Things I Overheard While Talking to M..., Alan Alda
Things I Overheard While Talking to M..., Alan Alda
5 Rating(s)
List: $15.00 | Sale: $10.50
Club: $7.50

Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself

Author: Alan Alda

Narrator: Alan Alda

Unabridged: 6 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/04/2007


Synopsis

An insightful and funny look at some of the impossible questions Alan Alda has asked himself over the years: What do I value? What, exactly, is the good life? (And what does that even mean?)

Picking up where his bestselling memoir left off–having been saved by emergency surgery after nearly dying on a mountaintop in Chile–Alda finds himself not only glad to be alive but searching for a way to squeeze the most juice out of his new life. Looking for a sense of meaning that would make this extra time count, he listens in on things he’s heard himself saying in private and in public at critical points in his life–from the turbulence of the sixties, to his first Broadway show, to the birth of his children, to the ache of September 11, and beyond. Reflecting on the transitions in his life and in all our lives, he notices that “doorways are where the truth is told,” and wonders if there’s one thing–art, activism, family, money, fame–that could lead to a “life of meaning.”

In a book that is candid, wise, and as questioning as it is incisive, Alda amuses and moves us with his unique and hilarious meditations on questions great and small. Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself is another superb Alan Alda performance, as inspiring and entertaining as the man himself.

Praise for Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself

“Engagingly thoughtful and thought-provoking . . . [Alan Alda] candidly shares many stories of his life, so easily and wittily you can hear him speak as you read.”
–Sydney Sun Herald

“Alda is chatty, easygoing and humble, rather like a Mr. Rogers for grownups. His words of inspiration would be a perfect gift for a college grad or for anyone facing major life changes.”
–Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Smart, engaged, funny and observant.”
–San Antonio Express-News

About The Author

Alan Alda is the author of Never Have Your Dog Stuffed. He is the winner of numerous awards, including six Emmys and six Golden Globes, and has been nominated for an Academy Award. He played Hawkeye Pierce for eleven years on the television series M*A*S*H, has acted in, written, and directed many feature films, and has appeared often on Broadway. His avid interest in science has led to his hosting PBS’s Scientific American Frontiers for eleven years. He is married to the children’s book author and photographer Arlene Alda. They have three grown children and seven grandchildren.


Reviews

Goodreads review by da

Alda's reading voice is so marvelous that I feel sorry for anyone who only gets the print version of this. As other reviewers have pointed it out, a good portion of it is adapted from commencement speeches & the like, but there's still a lot of merit to it. Am now wanting to read the prequel to this......more

Goodreads review by Jessaka

Refreshing I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be reading a book by Alan Alda and loving it. I was not a Mash fan although I did watch the series from time to time, and I do not remember if I saw any of his movies. The title caught my attention, and I believe it was on sale. So did I li......more

Goodreads review by Howard

4 Stars for Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself (audiobook) by Alan Alda read by the author. Alan Alda is a great story teller. His stories in this book mostly revolve around times he has had to speak publicly. His insights are interesting but I mainly listen to this audiobook because he narr......more

Goodreads review by Amy

This book pulls out all the stops and sets your emotions rolling. I cried during the chapter about 9/11 when a lady in Kansas not knowing what else to do baked a cake or the gentleman who said what they really missed at ground zero was something as simple as a candy bar. You could feel the immense f......more

Goodreads review by Jim

About my only recollections of Alda is the TV series MASH which I watched as they came on religiously for the first few seasons. It got a little old after that, but was still pretty good. What little I heard about him in other ways was always very liberal - nice sentiments, but little practical. Sim......more