I Am Spock

by Leonard Nimoy

Book Overview

First time in trade paperback: the memoir by the late Leonard Nimoy, best remembered for his portrayal as everyone's favorite Vulcan, Spock, in Star Trek, the TV series and films. Leonard Nimoy's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786861827
• ISBN13: 9780786861828
• Release Date: October 1995
• Publisher: Hyperion Books
• Length: 342 Pages
• Weight: 1.63 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Great read

This is not an autobiography for the person who wants the details of Nimoy's childhood or family life, he focuses almost exclusively on his work. That said, this is a witty, well written work that keeps you chuckling while revealing alot of his character. The conversations between Nimoy and Spock by themselves make it worth the buy. A must for any Star Trek fan.

As the good Vulcan would say - "Fascinating"

A solid, well crafted work from a very surprising source. When one thinks "Leonard Nimoy" writer is NOT the first thing that comes to mind. However, after finishing this work it is difficult to discount the man's obvious talent. While the work is written in a sort of grandfatherly air, with fondness at youth past, there still remains grains of truth which embed themselves thoroughly in the psyche. It is a revelatory work concerning the creative process/struggle of an actor. It is at once very amusing and honest and is thouroughly infused with a sense of diginity one would not expect from a hollywood veteran. The dialogues betweent the author and his ubiquitous character are in a word excellent. Nimoy manages to say so much through those short exchanges. It is definitely a must have for any serious star trek fan.

Thoughtful, fun, and (dare I say it?) fascinating

Leonard Nimoy is best know as the actor that portrays Spock in the Star Trek universe. Those that follow films also know him as the director of Three Men and a Baby and The Good Mother, not to mention a couple of the ST films. This interesting biography includes a healthy dose of Spock, as indicated by the title, along with some divergences into his other acting roles and his directorial work. The time frame is from approximately the beginning of the original series to the end of his appearance in the Star Trek: the Next Generation episode entitled "Unification", where Spock appeared alongside the Enterprise D crew. As such, it is certainly a complete record of his work in the Trek universe (so far!).It is a personal autobiography, in that discussions always centre on Nimoy himself. This is a contrast to the Shatner "Star Trek Memories" books, in that Nimoy makes little attempt to explore his extended Trek family. However, we get a very candid look at Nimoy's contributions over the years, including the conflicts on the set (between the actors themselves and between the actors and the directors, writers, etc.). It is a thoughtful book, analysing the phenomenon of Trek and mulling over his place in it. His schizophrenic relationship with the Vulcan he portrays is especially highlighted (including updated versions of his dialogues, similar to those in the earlier I Am Not Spock).My only disappointment is that he spends little time on his early life and on his family life. We only hear about his parents when he discusses their passing on. He talks about working with his son on a TV show, but barely mentions his children previous to that. This is not a problem overall (presumably he means to protect his family from the publicity), just a small disappointment. Otherwise, it's highly recommended - a thoughtful and thoroughly enjoyable look into the mind Leonard Nimoy.(...)

A book that got me hooked.

When I picked up this book I was like ah well might as well read it. The truth was with most autobiographies I lost intrest after the first chapter. When I got to the end of chapter one in this book however, I couldn't put it down.It was facinating to see what happened on the set. I have only seen one of the original Star Trek episodes, "Trouble with Tribbles," and now the top of my christmas list is the original episodes. I relize that they might seem un real compaired to other recent Star Treks but the book sparked an intest in me that I never knew was there. My friends all call me a Star Trek nut. I don't care. I even recomented the book to a friend. She read it and was instantly hooked. I think we plan to spend January watching Star Trek and reading "I Am Not Spock," and the book by William Shatner," Memories." This book is a book to read for any fan of space history.

Excellent Autobiography

This is exactly what a Star Trek fan needs to fill the void left by the cancellation of this show. Nimoy's book is intelligent and full of insight. It was particularly interesting to understand how the character Spock evolved over time and how Leonard Nimoy, the actor, worked to perfect the Spock we know and love. Unfortunately, it does make you hungry for more, more, more Trek! 79 episodes and a handful of motion pictures is not enough! I stayed up all night reading this and immediately raced out the next day to search for his first book, "I Am Not Spock." I've even started reading Star Trek novels, as well as the autobiographies of other actors on Star Trek, just to satisfy my new Spock addiction. It was also gratifying to learn that Leonard Nimoy had a good track record outside of Star Trek, in plays as well as film. This background history, added to his insightful descriptions of the concept behind Star Trek and his subsequent successes as a director, makes one feel that Star Trek fandom is the choice of intelligent beings. I read this and felt flattered that I'd had the good sense to love Star Trek in spite of abuse from non-Trekkers. Nimoy is a great actor, on or off of Star Trek. And his kind-but-truthful treatment of William Shatner and Gene Roddenberry, both of whom he could have eviscerated, tells you that he is a good man and a loyal friend as well. Great book, well worth reading!