Alan Alda

by Raymond Strait

A profile of the private life and professional career of Alan Alda provides revealing insights into the actor's youth and family, views on women, politics, work, and future

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

250 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1983

Reviews

[Autumn Kearney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read, likely because a large portion of it focused on his grandparents and parents. I wasn't looking for a book about Alan Alada's genealogy or family history. The rest was a bit bland, like watching a bowl of plain oatmeal cool.

[Tanya Leah Medynski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not so Revealing or Entertaining as Anticipated

I have adored Alan Alda since I was a teenager watching M*A*S*H. This biography is interesting, but I feels like it just scratches the surface. I found the first half to be interesting on his youth, meeting his future wife, and formative years of acting. However, the latter part of the biography gives a lot of MASH show stats I feel to be page fillers. When I finished reading I felt I knew about as much as before I started. I will now read books written by Alan Alda and, hopefully, will come away feeling satisfied.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This biography was very interesting. I've always enjoyed the TV series MASH, so I was quite pleased to be given the opportunity to listen to and review this book for free.
The book starts off with a history of Alan's dad, Bob. Coming from a family that wanted him to practice medicine, Bob was a rebel who wanted to be an actor. As the years progress, we come to the eventual marriage of Alan's parents and his birth and childhood.
What struck me as the most interesting was Alan's battle with polio. I had no knowledge of what polio was really like. It was truly a horrible illness to suffer through.
As Allan grows up and becomes an actor in his own right, we get to see how loyal and compassionate he is as a human being. His wife and him are best friends and he didn't ever seem to take her for granted.
I enjoyed learning about his role and the other characters on MASH. Overall this was a good read and a good performance.
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

“This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”

I loved watching MASH and I must say Alan Alda is my favorite. I learned several things about him I never knew.

The narration was well done.

[Frogeyland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book when I was 11 years old!

[Kurt Criscione · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good... only goes to 1983, probably should have looked at the copyright, but yada...