Robin by Dave Itzkoff
This was a very complete look at Robin William’s life. It was overwhelming at times as I listened to this book as the narrator talked about everything Robin had done in his lifetime. I hadn’t really grasped how much Robin had accomplished in his life and the impact he had made until I listened to this book.
I can’t even begin to describe everything this book entails. To me, this book was a walk-through memory lane as I listened to the narrator talk about Robin and his contributions to society. There were times I wished Robin would have just said no as he was offered job-after-job as everyone wanted a piece of Robin. Robin seemed to live, to be seen. Robin was a people person and he liked to make people happy. Robin had many roles and although they were not all successful, he still kept saying yes, when people wanted him.
Robin put his own mark on the roles that he was asked to play. It was hard for Robin to follow the written scripts that were expected of him, so he customized them to fit his needs. After listening to this book, I have to agree that I felt that Robin had a hard time turning himself off, Robin was always on-stage. He was always entertaining.
As the narrator spoke of all the shows that Robin starred in, I was filled with emotion. I remembered watching Robin on television, just seeing him and his energy fill up the screen, put a smile on my face. I still can’t get some of the jiggles out of my mind as the narrator brought them all back to me and my favorite episodes right with them.
The book talks about many of Robin’s concerts and movies so I felt the need to rent some of Robin’s videos and stand-up concerts, ones that I hadn’t seen yet. I really enjoyed the movies but the concerts bothered me. In the two stand-up videos that I rented, Robin was too jumpy and edgy for me. It made me anxious and nervous to watch them so I didn’t finish them. I understood what the author had spoke about in his book.
I listened to this book in my car and I feel this is an excellent, thorough account of Robin’s life. Humorous at times, insightful and informative, this novel is also sad as I found myself with tears streaming down my face as the author tackles Robin’s death. From the media, to his family, to the medical team, the author gives me the complete story which wasn’t easy to hear. There’s more to the novel as the family comes to grips with the loss of the man who was known as Robin.
It’s a long book but I enjoyed the journey. Thanks, Robin, for being a part of my life, you will never be forgotten.
