Rating: 
Summary: you'll feel like Asimov is an old friend after reading it
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: What an author, what a life!
Review: What a touching book. This is a complex and multi-layered book. This seems only appropriate, as Isaac Asimov was a very complex and multi-layered person. This book is pure Asimov. The bulk of the book is written in 1988 to 1990 when Isaac was just entering the last bout with illness in his incredibly prolific career. This is a book written by Isaac and about Isaac. Humility was never a trait Isaac felt had much usefulness. Isaac was a great Author and an incredibly prolific one. Isaac was a very smart individual and an honest one. This all being said and true why be falsely modest. Isaac certainly didn't see any reason to be. The reader can hardly hold any of this against Asimov as it makes the book that much more enjoyable even when confronted with Isaac's rather radical political views.This book is valuable not only in understanding Isaac but other authors and players in the industry. The book gives insight into Lester Del Rey, Frederik Pohl and many other luminaries of days gone bye. Isaac made no apologies in this book for the things he believed in and even saw fit to lecture us for a chapter or two on the virtues of liberalism. This is ok. I despise most of the tenants of liberalism but this does not affect my respect and affection for Asimov. Isaac truly believed what he said and was consistent and made no apologies for it. I would far rather count as a friend someone who truly disagrees with me then one who agrees but changes his tune constantly. You get the impression from this book that Isaac was a greatly honest man and one who counted loyalty as a valuable thing. The book is long but not boring. The photos in the middle are delightful but to few. The entire book is written by Isaac with the exception of the last chapter which Janet Asimov penned and it gives us a tear jerking story of Isaac's last few months. There is also included an in-depth biography of Isaac's books as an appendix. A very worth while book.
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.
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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