Rod Serling: The Dreams and Nightmares of Life in the Twilight Zone

Rating:
Summary: An Eyeopener
Review: I was really looking forward to reading Rod Serling's bio although I admit I was expecting him to be a paragon of virtue, living up to the morality and principles he espoused on "The Twilight Zone." As it turns out, Serling, like most of us I suppose, was a flawed human being. This book seemed to be pretty thorough, discussing Serling's family, friends, associates, military service, career, etc. The good parts of his personality were discussed along with the not-so-good parts. This book would be a good choice for anyone wanting to know about the intimate details of Serling's life.

Rating:
Summary: An Eyeopener
Review: I was really looking forward to reading Rod Serling's bio although I admit I was expecting him to be a paragon of virtue, living up to the morality and principles he espoused on "The Twilight Zone." As it turns out, Serling, like most of us I suppose, was a flawed human being. This book seemed to be pretty thorough, discussing Serling's family, friends, associates, military service, career, etc. The good parts of his personality were discussed along with the not-so-good parts. This book would be a good choice for anyone wanting to know about the intimate details of Serling's life.

Rating:
Summary: Self-satisfied drivel
Review: Unfortunately, Joel Engel's biography of Rod Serling is so poorly written that it detracts from the story of Serling's life. It appears that the author was so satisfied with his own reasearch, so enamoured of his discoveries about Mr. Serling, that a grammar check on the manuscript was forgotten. It is painful to read a book so haphazard in its language, especially since it is a book about a man who was so eloquent and prolific in his own lifetime. The author spends many pages on unnecessary tangents, such as the strategic importance of the Philippines, for example. While this may have been an attempt to set the scene for Serling's entrance into our larger history, such details makes one wonder if Mr. Engel really didn't have sufficient material on his subject. Sadly, I cannot recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Self-satisfied drivel
Review: Unfortunately, Joel Engel's biography of Rod Serling is so poorly written that it detracts from the story of Serling's life. It appears that the author was so satisfied with his own reasearch, so enamoured of his discoveries about Mr. Serling, that a grammar check on the manuscript was forgotten. It is painful to read a book so haphazard in its language, especially since it is a book about a man who was so eloquent and prolific in his own lifetime. The author spends many pages on unnecessary tangents, such as the strategic importance of the Philippines, for example. While this may have been an attempt to set the scene for Serling's entrance into our larger history, such details makes one wonder if Mr. Engel really didn't have sufficient material on his subject. Sadly, I cannot recommend this book.