I Am Spock

Accurate description

Though I did not count pages, I have just finished reading I AM SPOCK and I guess about 85-90% of the pages are devoted to, or connected with, STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES and original-series movies. Also, D.C. Fontana's animated series is briefly mentioned, and a good account is given of the two season-five STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION episodes that had Spock in them ("Unification, Part I" and "Unification, Part II").Only barely is I AM SPOCK an autobiography of Leonard Nimoy. He says a little about his childhood and his parents, he says something about his first years as an actor prior to STAR TREK in 1966, and he says a good deal about his acting and directing subsequent to STAR TREK's first three years. But he says little about his wife and his children. Nor does he say anything about something I learned of only from William Shatner's UP TIL NOW. Namely, his past troubles with alcoholism. And there is nothing about his activities, public or private, beyond 1994 (the book was published in 1995).I was quite surprised to learn that Leonard Nimoy directed the successful comedy movie, THREE MEN AND A BABY. Another movie he directed, THE GOOD MOTHER, I had never heard of. It starred Oscar winners Liam Neeson and Diane Keaton, it had a bold theme regarding childhood exposure to parental sex, and it was a movie that Nimoy was proud of. But it played ghost at the box office, and hardly anyone saw it. Though I commend the description of it--particularly the anecdote regarding Keaton's acting--I am averse to seeing it. I prefer happy endings, and I think this one depresses. On the other hand, Nimoy starred in a TV movie, NEVER FORGET, which I think I WOULD like, if only it were available on DVD. It is the story of Mel Mermelstein who dared to defy the evil falsehoods proliferated by neo-Nazis of the Institute for Historical Review.Especially STAR TREK fans should appreciate the abundance of firsthand information about STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES and original-series movies. Nimoy gives synopses of original-series episodes that had something noteworthy about them, and he gives an introspective examination of the development of Spock. Among other things, he describes why the original-series' third season deteriorated, he gives moderate coverage on the production of each of the first six movies, and he reminisces about STAR TREK conventions, troubles with zealous fans, and the impact of STAR TREK upon humanity. (At least for purposes of marketing STAR TREK movies, STAR TREK: GENERATIONS is not considered an original-series movie, despite the preeminence of Captain Kirk. But Nimoy/Spock was not in it, and in this book Nimoy explains his absence. As he does for the absence of DeForrest Kelley/Dr. McCoy.)There are no photo plates, but maybe plates present problems regarding binding. Anyway, there are many PRINTED photos interspersed throughout to match the text and to provide readers with agreeable distractions. The helpful index has sub-entries.The dust jacket touts this book as follows: "Now, in this long-awaited autobiography, Mr. Nimoy opens up to his fans in ways the Vulcan never could." I am afraid this has misled some buyers, but I am not going to fault the book because the dust jacket has a few misleading words. I did not even read the dust jacket until after I had read the book. The book's title suggested STAR TREK content relating to Leonard Nimoy. That is what I expected, that is what I got, and what I got satisfied me. Therefore, my rating is five stars.

This is a pleasant book, mostly for readers interested in Star Trek, about Nimoy's career as Spock, with some information about his other dramatic and directorial roles. I read it right after reading George Takei's "To the Stars", which is better, mostly because Takei had a much more interesting and full life, starting with his experiences as a child in the Japanese-American campus during WWII, and then his activist/political work. Nimoy admits to having a personal life (Takei in 1994 was not in a position to talk about his) but keeps it completely generic (wife and kids).Many things surprised me -- Roddenberry seems to have disappeared from Star Trek after the first two seasons, never reappearing, at least for Nimoy, as an artistic force for Star Trek. Unlike Takei, Nimoy only mentions Shatner's artistic megalomania once or twice, and seems to have managed not only to get along with him but actually to have liked him.I always wondered why, after directing the astonishingly successful "Three Men and a Baby" that set box office records, Nimoy didn't go on to a major career as a Hollywood director. Perhaps it was the problematic "The Good Mother" that killed that.The whole theme of Nimoy and Spock having dialogs didn't do much for me. I'm not sure that I believe that Spock was such a sustained and significant role in his career that Spock would be in his head.Anybody who is interested in Star Trek and Spock should definitely read this -- at the price it's more than worth it.

Unlike most Trekkies (Trekkers), I did not watch Star Trek breathlessly when it first appeared on TV. I was a Mission Impossible fan and learned to appreciate Leonard Nimoy more when he became a member of that show. It was on the reruns in syndication, when I watched all the episodes with my two sons, and the 6 ST movies that I learned the appeal of a cast that stayed together for 25 years, cared about each other, worked for honorable goals, and made you care about them. The background of how much of this came about is what Leonard Nimoy discusses in "I Am Spock." After being criticized for writing "I Am Not Spock" a decade or more earlier for not liking his Vulcan character and nearly losing the directing role for "ST III: The Search for Spock" because of it, he came back to write this one and describe how much of himself he actually put into the character. He also reveals how hard he fought with writers, directors, and producers to maintain elements of the character he felt were vital to the Vulcan's role in ST and shouldn't be messed with by people who didn't understand ST. But most of all, the charming behind-the-scenes stories of the relationships with all of his longtime cast members and the hard work and joy they brought to creating the iconic show is enough to warm the heart of any ST fan. I had never read this book and, after seeing the new JJ Abrams movie with the younger cast playing the wonderful ST characters, I have renewed my love affair with the original cast by rewatching the original shows and movies and reading Leonard Nimoy's book. For any ST fan, it is a must.

In having listened to the MP3 CD version of the late great Leonard Nimoy's 1995 autobiography of "I am Spock," I had enjoyed remembering what his voice meant in having told about what his life and career were about. What I am surprised about was the length of time on a single compact disc which was four hours after all. I would like to say that it is my first time having an MP3 CD when I had been interested in purchasing the audiobook of "I am Spock." I highly recommend it for fans of "Star Trek" everywhere.

This book gave me so much. Laughs, tears, and an understanding of how Leonard was able to know himself as an actor and as Spock. I feel they both evolved over time and they became one.

This book was much longer than the last (I am not Spock) but that just meant it was more fun to read! It contained a few extracts from the last book, especially in the first few chapters but I assume that that is in part because of its autobiographical nature. It's exceedingly difficult to describe two youths when you've only had one!Nimoy is as good a writer as he is an actor. "I am Spock" is witty and funny and simply an adventure to read. Do be warned though- this book contains numerous spoilers from the Star Trek films.I would recommend this to anyone who loves the actor and especially his work in Star Trek! In fact, I'm buying it as a gift for a friend as we speak!

Rarely has an actor been associated with one particular character he played (for only 3 seasons, in a moderately successful tv series in the 1960s) as Leonard Nimoy and Star Trek's half-Vulcan, half-human Mr Spock. In this book, written 20 years before his death, Nimoy recounts his career, which involved a lot more than just Star Trek, but in which he keeps coming back to the role that made him famous. Twenty years after publishing the oft-misinterpreted book "I am not Spock" he corrects the public image of his relationship with the character and fully embraces his "duality".

Aus 1. Hand hört man hier von Leonard Nimoy selbst, wie er zur Serie kam, was er vorher und zwischendurch machte und wie er Spock entwickelte. Man erfährt viele Hintergründe zur alten Serie und zu den ersten 6 bis 7 Kinofilmen.Spock hat in Nimoys Leben ein so starkes mit ihm verbundenes Eigenleben entwickelt, dass Nimoy im Hörbuch öfter Gespräche mit seiner Figur Spock führt. Das Hörbuch von 1995 kann ich jedem Fan der alten Serie und der ersten 6 Kinofilme voll empfehlen.Die mp3 CD hat eine Laufzeit von ca. 4 1/2 Stunden. Es macht Freude den Autor Nimoy selbst zu hören.5 Sterne für den Inhalt! Die Aufmachung der Hülle ist sehr einfach gehalten. Aber hier macht's der Inhalt!

Ein sehr bewegendes Buch von Leonard "Spock". Schilderung seines Lebens mit der Serie und den Filmen, Hintergründe, Pannen, Ereignisse aus seiner Sicht- und damit auch manchmal etwas Abweichend zu den Schilderungen von Shatner. Mir hat sehr gefallen, daß er niemanden verurteilt oder persönlich angreift, auch wenn er Differenzen mit den Leuten hatte. Er drückt sich auf eine sehr feine Weise aus und schreibt auch oft, daß er die Differenzen im Nachhinein bedauert- so zum Beispiel auch bei Gene Roddenberry. Ich war auch überrascht, daß seine Familie nicht sehr Erwähnung findet, aber gleichzeitig finde ich es korrekt. Es geht um ihn und den Charakter Spok. Wie ein begabter Schauspieler den Vulkanier als Teil von sich selbst gespielt hat.