[.ca] I.Asimov: A Memoir (ISBN 055356997X)

From Amazon.com:
The long-awaited autobiography of the science fiction master. Filled with his opinions and insights on topics ranging from his own genius and his fear of flying to politics, love, mortality, Hollywood, and religion. Non-fiction.

you'll feel like Asimov is an old friend after reading it:
This is an entertaining autobiography. Asimov didn't have the most exciting life, but even so, he makes the events of his life sound very interesting, and there are some extremely funny stories. The style is chatty--it makes you feel like Isaac Asimov is an old friend. The book would have been better if a few of the parts were cut; he discusses every book, including all the nonfiction ones that he ever wrote. Overall, it is a fast read, despite its length, it entertained me, and made me want to read more Asimov.

witty, engaging, and a little melancholy:
Isaac Asimov's autobiographical books are some of the funniest, most interesting, and most thoughtful books you can find these days, but they're frequently overlooked for his huge range of sci-fi and nonfiction works. This book is very funny, packed with anecdotes and stories that tell you a lot about who Asimov was as a person, but it also contains a tragic note that his other autobiographical books do not contain, as it was barely completed before his death, and contains a posthumous epilogue by his wife, Janet. The book is amusing and interesting, but contains more reflection and sadness than his other books. Highly recommended.

free association kind of memoir:
I was a bit disappointed with this book. In Asimov's science fiction novels, his plot hangs together well, and the various details tie into the bigger picture. This is not at all true of his autobiography. Told in tiny chapters according to whatever bit of his history Asimov decided to write about at that moment, characters appear and disappear, and events are recorded with no explanation of their greater significance. Some chapters were wonderful, and I was laughing out loud. Others left me wondering why they had been written. Some parts of this book are definitely worth reading. As a whole, though, I'm not sure it's worth the reader's time.

Superb, ultimately sad, memoir.:
"I, Asimov" was the penultimate book to pour from the pen of Isaac Asimov. During a career that lasted over five decades, Asimov wrote on more topics than virtually any other writer in literary history. From the sciences to history and Shakespeare to the Bible, his clear, concise writing style and ability to simplify even the most complex ideas earned him the nickname "The Great Explainer." His fiction, with the exception of his early Foundation novels, "The Gods Themselves" and some shorter pieces, consisted largely of filler. Nonetheless, by the time of his death, he was quite possibly the most famous SF writer of his time. Asimov's first volumes of autobiography were published in 1979 and 1980. As his health declined and the end drew near, his wife, Janet, encouraged him to write a third volume, less explanatory and more introspective. He obliged. "I, Asimov" lacks the surface detail of the early memoirs, but is rich in thought, emotion and self-revelation. The man that emerges from these pages was witty, intelligent, kind, loyal and genuinely devoted to sharing his knowledge and talents with others. He could also be vain and arrogant, but he is so honest about these less-attractive attributes that the reader is willing to forgive him anything. There is a cloud of nostalgia and approaching death that hangs over most of "I, Asimov." The book was written when the author knew he didn't have long to live, and the book reflects that state of mind. In the end, however, it is uplifting and optimistic rather than depressing and gloom-ridden. What keeps me from giving it a full five stars is the rather dull middle section, which is significantly less interesing than the beginning and ending. The first 150 pages of the book are particularly unputdownable. All in all, this is a superb memoir and well-worth reading. I highly recommend it.

Honest, engaging recapitulation of his life:
I am in complete agreement with the person who referred to Isaac Asimov as a natural resource. While he certainly ranks at the highest level in terms of output, no one can challenge the breadth of his writing. I learned more science from his books than I did in taking the courses en route to a double major in biology and chemistry. In this personal recollection of his life, Asimov is as always honest, even when it is embarrassing. He makes no apologies for his life and actions. To use the old phrase made famous by sportscaster Howard Cosell, he tells it like it was. Which is a necessary precondition for an engaging set of memoirs. His life and how he performed throughout is a lesson for us all. It may be said that Asimov is one of the lucky few who was able to find work that was also his passion. While true, he also is to be commended for pursuing it when other options were available. Like all of us, he encountered several forks in his life and he was clever enough to follow the best of all his possible worlds. Issac Asimove was above all things conceited with justification. His life was interesting and there is no better role model from which to guide yours.