Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man by William Shatner (Epub)

Description

Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner first crossed paths as actors on the set of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Little did they know that their next roles as Spock and Captain Kirk, in a new science fiction television series, would shape their lives in ways no one could have anticipated. In seventy-nine television episodes of Star Trek and six feature films, they grew to know each other more than most friends could ever imagine.

Over the course of half a century, Shatner and Nimoy saw each other through personal and professional highs and lows. In this powerfully emotional book, Shatner tells the story of a man who was his friend for five decades, recounting anecdotes and untold stories of their lives on and off set, as well as gathering stories from others who knew Nimoy well, to present a full picture of a rich life.

As much a biography of Nimoy as a story of their friendship, Leonard is a uniquely heartfelt book written by one legendary actor in celebration of another.

User’s Reviews

Review “This is a book Star Trek fans will love.” ―The Philadelphia Inquirer”Shatner takes readers behind the nonemotive Vulcan visage to reveal the poet, photographer, devoted stage actor, recovering alcoholic, and formidable listener who was his friend. A fond remembrance of Leonard Nimoy by one who knew him like no other.” ―Kirkus Reviews”Touching on Nimoy’s other pursuits, including his photography, poetry, writing, and directing, Shatner offers up a lovely and moving tribute to his beloved friend.” ―Booklist“Essentially a traditional biography, but one that is filtered through the prism of its author’s friendship with his subject.” ―The Washington Post”Trekkies will want this for the insider stories from Captain Kirk himself, but fans of candid, emotion-filled biographies will adore this account because it’s a treasure trove of information.” ―Library Journal (starred review)”A resonant retrospective of one of pop culture’s great partnerships.” ―Publishers Weekly”Shatner delivers a raw and honest look at the life of Leonard Nimoy through the filter of someone who loved him like a brother. “Star Trek” fans aren’t the only ones who should read this definitive biography of the man who was much more than Mr. Spock.” ―Associated Press”Star Trek fans looking for a trip down Memory Alpha lane should enjoy Leonard, William Shatner’s tribute to fellow icon Leonard Nimoy, the unemotional Mr. Spock to his passionate Captain Kirk.” ―USA Today”These two men shared an extraordinary life together, and fans will enjoy the anecdotes and insights into the television industry and ‘Star Trek’ in particular. At its core, though, it’s a loving tribute from one man to his best friend.” ―The National Post”Unexpectedly poignant. An eyebrow-raising tribute to a fascinating man.” ―Maclean’s”Highly readable and entertaining.” ―Examiner.com”If you want to get to know the men in a funny and brutally honest way pick up Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship With A Remarkable Man.” ―Red Carpet Crash

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ William Shatner always writes easy to read books, and this one was special, being a tribute to the actor who was his colleague, his friend, and who shared so many different experiences with him, both professional and personal.I learned a lot about Leonard Nimoy that I didn’t know, not just as an exceptional actor and Mr. Spock, but as a family man, a great friend, and a perfectionist in his career as well as his interests outside his work. And he had so many other interests, from photography to flying, and singing to poetry and writing, to the useful art of bicycling. He was truly a multi-talented man. A man who gave his all in everything, and tried very hard to make things better in the world around him. He made many contributions that will continue to be felt and appreciated by many in the years ahead.The contributions to this book by Leonard Nimoy’s family and friends were wonderful inclusions that brought a clearer, more personal touch to his personality, and spotlighted many of his struggles, worries and fears, his charm and humor, and his ultimate success. Some of the contributors include John DeLancie, Steve Guttenberg, D C Fontana, Adam Nimoy, George Takei, Tom Selleck, and others.What a great guy is Leonard Nimoy.And I believe he would have applauded and understood William Shatner s choice to stay at a Red Cross event he was already at when the tragic death occurred, making money for the needy, rather than crying off to go to his friends funeral, and thereby letting down everyone at the charity event depending on him. Shatner’s daughters attended the funeral, and thus represented his presence. And after reading Leonard Nimoy s own choices, and his strong feelings to help the less fortunate, I think he might very well have chosen the same, had the shoe been on the other foot. But that, of course, is just my personal opinion based on what I just read.I enjoyed and recommend this book. I have never attended a Star Trek convention, but I have always loved Star Trek and it’s characters, and had enough admiration for Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, and interest in Star Trek in general, to make this book a must read.

⭐ I am taking the time to read and re-read these Star Trek memoirs. Of course, we know Nimoy was much more than Star Trek. Still, Shatner paints an interesting tale, some of which has already been told elsewhere, but with some new details. Nimoy and Shatner came from surprisingly similar backgrounds, and were born 4 days apart, but in different countries.When.they both came to California in the early 50’s as young men, they weren’t trying to make it big in TV. TV was in it’s infancy. They came and took whatever acting opportunities they could. As the years went on, TV became a larger and larger force in society. It happened quickly. Meanwhile, Nimoy was getting bit parts as a character actor, or a bad guy, but honing his craft. He frequently made the rent by driving a taxi or working various odd jobs, all the while going on auditions. His goal was to earn 200 dollars a week!This went on for 15 years, until he finally landed his Spock role, at 1250 dollars an episode! Needless to say, as we learn in the book, success had it’s downside. There are lots of quaint details in here, which seem hard to believe now, about how the studio wouldn’t give him an air conditioner for his dressing room, and wouldn’t allow him to have a phone even if he paid for it. Very hard to believe. The success he had worked so hard for didn’t guarantee him the utopia he had imagined and he clashed with studio executives about maintaining the integrity of Spock. The conflicts threw him for a loop. He started coping by using alcohol.Mr Nimoy was truly a class act as he apparently never allowed his drinking to interfere with his work.He continued to work hard long after he needed to, both capitalizing on Spock’s fame and resenting it at times.The phenomena of the extreme Star Trek fan remained a bit perplexing to him, as well as Shatner. Nevertheless they attended the conventions all over the country for the love of the fans, and of course, for the money.In Shatner’s lengthy career, he worked with many great people, often in an intense manner, for months. Invariably, when the show or movie was over, the actors would all swear undying allegiance to each other, and profess eternal friendship , but usually never speak again. Life moves on. Such is the nature of relationships with people we work with- they usually end when the job ends. Fortunately, that was not the case with Shatner and Nimoy. However the Star Trek series was much more than an ordinary program, sparking an enduring phenomena that continues to outlive its’ enigmatic but compelling half-alien First Officer.Plus, it was vastly better than Gomer Pyle.

⭐ Synopsis: Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship With A Remarkable Man is a biography written by William Shatner. This Audible audio book is read by William Shatner as well.Initially I thought this would center on their time together on Star Trek and any encounters in the years after. But actually it starts much earlier and whether through research or information gleaned from their man conversations over the years, Mr. Shatner was actually able to talk about Leonard Nimoy’s childhood and how he got into acting. There’s a lot of material to cover there.And of course it goes on to cover Leonard’s life as an actor at length. If anything it was fascinating to listen to William Shatner’s thoughts on acting as an art and a craft and his repeated praises for Leonard Nimoy as an actor. It’s easy to get lost in the usual public stories about competition between them while on Star Trek but in this book you really hear his admiration for the man. Maybe they were rivals then but by the time he wrote this book after Nimoy’s passing, there was certainly a lot of love for the man.What I Liked: William Shatner is a pretty thoughtful man and this book is a great demonstration of that. And here his focus is pretty much all on sharing all that he knows of his friend Nimoy. And in that regard this book feels quite genuine – and that tone of honesty does a lot for its value as a narrative experience. And it feels like so much work was put into making the coverage of this book to capture as much of Leonard Nimoy’s life in a book.And Shatner has a lovely reading cadence that makes the audio book experience quite engaging and at times poetic. And you can hear his sincerity in putting this book together as a way to process his own feelings over the death of his friend.What Could Have Been Better: All that said, William Shatner is William Shatner and does tend to wander off into strange tangents of Leonard Nimoy’s life or just random bits on acting in general. He’s not the most concise writer in this regard and there are a lot of parts that feel like he’s losing sight of telling the core story.And as a third-party account, there’s only so much that he can share about his life. He largely took an approach where he tries to be somewhat objective in his discussion of his life. But maybe it could have been more personal or perhaps more introspective and I think that’s the last barrier to really, really celebrating this book.TL;DR: Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship With A Remarkable Man is largely a touching effort to tell the story of Leonard Nimoy and in that regard acts as a tribute to a great man.

⭐ “The measure of a man, or a woman, is what is left behind to make the world a better place”I have to admit, I am an unabashed “Trekkie”( not a ” Trekker”) from almost the first time I saw it. And, Mr. Shatner, it may be because U am a theologian, I proudly admit “Why does God need a spaceship” from Star Trek V might just go in my tombstone (LOL).Enough of that. When I was young in the late 60s I had a big crush on two actors:Alan Alda and Leonard Nimoy. Both intelligent, both attractive and both were presences in the life of a nerdy geeky kid. As a 60 year old, both are still important to me.This book, a tribute to Leonard Nimoy, has allowed me to revisit that “crush”. The stories behind a lot of situations gave me new insight into Nimoy’s craft(s) and how they changed a lot of intelligent women and men, and for that I am eternally grateful. Shatner starts with Nimoy’s family history and takes the reader on a trajectory encompassing not only the sphere of acting, but the other arts he was so passionate about. It has been many years since I’d read any of Shatner’s prose, and I can also see howvhe has matured as an author.A wonderful read! Highly recommended

⭐ I am a Trekkie and Spock was always my favorite character. I enjoyed seeing him in other ventures, like Mission Impossible and other shows, not to mention the Star Trek movies. I knew this book would intrigue me.This memoir gets three stars for the writing. For content, it’s four stars for those interested in Nimoy (this work is packed with non-Trek surprises), and five stars for Trekkies due to the insights into the development of Nimoy’s Spock and behind-the-scenes look into the original show and movies. I suspect artisans of many types will appreciate Shatner’s work for its careful depiction of Nimoy’s diverse creative pursuits. The story is a me-him-we account mostly of their careers, anchored logically in the Star Trek enterprise (pun intended), but expanding beyond those universes. Nimoy is quoted liberally, but the transfer back to Shatner’s POV is not always clear, making readers re-read to find out if the words are Shatner’s or still part of Nimoy’s quote. It is a worthwhile read despite the sluggish language, mediocre editing (typos, extra words, and some grammatical issues), and repetitions; I expected a higher quality work given Shatner’s collaboration with NYT best-selling author David Fisher.Shatner’s humor, although sometimes subtle, gives this book a lighter feel, which is a nice rebound after some of the darker passages. I did find Shatner’s perspective unabashedly honest, even when he does not shine brightly. Shatner’s narcissism and ego took me aback several times during the story, but they are part of his character and make his perspective of Nimoy unique. They were best friends and highly competitive; each fighting his own demons, which sometimes put them at odds with one another.Many related biographies by other Star Trek cast members are referenced and quoted, along with Nimoy’s family members, friends and associates. However, Shatner’s accounts of Roddenberry, portraying him as a veritable ass, shocked me most. The research behind the book is excellent and it’s doubtful any other person could give readers such a comprehensive, intimate look at Nimoy’s life than Shatner. Their friendship–in many of its ups and downs–comes alive and you feel Shatner’s intense love for Nimoy, while appreciating Nimoy’s vast contributions as a gifted, multi-dimensional artist.

⭐ I enjoyed reading this book. I was, am, a huge fan of Leonard Nimoy as Spock in the Star Trek series and movies. I also enjoyed his character in the Fringe series. The book provided a mind meld down memory lane of Nimoy and Shatner’s fifty-year friendship. I learned a lot of key aspects of Nimoy’s life, and that of Shatner’s, that I never knew. I guess I allowed Nimoy and Shatner’s characters on Star Trek to shape my opinion of their friendship. I thought they would be so close they would be inseparable. I was saddened to learn they were not as close toward the end of Nimoy’s life. I think Shatner was even saddened by this. I learned so much more about both men in this book. It was like having a mind meld with Shatner to find out what he knew or thought he knew.I gave the book four stars based on the technicals issues of the book. It is difficult for me to critique someone’s memories of their friendship with someone for fifty-years. However, this book would been a lot better if it had some more of those vintage photograghs It would have been great to have these pictures dispersed throughout the book in the places Shatner where was talking about those images. There were parts of the book that went on and on like a very long run on sentence. The photographs would have helped in those places. Chapter headings with some kind of time line of Nimoy’s (and Shatner’s) career would have been very beneficial. In the middle of one chapter, Shatner makes a comment that this particular event or incident was a turning point in Nimoy’s career. A timeline would have helped in noting these important transitions. All-in-all, none of the technical aspects took away from the trip down memory lane.The book provides Nimoy’s last tweet that went out to fans before his death, “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP” Leonard Nimoy. I have great memories of Leonard Nimoy (Spock) and this book help put some things into context for me. I think you will enjoy it too.

⭐ Friendships like marriages have a heartbeat. There are irregular pulses, blimps, that interrupt the steady pattern of a heart. Shatner and Nimoy were joined at the heart, working together over the years, finding a brotherhood born from understanding each other rather from family ties. This was a tender book, a memorial for a life-long friendships of two very different men. Shatner is able to recount Nimoy’s early life, his struggles to make a living the insecurities only a fellow actor could understand, filling in the opaque outline of Nimoy’s personality. He tells stories of how they began, professional but territorial for the right to top billing. The petty hurts and rivalries that gave way to respect and admiration. The ups and downs leveled out to a tight friendship creating the mother of all bromances that was able to be translated to the larger screen.Star Trek opened new vistas and all kinds of exciting probabilities for us. Star Trek ignited my ten year old imagination when it premiered. It is perhaps, the only program that fills me with nostalgia. The crew, the characters as dear to me as my own family. Shatner recounting of those years held the same effect as a family reunion for me. He manages to paint a lively picture without maudlin sentimentality. It’s a window to Hollywood in the sixties and seventies, a glimpse into the life of two working actors and the challenges they faced. Just as you can’t judge a book by it’s cover, you can’t measure a relationship on a day or an incident. Nimoy and Shatner’s lives tangled as vines do, as they rooted, their characters developed, each supporting and depending on the other, growing stronger, insuring they both reached the stars together. A lovely book.

⭐ I’ve been a Star Trek fan for as long as I can remember, and I’ve always enjoyed the rapport displayed between William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. This book not only takes you down the road of their friendship, it invites you into their world, giving you a glimpse of what united them. This is, essentially, a love letter to Nimoy, a true testament to the bond these two men shared. Even without a happily ever after, this friendship is something to admire. It’s an emotionally-satisfying read. If you love Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, this book tells you what made them who they are and why the friendship onscreen didn’t just look real.

⭐ Star Trek reruns after school were my introduction to science fiction. While I fell in love with Scotty, I found Spock to be fascinating. (Admit it, you heard that in his voice!) I mourned with the rest of the world when Nimoy passed away. How could I pass up reading this book?The thing to remember is when a person writes about his friend, you find out about both of them. What shines throughout the book is the immense friendship and respect that Shatner had for his friend. Of course, Shatner has a huge ego and that comes through, too, but I think he tried to tone it down. I did find out new things about both Shatner and Nimoy.What is heartbreaking is that while Shatner recounts what led to the rift between Nimoy and him, he truly doesn’t understand what he did that Nimoy couldn’t forget. Shatner’s pain is almost palpable.If you want a biography of Nimoy, this isn’t it. This is a remembrance of friendship between two talented men told by an excellent storyteller. I breezed through the book, not really wanting to stop. (Kindle didn’t help me stop — “Only eight minutes in this chapter. This chapter is only ten minutes. Whoops! I’m going to be late to work!”) However, if you like Star Trek, then I think you’ll like this book. I think it is a good 4.5 star book; I rounded it up because I like Nimoy, Shatner, and Star Trek.

⭐ There are many horrible pieces of publicity out there, but this book did a great deal to set all that straight. Let me lay it all out: before this book, I though Shatner was a self-centered crybaby jerk who worked all his life to struggle away from the thing that made a large part of his living, and that all the other cast hated him, while Nimoy was a deep, heart-felt, thoughtful, well-rounded artist who also struggled against that thing, but ultimately accepted and embraced it.Shatner makes a fantastic case for what a struggle it can be for an actor, and particularly in the early 1960s, how it seemed they worked on a small show that would finish, and how some of the fan base has to be overwhelming. The struggles are real and make tremendous sense, this served as a very humanizing story of the friendship shared by these two. The book also serves tremendously to verify what I’d always thought about Leonard Nimoy: he is a remarkable human being of great warmth and ability, a well-rounded artist who wanted to be known as Nimoy, with Spock as part of his rich repertoire.Shatner’s and Nimoy’s reluctance to embrace this unexpected thing is so clarified, but against a backdrop of warmth and camaraderie. This book honestly had me tearing up at times. Support this book about the friendship between two remarkable men. LLAP.

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