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Loading... How I Got to Be Whoever It Is I Amby Charles Grodin
   None No current Talk conversations about this book. 2   clarkisaacs | Jul 9, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
In his candid and engaging new book HOW I GOT TO BE WHOEVER IT IS I AM, successful actor, author, and activist, Charles Grodin, looks back at the major events and private moments that have shaped his life. And, since Grodin is one of the best storytellers around, he can't help but entertain while offering insight gained from a wealth of experience. The combination of being impeached as class president by his fifth grade teacher (and then winning many school elections thereafter) with being thrown out of Hebrew School for asking too many questions (only to find a much better teacher as a result) informed Grodin's view of himself and made him adept at dealing with rejection--an important skill for an actor. Grodin's success in plays in high school and adventures in college theater led him to a career in acting, studying with the great teachers like Uta Hagen and Lee Strasberg. Grodin shares behind-the-scenes tales of working on plays like Same Time Next Year and movies like The Heartbreak Kid and Midnight Run--even how close he came to playing the lead in The Graduate. His stories feature the many actors, directors, writers, and producers, with whom he's worked, such as Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Johnny Carson, Orson Welles, Warren Beatty, and other colorful characters. Grodin's greatest work isn't limited to stage and screen, however. He has been an award winning talk show host and commentator on Sixty Minutes II, and he reveals insights about the political and personal side of journalism and some of the larger-than-life characters he's interviewed. Still, it is the personal aspects of Grodin's life that are truly revealing and funny. He shares intimate anecdotes of humorous dating experiences during the carefree 70s along with stories of what it was like to be a young actor then with friends and colleagues like Robert Redford, Gene Wilder, and Dustin Hoffman. But it is Grodin's tales of the lives he's helped save with his relentless advocacy work that make you realize what a great guy Charles Grodin really is. We are lucky that the nice guy his friends call, "Chuck" brings us along to share a little of his journey of how he got to be who he really is! The author is donating 100 percent of his royalties from sales of this book to Mentoring USA, aNew York City based nonprofit that forges powerful, transformative connections for young people through the advocacy and involvement of mentors. No library descriptions found. |
LibraryThing Early Reviewers AlumCharles Grodin's book How I Got to Be Whoever It Is I Am was available from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.  Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)792.028092The arts Recreational and performing arts Stage presentations, Theatre Standard subdivisions and types of stage presentation Techniques, procedures, apparatus, equipment, materials, miscellany Acting and Performance History, geographic treatment, biography BiographyLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.25)
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Wikipedia in English
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Author: Charles Grodin
ISBN: 978-0-446-51940-3, Pages: 240, $24.99, Publication Date: April 2009, Hard Cover, Autobiographical, Biographical, Published by Springboard Press a Division of Grand Central Publishing.
Two messages are delivered in this funny and sometimes serious autobiography by Charles Grodin called “How I got To Be Whoever It Is I Am”. Starting at his grassroots, he tells of his family’s history and then launches into his first success as the 5th grade president, who is promptly impeached because of his incessant penchant to talk in class.
No, he did not come from a wealthy background, but was from humble beginnings, and made it in spite of his stumbling around, in an attempt to find his place in the competitive world of acting in television, movies, and on Broadway. One of the messages he conveys is he’s really a nice guy under the façade of being an out-of-step individual who tries to alienate all those who are near and dear to him. He tells of the numerous times he had appeared with Johnny Carson and was always antagonistic, which often rubbed audiences the wrong way. Charles was well understood by the ‘master’ of late night hosts to be a delightful brand of comedy.
Many times in life we reminisce about the ‘do over’ if we had the chance. There are occurrences which would have been addressed differently if given more thought. These are the views of Grodin, but the reality is that in real life, he is not the abrasive and caustic-mouthed person he portrays. In this book he makes up for his inadequacy by playing the Monday morning quarterback and describes how he would have proceeded in a different way in many situations.
It isn’t very often we have an opportunity to look inside the life of an actor and his personal interactions with directors, actors, and producers in such a Candid Camera close-up. Pleasing to the mind and spirit, Charles Grodin is a mensch (a nice person), in his efforts to support causes he truly believes in.
By helping those who have been convicted under the provisions of the Felony Murder laws, Grodin has put his money, time, and honor to right egregious enforcement of these laws. The proceeds from this book, which would normally go to him, are being donated to charity. This book is an excellent read. (