My Incredibly Wonderful, Miserable Life: An Anti-Memoir

This is a book I was interested in reading for several reasons. I hesitated for a moment, though, because frankly I was afraid it would be yet another `Mommy/Daddy Dearest' written by the son of an actor much beloved by those of us who aren't influenced by actually *knowing* the man. `Star Trek' is so much a part of our culture, though, that I have always wondered about the people who could not possibly appreciate the magic as most of us do: the family of the cast and crew. How does someone hang onto the illusion after seeing Kirk minus his hairpiece, or running into McCoy in the men's room, or watching Spock (aka Leonard Nimoy, aka `Dad') lie around the house in his bathrobe and slippers? To his credit, the author does not make claims to a lifetime of real or imagined abuse. In fact, the story is one a lot of us can relate to: A father who is largely absent due to the demands of his job, and a mother who overcompensates by being a bit too permissive. The biggest difficulty about being the son of a pop-icon is that it seems to have exposed young Adam Nimoy to a lot more chances to mess up his life than the rest of us ever get. And mess up his life he did. He tried several careers and lost them due to his marijuana abuse. His marriage fell apart and his two teenage kids were heartbroken. And through all of it there was the same desperate wish we all have: to make our Dads proud of us. This is the story of how Adam Nimoy climbed out of the destructive hole he had dug, rebuilt his life, and finally reconciled with his feelings about his father. It's not a finished story, clearly his life is a `work in progress', but he's come a long way and I think he has the strength to go on. I like this guy, I really do. This story of his life is well-written, it is sad in places and laugh-out-loud funny in others, and I'd love to meet him sometime and shake his hand. He has worked hard to rebuild relationships damaged by his previous drug abuse. Good for you, Adam Nimoy, and God bless you!

Vine Program - August 2008 Positives: Articulate story about growing up in Hollywood w/ famous father. Not focused on father but on him and his children. Appreciated the thoughtful reflections on his children's reactions to his separation from wife. Better than 'Night of the Gun'. Deltas: Seems to be an outgrowth of a writing course. Could make you feel like you are reading a weekly class assignment done by an 'A' student. Overall: Very pleased with it - got me looking harder at my own sobriety program. My wife (not an avid reader) was absorbed by it.

Star Trek fans mostly interested in learning still more about "Mr. Spock" will not be disappointed with this book; however, true to his intentions (as expressed early on to the agent he calls Richard the Tall), Adam Nimoy gives us (and, surely, his family) a treasure: "So I'm not totally averse to getting into the Star Trek stuff and maybe some of the complications of being my father's son. But most of my writings revolve around my life today, in terms of my recent divorce, raising two teenagers, and dealing with recovery after thirty years of substance abuse." Nimoy has accomplished in glorious spades what he set out to do with his "anti-memoir." I'm sure I will read this book again and again. Although it is organized around Nimoy's retreat into, and ongoing recovery from, years of alcohol and drug abuse, it transcends his personal story and any expectations I had for it. "My Incredibly Wonderful, Miserable Life" unfolds like the best poems do--with universal, multiconnotational resonances that extend their significance far past the last words. The family photos punctuating the chapters are a delight, because they are so darned normal, and the cover pic is priceless. Incidental side tales--such as when Nimoy asks his mother where she's seen Katherine Harris before--surprise and accentuate just how juicy the life and experience of a sober soul can be. As Nimoy tells his film students, telling the story--no, showing it--is of utmost importance, and that's just what he does; he shows us. He conveys "the real beauty of being sober: You have nowhere to go, no place to escape to, and nowhere to hide. Instead, you get to feel the pain. You get to live the experience." He shows us through his own life that, without being willing to feel the pain, one cannot expect to feel joy. These writings are embued with such humility, presence, and love that we get to live Nimoy's experience, too, as if it were our own--and we want to, even when it is painful. I want to personally thank Adam Nimoy. His book has come into my life at the perfect time. An orthopedic surgeon recently asked me, as we looked at the x-rays of a destroyed joint in my thumb that for years I've been told was "just bursitis," what had I been taking for the pain. When I answered "Nothing," thinking he was talking about pain pills, I was stunned to hear him say "I don't know how you've been able to stand the pain." And then I could see how I have been standing the pain: my daily "little bit" of wine. Without reading this book, I don't know if I would have seen how I've been numbing myself out to my feelings.

This is one of those books I picked up on a lark. I've never been a Star Trek fan, and thankfully Adam Nimoy keeps his father and that particular TV show to a minimum in this read. What I loved about this book is that it wasn't a "Look how far I've climbed since hitting rock bottom." or "Name drop as many celebrities as I can" tale. Instead Adam weaves a well written, whimsical and sometimes laugh out loud tale about his divorce, recovery from substance abuse, middle age, and trying to come to terms with one's own foibles. A lot of memoirs and auto-biographies sound scripted and full of half truths. They only give you the best parts of their lives, and occasionally the sordid bits of their lives is the book is an attempt to reignite the dying embers of their career. With Nimoy's book, you get to see him going through the healing process. It's like reading a discarded diary you've found. Each essay is so completely honest and raw, it feels like he's reading it to you as if in one of his AA meetings, in an attempt to purge the bad memories and mistakes he's made in his life. In the end. Adam Nimoy is one of the most likeable authors I've ever read, and this is all the more impressive to me as I've never heard of him before this book. From his trying to raise his kids right to his failed dating escapades, "My Incredibly Wonderful Miserable Life" is one of the best books I've read all year. He's writing the book not for a quick buck. He's writing it to heal and as such it's a far more realistic read then most other books of this nature.

This is an honest memoir about what it is like being Leonard Nimoy's son. Adam is not afraid to cast himself in a negative light. Adam shares stories about his kids and details of his divorce that I found less interesting, but it was written in a style that keeps you turning the pages. He also discusses his problems with drugs and alcohol along with his father's own past drinking problem. Of course he shares intimate stories about his dad. You wind up learning more about Leonard Nimoy than you ever knew about what he really is like at home. It just goes to show you, no matter who you are, you have the same old family problems as everyone else. I had suspected that Adam would have dug up alot more dirt about his father, however he suprised me with how much love and respect he has for his dad. The stories are personal, but not nasty. I recomend this.