Rating: 
Summary: An Illuminating Portrait
Review: This book is written in Asimov's usual simple, straightforward manner, and will keep the reader entertained throughout. It also succeeds in giving a good insight into his life and character, although Asimov fans may not like what they learn. Asimov's cavalier attitude to friends and family is quite shocking. We learn in one brief section that his son does not work, and has been supported all his life by Isaac. Isaac voices no regret at how he raised his son, and one is left with the impression that he just doesn't care (the same holds true for his relationship with his first wife). After that one passage, his son is never mentioned for more than a sentence or two thoughout the rest of the 500+ page book. Also on display is Isaac's attitude towards his writing, which can only be explained as an obsessive-compulsive disorder. He devotes countless paragraphs describing in detail how many words, books, articles, etc. he has published, and tedious essays on why such-and-such a book should count or not count in his official count of published books. By the evidence of this memoir, this count of published books was Asimov's only way of measuring his success in life. Such a bizarre motivation is unlikely to resonate with most of us, and this memoir shows us what a shallow life it can lead to.
Rating: 
Summary: free association kind of memoir
Review: This is an entertaining autobiography. Asimov didn't have the most exciting life, but even so, he makes the events of his life sound very interesting, and there are some extremely funny stories. The style is chatty--it makes you feel like Isaac Asimov is an old friend. The book would have been better if a few of the parts were cut; he discusses every book, including all the nonfiction ones that he ever wrote. Overall, it is a fast read, despite its length, it entertained me, and made me want to read more Asimov.
Rating:
Summary: I, Author
Review: You can tell that Isaac Asimov really enjoys talking about himself. But that's quite all right because his enthusiasm is contagious. Divided into scores of essays three to four pages each, this book is a series of thoughts and reminisces that hold a basic chronological order, but skip around occasionally to properly place things into the perspective that he viewed them from at the time of his writing. Asimov offers frank views on a variety of topics, ranging from his days in the army to his two marriages to his fellow science-fiction writers.This is a very appealing collection of remembrances of a life that saw not just a lot of science fiction history and world events, but also of personal growth. While there is a certain amount of repetition here, it works insofar as a person's life does involve a lot of revisiting the same paths. Asimov says himself in the book that he hadn't really done a lot of things in his life. He didn't travel and he spent most of his life inside his apartment typing away at his keyboard. "Didn't you notice," he once asked someone who had read and enjoyed his first two volumes of autobiographies, "that nothing happened?" That the events described are not world-shattering is hardly a detriment to this book. The witty and intelligent manner in which he describes even simple, everyday events is what makes this so engaging. Asimov's life was consumed by his writing, and, not surprisingly, most of this book focuses on the hundreds of other books he wrote. He describes in detail how many books he had written, how many he had edited, how many he had co-written. It was an obsession that he did not hide or feel ashamed about. He was proud of his many accomplishments in the literary field and felt no reason not to boast when he thought he deserved it. (There is an amusing anecdote in which due to a last minute cancellation, he ends up unaware that he will be presenting an award to himself. Afterwards, he asks the organizers why they chose him for the task and they replied that he was the only person they knew who wouldn't feel embarrassed about giving himself an award.) The history of Asimov is the history of his writing, and the book details the numerous encounters and adventures that he had with various editors and publishing houses. His passion for writing and the lengths he went through make for surprisingly fascinating reading. Asimov was apparently fairly ill while he writing this book (he wrote with astonishing speed) though one would not realize that at first if one hadn't read the introduction. Only a few hints are dropped through the beginning and middle of the book as Asimov seems slightly weary describing things that he knows he will never repeat or finish. By the end of the book, Asimov describes some of the ills that have weakened his body. He also expounds on his philosophies of life and death. Despite what he knows he is facing, he comes across as being calm and rational about his impending death. Knowing that Asimov died shortly after completing this book made the ending seem even more heartbreaking. Although I had never met the man, I felt as though I had lost a friend. The clarity of his writing is quite good at making the reader feel close to the man; his thoughts aren't hidden behind any deceitful or misleading prose. He was a master at making himself crystal clear and the world will and does miss him. A highly recommended memoir of a great writer.
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