions

by Olympia Dukakis

Something about Olympia Dukakis just speaks to people. In her signature straight-talk style, she tells the story of her own history and career. Olympia Dukakis, internationally known movie and theater star, was born into a Greek family in Lowell, Massachusetts. As a first generation Greek-American, Olympia “lived in the hyphen” and struggled to reconcile her American desires with her family’s old-world traditions. ASK ME AGAIN TOMORROW tells the story of Olympia’s struggle to find her place as an American, as a woman and as a star. It specifically explores the relationship between Olympia, whose main ambition was to live her life exactly as she wanted, and her mother, who spent a lifetime constrained by a tradition that delegated her to second class. Like Sidney Poitier’s THIS LIFE and THE MEASURE OF A MAN, this is a book that is more than a celebrity memoir. ASK ME AGAIN TOMORROW will speak to many readers who also experienced America as an adopted country; readers interested in the art of acting; readers interested in autobiography, and particularly to female readers who have struggled with fitting their own aspirations in with the needs of family. It is a book that will endure.

Genres: Biography, Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir

223 pages, Paperback

First published July 8, 2003

About the author

Olympia Mary Dukakis (June 20, 1931 – May 1, 2021) was an American actress, director, producer, teacher and activist. She performed in over 130 stage productions, over 60 films and in 50 television series. Best known as a screen actress, she started her career in theater. Not long after her arrival in New York City, she won an Obie Award for Best Actress in 1963 for her off-Broadway performance in Bertolt Brecht's Man Equals Man.

She later moved to film acting and won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, among other accolades, for her performance in Moonstruck (1987). She received another Golden Globe nomination for Sinatra (1992) and Emmy Award nominations for Lucky Day (1991), More Tales of the City (1998) and Joan of Arc (1999). Dukakis's autobiography, Ask Me Again Tomorrow: A Life in Progress, was published in 2003.[1] In 2020, a feature-length documentary about her life, titled Olympia, was released theatrically in the United States.
- wikipedia

Reviews

[Steve Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I borrowed this shortly after her passing to answer some questions about her Lowell days that were coming up on townie Facebook groups (the Lowell stuff is in Chapter 4, they lived on Clare Street until 1939 when the family moved to Somerville).

Other notes: some decent stuff in here about acting, but nothing groundbreaking. Beyond that it was all standard celebrity autobiography stuff. The writing was okay, neither memorable nor grating.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. Not your normal celebrity autobiography. Despite all her insecurities as a young woman, Ms. Dukakis was ahead of her time. I tend to take autobiographies with a grain of salt, since they clearly are at least a little bit biased. But she seems like someone I would enjoy talking to over coffee or tea. Plus, I discovered her husband of several decades played Paul's father on "Mad About You"!

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had hoped to gain some insight to the person who played one of my favorite characters in "Steel Magnolias", and I guess I did. I kept asking myself throughout the book if it was just me being too nitpicky, or was it the Greek heritage in her, or was it the overly dramatic actress in Olympia Dukakis that made her seem so selfish and self-absorbed. I really liked the first chapter, but it all seemed to go downhill from there. She seems completely enamored with herself, her feelings, her work, and...well, herself. I had to make myself listen to the final CD in this book because I was just worn out by that time. Surely, surely I've read too much into this and missed the mark somehow. I'm really hoping that's the case.

[Michael Cohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Candid memoir from a great actress

Olympia Dukakis’s “Ask Me Again Tomorrow” is a consistently interesting account of her life and career. She relates the challenges she faced with her family, their ailments and injuries, how her Greek heritage affected her throughout her life, and her spiritual journey. There was a lot of surprising information about her intellectual and spiritual interests, and far more about her theatrical career than her movie or TV career than I expected. The book is very personal and honest, and I only wish she had lived longer so she could continue her story and her inspiring performances further.

[Alana Fu · Rating 2 out of 5]

With a life packed with trauma, tragedy and triumph, this could have been quite the inspirational book sensation. However not far into the book it became apparent that Dukakis is not cut out for the typewriter. Reading like an extended Wikipedia page, even the most dramatic events seem lackluster and impersonal. I was shocked both by the events in her life and how briefly she covered them within a few paragraphs then swiftly moved on to something else.

[Robyn Obermeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sad to hear of Olympias recent passing. i just recently discovered how great her performances were, especially in Tales Of The City! I did not know a lot about her but after reading ,memoir I am even more taking by her work and thoughts as a woman. i love a book where i can visualize the surroundings, being from Mass i enjoyed the read a lot! What a amazing woman and actress!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is actually a well-put-together memoir/autobiography. It's well paced, well structured, and self-aware. I don't particularly care for her she-goddess beliefs. I appreciate the admissions of guilt in a few places.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vibrant and compelling, just as she was in life. Please read my review @ https://joankirschner.blogspot.com/. See you there!

[Michael Rutkowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved her story and honesty about her life.

[elissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice autobiography, and I found out some things about Dukakis I didn't know, for example, she was a fencing champ. Really shows the struggles of making a career as an actor and theatre director.

[Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an interesting, and remarkable person!!

[CJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love watching Olympia Dukakis. From Moonstruck to Clairee in Steel Magnolias, she's fabulous. She has a presence that she brings to each role that is a real treat to watch. However, there's a reason I don't usually read biographies of movie stars. It becomes difficult to see them as anyone but themselves if I know too much.

Dukakis has lived an interesting life filled with characters (from her very Greek mother to her cousin Michael) - those stories I loved hearing. What I didn't need to know about were her struggles with therapy and her own sense of self. I suppose some people are comforted that other people struggle just like they do. I want my movie stars to be larger than life and I want them to be submerged into the roles they play. I don't want to have to think about the boyfriend that left them or the rages their mothers went into when they were teenagers and how they still work to overcome these events.

It was a treat listening to Dukakis' voice for several days. She has a great natural accent - sort of a cross between Jersey and Boston. I just wish she was reading something other than her autobiography.

[Clint · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actress's memoir begins with the hubbub in 1988 when she was nominated for an Oscar for "Moonstruck" and her cousin, Michael, became the Democratic nominee for president. However, she tells nothing about the making of the wonderful movie and little more than a mention about the making of "Steel Magnolias," perhaps her second best-known role. The balance of the book recounts her life, her angst-ridden childhood, her difficulties with her parents, her quest for independence and notice in the acting field, her marriage (an open one early on), her child raising/parent struggling years, her struggle to find herself and her quest for knowledge of the spiritual goddess world. If you are interested in Dukakis herself, this book is for you. If you want more, you're out of luck.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this book on audio. Olympia Dukakis reads the book herself, which I think was a mistake. She rushes through her sentences. It was interesting to learn about her Greek heritage and being related to Michael Dukakis. I also enjoyed learning about how she and her husband started a theatre in their hometown in New Jersey. I've always liked her as an actress, so I was glad to get to know more about her.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the deeply personal voice in this memoir as it considers family, history, fame, marriage, the arts community, risk-taking, care of the elderly, finding one's guru, accepting one's fate and aging.

[Linda Appelbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting book about Olympia Dukakis in which she talks about her childhood, her parents, her love life and her career. It was entertaining, surprising, sometimes shocking and funny. I liked her before I read the book and like her even more now!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book about a woman I knew very little about. She skillfully presents the many complexities of her life including her relationship with her mother, her struggles of being a Greek American, the development of her acting craft, among other things.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

She's candid and real, and this book was the perfect thing for me to read right now. I like her even more now that I know more about her. She's the real deal.

[Judy Wyndham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book - Olympia's lived a wild life

[shawn stapleton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Funny Book on tape that we enjoyed on our vacation

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Olympia has lead an interesting life, obviously knew where she was going. Never easy, a hard working life that finally has paid off.

[Melody Frey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually ended up watching the Movie that she got her start in pictures. Moonstruck was interesting! :)

[Maureen Keimig · Rating 4 out of 5]

She is a good story teller and I liked reading about her experiences in the theatre and in movies and the struggles that she had to overcome to become the person she is today.

[Paige Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

So enjoyable!

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Smart move writing about her Oscar win in the beginning of the book. Lost interest in the last half/third of the book

[Millie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love her, love her dedication, love this book.