Up Till Now

March 3, 2008
Working with various collaborators, Shatner has previously written science fiction (the TekWar series) and science fact (I'm Working on That
), and ventured into memoir with Star Trek Memories
. Embarking on a full-scale autobiography, he begins with his Montreal childhood doing children's theater, then covers comedies with the Canadian National Repertory Theatre, lead roles with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and live TV in New York City in 1956: “I became one of the busiest actors in the city.” At that point Shatner opens a Pandora's box of self-deprecating humor and fascinating anecdotes about the hilarious goofs, on-camera accidents and stage fright during the live TV era. Obsessed with work, Shatner took any job that came his way, from dog shows to reality TV. Some of his tales are quite funny, such as doing an entire feature film, Incubus
(1965), in Esperanto: “No one understood their lines.” Covering his multiple careers of acting, writing and directing, he never pulls his punches, describing humiliations as well as triumphs. Shatner's sincerity, honesty and heightened sense of humor all come across at warp speed in this entertaining memoir.

June 30, 2008
With an acting career spanning more than five decades, Shatner has enjoyed a variety of roles and opportunities—most nearly eclipsed by his roles as Capt. James T. Kirk and T.J. Hooker. But as Shatner tells it, he's had a grand time with it all. Despite chronologically jumping about, he manages to reveal the more striking moments and interesting roles in his life and career. While he does touch upon more dramatic issues (including marriage troubles, tensions among the Star Trek
cast and the alcoholism and accidental death of his third wife), they seem particularly truncated in the abridgment. Listeners will enjoy Shatner's quirky speaking pattern, which he graciously mocks almost as much as his unapologetic attempts to be a sellout. At other times, Shatner almost whispers into the microphone, creating an intimate connection between himself and the listener. A St. Martin's hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 3).

April 15, 2008
Many actors have a high opinion of themselves, and Shatner is no exception. The difference is that he has learned to laugh at himself and turn failures into success. This autobiography covers both Shatner's career and his personal life. The star of many "Star Trek" television series and movies, he has also written nine "Tek World" books that became 24 Marvel comics. He has directed, produced, written, and starred in other projects and has appeared on shows from "Hollywood Squares" to "WWE". Shatner is witty but wordy, and he inserts amusing distractions in the middle of his anecdotes. Occasionally, he forgets to finish a story and continues to something else, which makes the later chapters repetitious. "Star Trek" fans will love Shatner's tales of his voyages on the "Enterprise" and how the character of Captain Kirk paved the way for more lucrative opportunities, but others may tire of plugs for merchandise strategically placed in the text. Recommended for larger public libraries where there is interest in celebrity books. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 1/08.]Rosalind Dayen, South Regional Lib., Broward Cty., FL

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2008
Adult/High School-Today's teens may know Shatner from his role as Denny Crane in "Boston Legal", or as the pitchman for Priceline.com, or as a character in several Brad Paisley music videos. They are probably also aware of his enduring role as Captain James T. Kirk in the "Star Trek" television show and movies. In this autobiography, he takes a somewhat tongue-in-cheek look at his long acting career, starting with performing in the Montreal Children's Theatre, moving on to the Canadian Rep, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and, ultimately, just about every television drama that was on the air in the 1950s. Over the years, he clearly learned to laugh at himself, which makes this book an entertaining read as he talks about his career, his four wives, three daughters, horses, love of risk-taking, eternal quest for financial security, and lots of people, famous and otherwise, whom he met along the way. Although the narrative is roughly chronological, Shatner never hesitates to stop in the middle of one story to tell another, or to refer to something that happened much later. There is some repetition-he clearly has favorite stories-but his lighthearted approach makes readers willing to be indulgent of his vagaries and excesses."Sarah Flowers, Santa Clara County Library, CA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2008
The Autobiography seems a rather ponderous label for an impish book. On the other hand, maybe it notifies us that this is all Shatner, possessor of one of the most recognizable faces on the planet, intends to give us in the way of a primary source about his life. In any event, this is such an entertaining book, so full of baggy-pants foolery and general lightheartness, that not a word of it should be changed. The personifier of Star Treks Captain James T. Kirk, reactionary cop T. J. Hooker, and Boston Legals pompous Denny Crane is a terrific storyteller, who confesses to believing that truth in particulars must give way to telling a good tale. While proceeding basically chronologically from his 1930s Montreal childhood to his current home on the West Coast, Shatner makes decade-hopping feints back and forth as the spirit moves him, freely plugs merchandise obtainable through his Web sites, and pretends to use his cell phonenow and then. The book comes across as a lightly edited transcript of a torrent of dictation. Shatner waxes somber very infrequently, at greatest length for the account of his alcoholic third wifes accidental death, for which scandalmongers briefly suggested he might be responsible. The rest is an old-style entertainers spiel and delightful lite reading.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)